Almost 4000 runners ran the various distances of the fifteenth Cascaderun in Hoogeveen on Sunday afternoon. In decent running weather, a multitude of spectators watched their performances. Partly due to their massive presence, this edition was also full of atmosphere.
At the Cascaderum, there was atmosphere in the center of Hoogeveen, but not tension. The favorites won with a clear difference: Geart Jorritsma and Jacelyn Gruppen the 5 English mile, Edwin Slijkhuis and Jana van Lent the 10 English mile. They remained far removed from the competition records set by Kenyan athletes.
No Kenyans
Kenyans were not at the start in this edition of the running event. In some previous editions, a van with fast African runners had sometimes been parked at the door. ,,We have not been approached by managers of foreign athletes. Perhaps this is because we do not pay a starting fee. Anyone who wants to earn money with us will have to walk for it”, says René Nanninga on behalf of the organization.
Of the thousands that were there, Geart Jorritsma (Sneek) was the first to cross the finish line in the Hoofdstraat. His winning time over the small 8000 meters was 24.53 minutes. Last year he was third. “Now profit and a better time. After the start I immediately left hard. In the fourth kilometer I escaped from the leading group. The crowd carried me to the finish,” he said. Jorritsma was followed by Erik Leusink (Staphorst, 25.16) and Dave Mulderij (Groningen, 25.53).
First wife
Less than a minute after Mulderij, home favorite Jacelyn Gruppen brought the audience into ecstasy by finishing as the first woman (26.48). Fellow local Laura Prins came second (29.10), Reinie Boven (Finsterwolde) took third place with a finish time of 30.32 minutes.
Gruppen had had an intense period with three important games at the end of February/beginning of March. “Everything I wanted to achieve in that.” So time for some rest. But the Cascaderun was emphatically in her running agenda. “The start is a hundred meters from my house,” the doctor’s assistant explained. ,,I wanted to run here and put in a good performance: a time under 27 minutes. I succeeded. There was some decay in the second part. There were a lot of people I know at the start, so I left a bit too eager.”
Copenhagen Marathon
Edwin Slijkhuis (Zuidhorn) took the victory over the double distance. He covered the 16.1 kilometers in 53.01 minutes. ,,From the start I immediately went fast and then I ran alone the whole time. This is a nice win for me. I am running the Copenhagen Marathon on May 14 and wanted to test my form. I am in good shape, I think based on the time that has now passed”, says Slijkhuis. He saw Alwin Heijting (Erm, 55.09) second and Bram Veenboer (Meppel, 57.26) third.
Jana van Lent was the first woman to finish the longest distance. The participation and starting position of the talented Belgian were a bit surprising. ,,Registration was already closed, I had never run this distance before, so I couldn’t give a time. I wanted to participate here, because competitions in the Netherlands are atmospheric. I mentioned my performance and was then able to participate and start at the front,” she said. In the fifth kilometer she took off, after which she soloed to the finish. Her winning time was 59.23 minutes. Mireille Baart from Wageningen came second (1.02.02), Lidia Meijer (Hollandscheveld, 1.08.08) third.