Jan Dubbeld is 86 and the oldest participant participating in the Dam tot Damloop. “They called me. So it’s official. It’s fun and I’m proud of it.” This weekend will be the 37th time that he will travel the more than 16 kilometers between Amsterdam and Zaandam.
Jan started running about forty years ago. “I wanted to catch the subway and sprinted. When I didn’t make it, I noticed that I was short of breath. I decided to work on my fitness.” And that turned into running. First alone and later became him too member of the local athletics club. “It’s much more fun, together.”
And that realization is even stronger now that he lives alone. A year ago, his wife, whom he had cared for for years, died. “She always told me to go running. That relaxes, clears your head and provides distraction.”
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Jan has all the times of all 36 runs on an A4 sheet of paper. The fastest time, 1 hour and 14 minutes, is a long time ago. It is highlighted with a yellow marker. “I also came first once,” Jan chuckles, “among the men over 75. My colleague came second. There is no separate category for men over eighty.”
In recent years he has been on the verge of putting away his running shoes. “When it took me more than two hours, I wanted to stop. But then the home edition came in 2020 and I could run from home and I was much faster than before.” Last year in the pouring rain, Jan achieved a time of 2 hours and 3 minutes. “Maybe I can do it this year too. We’ll see.”