Running for Those We Lost - My Rotterdam Marathon Story

Running for Those We Lost – My Rotterdam Marathon Story

In 2022, I stood at the start line of the Rotterdam Marathon with a mission that went far beyond running. I wasn’t trained enough, my body was full of injuries, and I knew the race would be tough.
But the truth is that nothing I felt that day came close to the pain behind the story I was running for.

I was running for my cousin.

She was only 20.
Twenty, the age when most people dream about their future, make plans, travel, fall in love, start building a life. She wanted all of that. She deserved all of that.
But leukemia didn’t give her the chance.

Watching someone so young fight for their life, seeing their strength, their fear, their hope… and then losing them, it leaves something inside you that never really goes away. It changes you. It sharpens what matters. It teaches you that time isn’t promised, that life isn’t fair, and that love sometimes means carrying someone’s story forward even when they are gone.

So every kilometre I ran in Rotterdam was for her.
And not just for her, but for all the loved ones cancer has taken from my life. Too many. Too young. Too soon.

The race that humbled me

Rotterdam hurt.
My body was unprepared, old injuries showed up early, and pain became a constant companion. My mind kept drifting back to her, her smile, her courage, the unfairness of everything.
Stopping would have been easy.
But honouring her meant continuing.

Crossing that finish line wasn’t a moment of triumph.
It was emotional, raw, heavy, a finish that felt more like an unfinished story.

I knew I needed a revenge run.
Not out of pride, but out of love.

2026: The year of redemption

Next year, I’m running again.

This time with preparation.
This time with intention.
This time not with a broken body trying to survive, but with a determined one committed to honouring her the way she deserves.

My goal is clear:

To run a strong, meaningful marathon in memory of my cousin and all the people we have lost to cancer, and to raise funds that can help save others.

Why I’m asking for your support

Cancer steals futures.
It steals time.
It steals the chance to grow up, to dream, to live.

I’m running so fewer families have to experience that pain.

Your donation, no matter how small, is not just money.
It is hope.
It is research.
It is time for someone else’s daughter, sister, cousin or friend.

Every euro supports cancer research and patients who are fighting today.
Together we can turn loss into purpose.

Join me

I will be sharing my training journey, the good days, the tough days, the days when I think of her more than usual.
If you choose to donate or simply follow along, you will be running beside me.

You will help carry her story forward.
You will help others keep theirs alive.

A motivational quote to close

“When someone you love becomes a memory, that memory becomes your strength.
I run because her story deserves to keep moving.”