Nikka Kertelj, half marathon

Nikka Kertelj, who studies Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, joined the Eindhoven Marathon for the first time, running the half marathon. “I ran together with my friend who studies Applied Physics. My goal was to keep the same pace at approximately 6:30min per km and of course to finish the full distance in one piece.”

That wasn’t a given, since she decided to participate only a month ago. “Usually back home in Croatia, I trained for triathlons, so I was in shape, but this distance was new to me.”

Kertelj was cheered on both in person and online. Her supporters along the course were university friends, while her family followed her progress through the ASML app. “At the finish line, my boyfriend was waiting for me.” After two hours and twenty minutes, she could finally collapse into his arms.

Caitlin Aalders, full marathon

On Sunday, Caitlin Aalders took on the full marathon. Having run the half marathon last year, she wanted more this time. “My main goal was to finish, and preferably within five hours.” She did so with ease. After about five kilometers (see photo below), she even decided to pick up her starting pace slightly. “I’m really happy with the six minutes I had left on my five-hour goal.”

Aalders ran at her own pace, but prepared and celebrated the achievement together with friends who ran the full or half marathon. To cheer her on, her parents, friends, and boyfriend joined her on bikes along parts of the route.

Domingos Varela Marreiros, 5,000 meter

Mechanical Engineering master’s student Domingos Varela Marreiros is a familiar face at Asterix. The Portuguese runner discovered his love for the sport at the student athletics association, where he even served on the board a few years ago. His favorite distances are de 800 and 1500 meter.

Just the weekend before, he already ran a half marathon in another city. On Saturday, October 11, in Eindhoven, he gave his all in the 5K run. He moved faster than a city bike and crossed the finish line in under seventeen minutes. His supporters included fellow Asterix members, work colleagues, and his girlfriend.

Stefan Robu, 5,000 meter

“My goal was more about surviving the five kilometers than setting a good time,” says master’s student in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Stefan Robu. It was the first race he had ever entered, and by his own account, he’s “quite slow.” “To be honest, I joined mainly as a source of motivation—or more as a challenge—to see how far I could push myself and to prove to myself that I can actually do things.” And he did just that, finishing well within the hour.

Fabian Lucas Luijckx, half marathon

For the second time, Fabian Lucas Luijckx ran a half marathon, but this was his first time doing so in Eindhoven. His goal: under one hour and forty minutes. “That meant maintaining a pace of about 4:45 per kilometer. It was tough—after three kilometers my heart rate was already high. In the end, my time—excluding the extra minutes from the 300 meters through the Philips Stadium for charity—was 1:40:26.”

His parents and nephews came to watch, as did friends and acquaintances from Thêta. The highlight for him was running through Stratumseind in the final kilometers. “I was pretty exhausted by then, but I tried to give it everything and overtake people. Suddenly I heard someone yell, ‘Come on, Fabian!’ It turned out to be Sean from 't Lempke. I don’t even go there that often and don’t know him that well, but that encouragement really helped!”
 

Antoni Kubak, half marathon

Cheered on by non-running friends, Antoni Kubak completed his first-ever half marathon. He started alongside friends, but everyone eventually settled into their own pace. Training hadn’t gone as planned. “I had a recurring injury for several months, so for roughly half a year I didn’t do any proper, dedicated training—just some casual running sessions here and there.” But it was worth it: after one hour and fourty minutes, he crossed the finish line and collected his medal.