Thomas Voorhoeve (19) from Eindhoven has Down syndrome. But above all, Thomas has a mission. He wants to run the ten kilometers during the 39th Eindhoven marathon. Nobody’s going to stop him. “I can do this. Easy.”
It is a warm Monday evening in September. Athletics trainer Ben looks proudly at Thomas, who is thundering like a rocket across the athletics track in Eindhoven.
Full of conviction, like every Monday. You can now safely call that schedule routine. Yes, Thomas has Down syndrome. But Thomas also has discipline.
“He’ll get there. At his wits’ end if necessary.”
Thomas has been training at the Eindhoven Atletiek athletics club at the Dirkxpad since January. “He is doing great,” says coach Ben van der Plas. “I never thought he would get this far, but he is so enthusiastic. No, it will happen. On his gums if necessary.”
And it’s not just the athletics club that are proud of Thomas. Daniëlle Voorhoeve-Schurgers, his stepmother, also beams when she talks about Thomas’ sporting achievements. Daniëlle will run the ten kilometers with Thomas on Sunday.
“I can hardly keep up with him anymore,” laughs Daniëlle during training. They have been training together for months to be able to run ten kilometers properly and safely. “It goes beyond expectations. He is really doing very well,” says Daniëlle proudly. “It’s nice to see.”
It is certainly not self-evident that someone with Down syndrome can achieve such a sporting performance. People with Down syndrome have a slightly different body structure, Danielle explains. “That makes running more difficult for them. Fortunately, physically, Thomas has few of the problems that you often see in other people with Down.”
“I’ll definitely make it.”
Mentally, on the other hand, running is a major challenge for Thomas. “He can’t focus very well on tasks. Certainly not for long periods of time. He gets tired of things very abruptly. The fact that he has enjoyed running so much for so long is a real big plus. That alone is a kind of mega- victory for him.”
Thomas finds it especially exciting, even though he is familiar with the marathon day. Last year he ran the five kilometers of the Eindhoven marathon as a participant. “I felt very good then,” says Thomas. “And proud and good.”
He wants to double that distance next Sunday. According to his coach, everything indicates that this should succeed. “Thomas is sweet and kind, but he also listens very well. He does exactly what you say and is therefore very easy to train. That will be all right on Sunday.”
Does Thomas think so too? “Easy”, he answers that question. “I’ll definitely make it.”
Everything surrounding the Eindhoven marathon can be followed on Sunday in a live blog and a livestream on the Omroep Brabant website and app.
