Among the thousands of runners who participated in the TT Marathon and TT City Run in Assen today, Sanne Scheltes ran with experienced support on the side. She can now call herself an experienced marathon runner, but so are her mother and grandfather. And they were ready to encourage her in her own hometown.
The family therefore has three generations of marathon runners. “A beautiful tradition is developing in the family,” says Scheltes.
“My grandfather used to run the Rotterdam marathon. When my mother also started running marathons, they did her first marathon together, which was also in Rotterdam. And I also ran my first marathon in Rotterdam, together with my mother. The fact that they could now both be on the sidelines here made it very special.”
In addition to Rotterdam, Assense also ran the Berlin and Antwerp marathons. And now she has added her own hometown of Assen to that list. “It went great, I had a time of 3:06:09. This was so special to do in your own hometown. I actually had to cry at the finish and I’ve never had that before.”
Sanne Scheltes continues: “The support from my grandfather and my mother is very special. Grandpa was on his bike so he could encourage me twice. He is actually a very quiet man. But at the finish he stood so proud with his arms in the air and shouted: what a good time! So enthusiastic. And I saw my mother six or seven times along the way, she went everywhere by car.”
Grandfather Roel Kwint is now 86, mother Trea Kwint is 60. “My grandfather cannot go everywhere to encourage me, but here in Assen he can. And with my mother, that really feels special,” says the proud granddaughter.
Sanne Scheltes prepared for the marathon in Assen in a special way. “In the past, you didn’t have apps like Strava, my mother kept track of her preparations for the marathon in diaries and she kept them. I now have those diaries and I adhered exactly to her schedule and prepared exactly as she did.”