Coastal run: border to border
78km along the sea
On Saturday June 26, 2021 I will challenge myself. I will run along the Belgian coast, from border to border .
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I've never run 78km before , but the legs are ready and the appetite is great. In 2015 I ran my first marathon and that's where it stopped. When my fitness was at it's lowest in 2018 I decided to start over. Puffing 4km was not necessarily motivating, but I continued to run patiently. Each time a little further.
Fast forward to today and I've completed dozens of (ultra)marathons. This challenge will push my boundaries, but I look deep into it's eyes and I know why I'm doing it .
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Jeroen, child of the sea
A tribute to my brother
Jeroen, my younger brother, grew up at the coast all his life. He went to school in Lombardsijde, Nieuwpoort and Ostend, attended the youth movement in Westende, went skating in Oostduinkerke and went surfing in De Panne. He really was a child of the coast.
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No matter what the weather was, he always enjoyed watching the sun set with a beer after his surf sessions. When the sky turned orange before the sun disappeared behind the horizon, he was satisfied. My brother was a bon vivant .
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On May 11, 2014, he passed away in a car accident and remained 18 forever. He died close to the sea he loved so much . This coastal run is therefore a tribute to my brother , Jeroen.
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Parents of children passed away in a car accident
Strong together through difficult times
When disaster struck and our world was turned upside down, it was difficult, very difficult. Friends and family were there for us. Day and night they guided us through this dark period. Many people don't always know how to handle this properly and that goes without saying. Nobody expects such a sudden change, such a terrible accident. No one is prepared for that.
On our long road, our search for how life should continue, we came into contact with OVK (Parents of Children passed away in car accidents) . A group of fellow parents who are there for each other. Every family member has their own story, their own obstacles, but everyone lost a child, too young, in traffic.
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This non-profit organization is committed to alleviating the pain as much as possible. For example, they organize discussion evenings and placed a SAVE sign at the accident site. Whenever I see a SAVE sign (there are more than you think) I think of OVK and what they have meant to us.
I would like to call on every reader to sponsor me per km I run to support OVK.
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