Not a TT-Marathon and that is Balen, participants who would take on the challenge on Saturday. Tropical temperatures make the more than 42 kilometers an irresponsible walking festival. “I see it gloomy for marathons in the summer.”
It seemed so beautiful. A marathon in their own city, friends and family along the line and then as the winner are extensively welcomed in the last meters on Torenlaan. For Assenaar Maarten Hindriks it was probably reality. He had a good chance of winning the marathon. But that is not going to happen. This morning the organization put a line through because of the expected heat.
“Too bad”, the born and raised Assenaar responds to the news. “I thought the idea of the marathon in combination with the centenary of the TT was so beautiful. I wanted to participate.”
Hindriks knows what it is like to run under warm conditions. In fact, a 10 -kilometer competition with a degree of 23 already has a major influence on performance. “You want to set a certain time, but you will soon be called back by the heat. A marathon under even higher temperatures is asking for problems, especially for people who are less trained. I can only say that the organization has acted well and clearly communicated.”
The Assenaar did not have weeks or months of preparation. He saw the TT-Marathon purely as a pleasure competition, for which he did not have to train specifically. He also expected the competition to stay far away from his personal record.
For example, his buddy and fellow townman Tom Hendrikse decided not to participate in the competition, because he is preparing for the World Athletics Championship in Tokyo, later this year. Just like Hindriks, Hendrikse understands the decision of the organization, but also criticism. “You know it gets hot in these months. If you want to organize such competitions in the summer, you have to start at 6 am. And otherwise not,” he says. The TT marathon would start at 8 a.m.
Hindriks can agree with that, but for this weekend an early start had not been called, he says. “There are people who take five hours, while it can be quite hot at 9 a.m.”
Then there are the recreational users: runners who may have been looking for the marathon for months. Ina Oortwijn (57) from Annerveenschekanaal is one of them. She understands the decision to put a line through the marathon. “You want a nice running festival, but as an organization you don’t want accidents on your conscience.”
She followed a 12 -week schedule in preparation, but all that effort now seems for nothing. Still? “Well, with my walking group we will still walk the route on Saturday. We will leave between 6 am and 7 am. Then we will just run a bit. We hope to be ready for the hottest point of the day.”