Less than a year ago, hardly anyone had heard of Nienke Brinkman. Now the marathon runner is one of the favorites at the start of the European Athletics Championships in Munich. “My parents thought: just dream on.”
At the end of 2021, 28-year-old Brinkman did something that is actually not possible for someone who only started running three years ago. At her first official marathon on the road in Valencia, she immediately clocked the third Dutch time ever: 2:26.34 hours. That was a surprise to everyone, including the national coach, who had never heard of her.
Four months later, Brinkman created a new sensation at the Rotterdam Marathon by finishing second and breaking the Dutch record after nineteen years. The top time of Lornah Kiplagat (2.23.43) was tightened to 2.22.51.
Now the Jakarta-born athlete has sponsors, a serious trainer and is going to Kenya for a training internship. She can also often be found in the Swiss running town of St. Moritz. “Bo Ummels and Jill Holterman of the Dutch athletics team also train there,” says Brinkman. “I get on well with them and have a lot of support from them.”
A year ago, Brinkman herself would not have thought that she would start at the European Championships. “As a hockey girl I always had the dream to play in Orange, but I never made it to the main division. Then you know that that dream is far away. When I started running seriously, it started to itch. My parents thought: dream But go ahead. It’s a dream come true that I can now wear the uniform of the Netherlands.”
At the Rotterdam Marathon, Nienke Brinkman finished second in a Dutch record.
At the Rotterdam Marathon, Nienke Brinkman finished second in a Dutch record. Photo: AP
‘My mind sometimes wanders during the marathon’
With a fifth place in the European ranking, Brinkman is one of the favorites for a medal in Munich. She doesn’t care about that herself. “I am not focused on the goals themselves, I mainly want to challenge myself, to become better than my previous me.” In addition, the marathon at the European Championships will mainly be a tactical game and it will be less about time. “I want to play that game as best I can.”
She sometimes already plays that tactical game with her trainer Benjamin Ueltschi, formerly the coach of the university group. “Then we go for a run together and he suddenly walks away from me,” she says. “That way we practice how I react to that. That is also mainly mental, but I am a cool frog.”
According to Brinkman, the success is partly due to trail running (running over mostly hilly terrain and unpaved paths), the discipline that she practices in addition to the marathon. “I feel this combination works for me. As long as it goes well, I will continue to grow.”
Trail running keeps her focused, because the chance of falling is always present. “You definitely don’t want that,” she says. “As a result, you are very focused on running. My thoughts sometimes wander during the marathon.”
Nienke Brinkman after winning a trail marathon in Zegama, Spain.
Nienke Brinkman after winning a trail marathon in Zegama, Spain. Photo: Getty Images
‘My life hasn’t changed that much’
In addition to running, Brinkman consciously partly clings to her old life. She now lives in Switzerland to complete her PhD in geophysics, but sometimes she still trains with her university running group. “Only some training buddies now have to drop out sooner if we train together.”
After the Rotterdam marathon, she deliberately took a week off from work, because the increasing fame and popularity is something she still has to get used to. “I’m glad that not much has changed in my daily life. I made a conscious choice to go back to my old life.”
Brinkman is in the final phase of her PhD research. Together with her running career, that is a “spicy combination”. “The end is in sight, but it is difficult to combine,” she admits. “Although I like that I can always go back to my routine. I will have to get used to the fact that my life will be a bit more hectic now and then.”
“After that, I would like to focus on just running. I want to discover what it’s like when I focus completely on the sport. Maybe I’m completely bored, but maybe it’s going really well.”
The European Athletics Championships in Munich start on Monday, when the marathon is immediately run. In the heat, the start for the women is at 10:30 am and the men start at 11:30 am. The tournament lasts until August 21.