She was seen in advance as a contender for a high ranking in Rotterdam. That had everything to do with Nienke Brinkman’s remarkable marathon debut, in Valencia last December. In the Spanish city she ran a time of 2:26.34, the third time ever for a Dutch athlete. But on Sunday, Brinkman outdid himself in a way few could have foreseen. With a time of 2.22.51, she broke the nineteen-year-old Dutch record of Lorna Kiplagat (2.23.43). Brinkman finished second in Rotterdam, behind the Ethiopian Port Hailu, who was 50 seconds faster.
The 28-year-old Brinkman has only been serious about running for a few years now. Before that she played hockey at Alecto in Leiderdorp and HBS in Bloemendaal. She was not easy to get tired as a midfielder, she told last year hockey.nl† “If I came in for another team after my own game, that was no problem.” When she moved to Switzerland three years ago for her PhD research in geophysics, she came into contact with athletics. She joined a student running group in Zurich and competed in trail runs. In October 2020 she wanted to run her first marathon, in Amsterdam, but the pandemic threw a spanner in the works. Brinkman then organized a marathon with her running group around Lake Zurich and ran a time under 2.40 hours. From that moment on she started training more seriously.
training camp
For the Rotterdam marathon, Brinkman went to training camp for the first time, in Kenya. “I was able to fully focus on the sport there and experience how my body responded to training at height,” she told ANP on Friday during the press presentation. As a result, she appeared top fit at the start at the Erasmus Bridge. Her goal: a personal record, and enjoy. “There will be a large audience, which promises a lot for the atmosphere.”
What Brinkman didn’t say on Friday: she had intended to attack Kiplagat’s national record. “I felt so good preparing for this marathon that my trainer said I could leave in 2:24,” she said on Sunday. “I didn’t publicize it beforehand, because I didn’t want to put any pressure on myself either. There were doubts, but the race went very well. I was able to maintain the record schedule very consistently and when my ‘hares’ were ready, I started to accelerate. Although it didn’t feel that way, but I was able to overtake a few women in front of me and that gave me a boost.”
Brinkman has to get used to her new status as the fastest Dutch marathon runner. “I still experience it all as a dream, but I do want to continue at full throttle in this sport. I definitely want to participate in the Olympics one day and this summer I want to try to finish as high as possible in the marathon at the European Championships in Munich.” Brinkman will miss this year’s World Cup in Eugene, USA. “I think it would be good to first gain experience at a European championship close to home.”
In addition to marathons, she also continues to participate in trail runs. “It’s a completely different discipline, but it really helps to strengthen the mind and body.” (NRC, ANP)