Running Leiden Marathon in a 450th-anniversary t-shirt
Nearly 19,000 runners lined up at the start of Leiden Marathon on Sunday, among them students and staff from the university. For some this was their first race, for others a highlight of their year. This year, in celebration of our 450th anniversary, they ran in a special jubilee t-shirt.
Runners could choose from several distances: from the whole marathon to 5K, with even a KidsRun on offer. The route took them through the city centre and out into the surrounding fields, with views of windmills and grazing cows providing a welcome distraction.
‘Wave of emotion at the finish line’
Which students and staff from the university were among the runners? In the portraits below, they share their experiences and what made this edition so memorable.
Gatha Patil
Second-year Security Studies student Gatha ran the 5K on Sunday. ‘I started running earlier this year and did my first 5K in The Hague. That whetted my appetite’, she says. ‘It helps me stay in shape and clear my head during hectic weeks of study.’ The highlight? ‘Crossing the finish line together. That felt like a milestone that I’ll never forget.’
Dennis Hoencamp
Dennis works at the marketing department and helps organise open days also ran the 5K – in his home city. ‘As a keen runner, this is the event of the year. But this time was extra special. My daughters took part for the first time and chose to raise money for KiKa [a children’s cancer charity]. And the university’s anniversary is a perfect sporting event with which to celebrate. Nothing beats the buzz on Breestraat before the start and the wave of emotion at Vismarkt when you finish, with the crowd cheering you on.’
Michel Andriese
Michel, a project controller at the Faculty of Science, ran the half marathon. ‘I love running and what better place to do so than in your own city?’ His children cheered him from the sidelines. ‘I ran the full marathon in Rotterdam last month, after four months of intensive training. This one in Leiden, was more about strength of character.’ He was impressed by the energy along the route, ‘I was in town from 07.30 and I think the crowd was bigger than ever. But the real highlight is the moment you cross the finish line – and the post-race drinks with your running mates.’
Maureen van der Haar
Maureen is in the final year of her master’s in medicine, and decided to take on a new challenge with two friends: the half marathon. ‘We wanted to run in Leiden so our friends and family could cheer us on’, she says. Juggling her studies with long training sessions wasn’t easy. ‘The furthest I’d run before the race was 16 kilometres. The last five were through sheer grit and determination. But I made it!’ She paced herself with two other runners. ‘We kept overtaking each other and ended up finishing together. We congratulated each other at the finish.’
Veerle Verbeek
Fourth-year Molecular Science & Technology student Veerle is currently doing a board year with the study association for her degree programme, Chemisch Dispuut Leiden. ‘I wanted to stay a bit fit this year during my board year and somehow ended up entering as a kind of bet.’ Several fellow board members joined her on the start line. ‘We raised money for the charity our association supports.’ Her highlight of the day was seeing familiar faces in the crowd. ‘I usually spotted them before they saw me, so I waved at them like mad!’ That got her through the race.