Irene Schouten succeeded again today in becoming Dutch champion in marathon skating. The 30-year-old skater from Hoogkarspel crossed the finish line first on the Jaap Edenbaan in Amsterdam. Schouten became the winner seven times in a row, only in 2021 the race was not held.
Marijke Groenewoud finished second behind her teammate Schouten. The bronze was there for Merel Bosma. According to the West Frisian, she had to go deep for the win. She hadn’t expected to start two days ago.
“I was suffering from the flu and I was just not really good yet,” she explained to NOS . “We have a rule: if you don’t skate the day before, you don’t drive. Yesterday I went skating and it went reasonably well.” That is why she decided to skate after all, but it was the toughest marathon title for Schouten.
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49 times the best
Because of her national marathon title, Schouten now has as many championships as Arjan Stroetinga. The West Frisian is also getting closer to matching the number of victories in the marathon. At the moment she has won 49 times, Atje Keulen-Deelstra won 61 marathons.