What the weather would be like in The Hague is not the case for a change. Expectedly reviewed the 10-day outlook daily and found that #themostbeautiful would not apply to the elements. Rain or shine, you have to walk, no less than 42 kilometers and a bit far. Monday, Easter Monday, just up the Hilversum heath for one last long run of 30 and, after a grateful dribble on Thursday, no significant distances covered. Calm down, focus sharpened until Friday.

The bus that would put me on the train on time was delayed. The train I wanted to take left before I could board. An overhead line (failed) broke and I derailed in Delft. Overcrowded buses due to lack of effort and therefore chose to bus across Berkel. More than two hours after departure, we got off in North. Just through my old neighborhood neighborhoods and set sail for the Expo. The starting ticket is ready and the stalls vote for me. Two more nights of sleep.

The nerves run through my throat when I summarize my battle plan for the umpteenth time. The day is planned and in the run-up to the run, I'm not leaving anything to chance. Chocolate for after the finish, currants too. Batteries charged, me too. Bag packed, legs too. Along the way on Sunday, from absolutely every nook and cranny, latent or otherwise, athletes show up who you've really never seen take a step during your training hours, and as the port city approaches, the population changes almost immediately into a harmonious, homogeneous running environment that breathes distance by being close together. With one hour left before the start, it's time for a double espresso and an exciting final sprint to the start shot. Aboutaleb, Lee and I are ready!

I'm starting in wave 2. It is busy on the Schiedamsedijk. When marking with wave 4, the shuffling is blown. It takes almost half an hour to get a view of startwave 3 and, to make matters worse, a horde of bright yellow vests sends my herd back to square one - you won't stop by, start. When I see on a watch that it's 10:07, I know I missed my start. I watch how thirsty people climb and climb over high Heras and is based on my destiny and start box 4.

When I jog under the starting arches, the time clocks in almost 11 minutes. 300 metres after the start, I'm giving 'You Never Walk Alone'-Leen a high five and climb the Erasmus Bridge for the first time that day. It will take up to kilometer 7, beyond De Kuip, before I get close to the intended marathon pace. It's busy, almost chaotic. Enthusiastic cheers, musical accompaniment, attractive decor. It's cold, autumnal, almost. Enthusiastic shivers, glacial surrounds, attractive decor, sometimes a little too chilly. The great thing about the huge end of the South is that you know that you will soon be able to return to Rotterdam. I keep walking up to kilometer 30, good on my senses, my senses, my prudence and a view of conservation. The second time, Zwaan, I even see some of the road surface and look forward to the happy ending when I finish.

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