Dutch Dune Trail: marathon in 24 hours

Through the dunes and beach from Wassenaar to Noordwijk and back again, with full packing and in the company of ten good-humoured trail walkers. A guarantee for success, even if not everything runs smoothly.

Sometimes you have runs that you see that go very well and sometimes you have runs that you look forward to that go less well than expected. The Dutch Dune Trail with Vrolijke Loper Ingrid Achterberg unfortunately fell into the latter category. But just when it's not going well in terms of running, you train well for the long distance, we'll just have to change our minds.

The principle behind the Hollands Duin Trail was very simple: a nice running weekend with other runners who want to spread the marathon distance over two days. And a great opportunity to learn to run with luggage for a multi-day run: the route went from Wassenaar to Stayokay Noordwijk on Saturday and back again on Sunday. Nice over the beach and through the dunes in a traditional – because Leiden marathon – sunny weekend. Surely that should be easy after the marathon in one day and the complete trail week in January with 20+ km and 1.000+ altitude meters per day?

Respect the distance

That running well is not always obvious, I know that after that injury earlier this year and the lung problems last year. And yet I fall for it again. Not that I have trained badly, but specific preparations, enough rest and a good night's sleep, kicked in a bit last week. Not to mention the hay fever, which has made it very stuffy again and is already pushing up my heartbeat at low speed.

I don't get any bonus points for the preparation either: I had only ordered the Freestyle Libre sensors on Wednesday and therefore they didn't arrive until half an hour before departure. Looking for walking clothes together also turned out to be a drama: a lot was still in the laundry. And in all haste I forgot to put a memory card in the GoPro. Jeminee Rutger, take it a little more seriously…

Sunny

Despite the nice weather, the other passengers of the subway and bus looked a bit pitying at me in my short tight, tight shirt (no jacket needed) and with that bulging racing vest (Raidlight Responsiv 12l). How I crammed the last one full remains a mystery. In total I had with me in the vest: 1,5 L water, 16 gels, 3 nougat bars, 3 syrup waffles, 1 toothbrush, 1 mini toothpaste, 1 mini shower gel, 1 phone charger, 1 towel, 1 long pants (’in the evening it cools down in my defense), 1 long walking jersey, 1 dry tight, 1 raincoat, 1 walking string, 1 pair of socks, 1 extra shirt, 1 extra short tight, 1 tube of sun block, 1 tube of anti-friction cream, 1 foldable cup, 1 blood glucose meter with accessories, 2 insulin pens, 1 GoPro, 1 Freestyle Libre Reader, 2 tubes of magnesium solution and a lot of freezer bags to keep it air and moisture free. Stop me if I ever threaten to do the Marathon de Sable or other multi-day events with my own luggage… On the way the suspicious bus driver already asked if this runjihadist shouldn't go to Leiden, because he wasn't going there. But no, I really had to be in Leidschendam for a lift to Wassenaar, because the start was not reachable by public transport.

Hans Verbeek (blog), who also hitchhiked via Ingrid, took a much smarter approach to things. A tiny backpack was enough for him. With room in it for sports tape and a swimming trunks. Luckily I wasn't the only luxury horse, because Ingrid also had a maximum waistcoat of 12 liters. The rest of the group of eleven was also divided: some had enough on a 5 L vest, others even had a backpack of 20 or more liters.

Who now thinks that I would succumb to the weight: my racing vest distributes the kilo’s well over the back. And I train a lot with luggage. But even I didn't mind walking with all that stuff, it never bothered me.

Hills and loose sand

It's so wonderful once you walk. In the sun, with nice people, in a beautiful landscape full of sand hills, hawthorns and flowering dunes. Then you just don't have to linger with your thoughts. First I noticed the empty GoPro. After half an hour the Libre sensor fell off my arm. Then I started to doubt if I had forgotten the medicine (this is the diabetic version of leaving the gas stove on when you leave). That only changed after I checked my bag at a resting point… then I could make peace with the fact that it didn't all work out perfectly.

If not thoughtful, I probably didn't restrict myself enough in speed either. Thanks to the earlier mentioned tightness and the worse training after that injury earlier this year, the fitness is not top. And then running restless also costs you extra energy. Although the group stayed together – quite special – I had exhausted myself before the end. The last kilometers were very difficult. Also the blood sugars stayed too low (by feeling because the sensor… but after measuring it afterwards I had to drag myself through it). I was happy when we arrived at the youth hostel. But also quite proud. That again.

In front of the TV we could forget all the trouble. We all enjoyed the song festival. Sound muffled of course. But it's a grateful subject for the primeval Dutch sarcasm. Best entry of this year was really Iceland if you ask me. Madonna even showed it to the Turkish dentist who plagiarized a song by Gerard Cox (after after after after after after). And no, I keep denying knowing anything about song festivals…

Dipping at full moon

The next day the route was just a little bit easier. Flat, less loose sand, shell paths and 1 km shorter. The legs felt like it again. Unfortunately the lungs didn't. It remained a fight to keep up for a long time, what succeeded and that is also a kind of victory for me. I can do it, as long as I don't try to get rid of it too easy. I'm going to need that thought when I walk back to La Roche.

Actually, it only really went well physically after a stop on the beach in Katwijk. Hans had said earlier that we would do a dip at full moon, but then we were all fascinated to stare at the screen with a drink and some chips (for the salt, good excuse). Sunday I'd take care of the moon; never been a swimming trunks fan and I think putting a wet bathing suit in a racing vest is a bad idea. How cold the water was! The lungs felt free again and I got a nice warm glow after drying. I should do that more often.

Far too soon we were back in Wassenaar after Katwijk and unfortunately we had to say goodbye to each other. Within 24 hours we had covered more than 43 km together, without anyone left behind (in case of pain or fatigue you could get on your bike for a while). According to some you can even call it a marathon – or thank Jan, ultra &#8211. That is a super performance as a group.

The wise lesson for me: you can do more than you think, although sometimes you need others to help you. Only, I was undoubtedly slowed down by the setbacks.

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