Richard Douma got out of the Amsterdam Marathon early this afternoon. The athlete was seen in advance as one of the contenders for the Dutch National Championships. Douma had to give up the fight because of a problem with a buttock muscle.
The race started well for the Zaankanter. Behind a leading group with Africans he was in a group with a number of Dutch. He was able to keep up with that pace until the 27 kilometers, but still had to release the group.
“I tried to pick myself up after that, but they were accelerating well,” explains Douma. “I had some tension in my butt and just let the pace down. It’s hard to let a group like that go because they were on the schedule of my time. The butt pain got worse, so in the end I decided to get out.”
When Douma wanted to get off, he was still consulting with his coach. “He happened to be nearby on the bike and also indicated to get off. It is not good for you to continue walking.”
At 23 kilometers the athlete had the wind at his back, but he did have an annoying misstep. “After that I looked for rhythm. I also started to get annoyed by people next to the track. They were encouraging other athletes, but I couldn’t get into my focus anymore.”
By bike
Normally athletes are picked up by vans when they get off at running competitions, but Douma chose a different mode of transport. “In the end I put on my coach’s warm clothes and went back to the Olympic Stadium by bike.”
Disappointment
Douma is disappointed that he did not finish the marathon, but believes that he has made a wise choice. “I could also have walked with pain until 39 or 40 kilometers. Then you will only have more damage to the body and the recovery time is a lot longer. I am now taking it easy for a week and then I can start planning things again .”