Not a peep about this performance at rotterdam? Just running for 2 years and a 2:22 marathon

I was just about to start a thread about this. Probably going make a lot of the roadies on here pissed off that a trail runner just ran this well.

She is a freak of nature: Ran a "virtual" (time trial?) marathon her first year of 2:39 with no knowledge of proper training.

She has been targeting road marathons all along but happened to clean up in some trail/mixed races along the way. Trains now with NN, the top Kenyan group, after only two years. May be the most flukish marathon talent I have heard of in 50 years in the sport.

nnrunningteam.com

Pandemic triggers the spectacular rise of Nienke

Pandemic triggers the spectacular rise of Nienke

Open link

Krapp, I missed that her first official marathon was 2:26 in Valencia after ONE YEAR of running. Just sick!

And I do love that when she heard she got the NR, she was like but I have the carbon shoes. Clearly not an athlete who will get a big head. Excited to see how much more she progresses.

I thought I read that she played another sport. Was she at the top level there? Was it a neg split while others were fading late after going out too hard?

I think she played field hockey to a pretty good level. Big sport in the Netherlands.

She skyrocketed through the world mountain scene as well, only losing out to Maude Mathys, herself a 2:30:41 marathoner.

You would think with this 2:22 she abandons trails for 2022 to race Eugene and then perhaps hits up the mountain circuit in late August/September for a couple of races. She has too much passion for the trails, but it was amazing how she signed with NIKE Trail and they realized what a mega talent she is and ended up signing with NN within 6 months.

She will only get better. I see a 2:19 in her future and potential 2024 Paris Top 10.

Wow very impressive. But it states that she has run trail for years. So not totally new to running.

Big kudos.

Not according to this, from the above linked article:

"A geophysics PhD student in Zurich, Nienke only started running to “clear her head” during the first lockdown in 2020 as a break from her studies."

Maybe you have another source?

Anytime you see someone come out of nowhere and run a world class time and it's said, 'They just started running..." it usually means they just started training like a professional.

In this case, the stories have been consistent that is not the case. It's 2 years, so it's not like she literally just started. Kudos to NN for recognizing her talent, telling her story, and then investing in her with stints in Kenya etc. This feels D'Amato-esque (without the prep/college background), and she is only 28.

i posted about her after the valencia marathon. bit noone noticed on this board.. 🤷🏻‍♀️ probably because she is dutch and not american. nienke brinkman is a running phenomenon. exciting to see what she can do onwards from here

actually it was sierre-zinal who invited her for the golden trail series elite race after she had won the zermatt marathon, switzerland. she took second at sierre zinal behind maude mathys. from there she took off

Too many people have mental barriers to success.

Being new to the sport, there was only her own body to deal with.

And time in the sport does not determine if you have talent or not. Clearly she does.

My old coach used to say there are world champions walking down the street, who never even took up the sport..

The work for her starts from now.

her only running background prior to this was field hockey

Hope she goes back to SZ. Someone needs to knock Maude off her perch

Very cool but deceiving, she has only raced for two years. Before that she would run/hike 100k plus.

That’s crazy impressive. Started running two years back *while doing her PhD* and gets 2:22. Most PhD students don’t get enough sleep.

Unless your name is Priscilla Welch