Bilspier is a bummer for Richard Douma, who gets out earlier at Amsterdam Marathon
Richard Douma got out of the Amsterdam Marathon this afternoon. The athlete was seen in advance as one of the contenders for the Dutch National Championships. Douma had to give up the fight because of a problem with a buttock muscle.
The race started well for the Zaankanter. Behind a leading group with Africans, he was in a charge with a number of Dutchmen. He was able to keep up with that pace until the 27 kilometers, but still had to release the group.
“I try to pick myself up afterwards, but they were running well,” explains Douma. “I had some tension in my buttock and just let the pace slow down. It’s hard to let a group like that go because they were on schedule. The pain in the butt got worse, so in the end I decided to take my time to get out.”
When Douma wanted to get off, he had not yet consulted his coach. “He happened to be nearby on the bike and also indicated to get off. It is not good for you to continue walking.”
At 23 kilometers the athlete had the wind at his back, but he had a serious misstep. “After that I looked for rhythm. I also started to get annoyed by people next to the track. They were encouraging other athletes, but I couldn’t get into my focus anymore.”
By bike
Normally they are collected by vans when they get off at running races, but Douma chose a different mode of transport. “Finally I got my coach’s warm clothes and went back to the Olympic Stadium by bike.”
Disappointment
Douma is disappointed that he did not finish the marathon, but believes that he has made a wise choice. “I could also have walked with pain until 39 or 40 kilometers. Then you will only have more damage to the body and the recovery time is a lot longer. I now even take it easy for a week and then I can start planning things again .”