What is your history with sports and athletics?
Sports have been important my whole life. I grew up playing soccer until I was 16, when I decided to stop and started dancing instead. I was a breakdancer for about 14 – 15 years, but stopped at age 30 due to shoulder injuries. At the same time, I started cycling and I enjoyed it very much. I lived in multiple countries where running and cycling were a great outlet.
What do you enjoy most about being an athlete?
I can really put my thoughts to rest, which for me, is very important. On top of that, it really helps bring a routine into my life.
Let’s say triathlon brought me back to life. The very first race I did was funny because a good friend of mine asked me if I wanted to do something crazy. She told me I can’t find anybody. Back then I didn’t know her very well. She started to talk about this 70.3 event in Jönkoping. We only had 3 months to train. So I said yes let’s do it… (little did I know how poor a swimmer I was and how terrible I can run after the cycling part) but at the end we didn’t, we skipped it and did it together the year after. Instead, we did an olympic distance race in Stockholm, which gave us an extra 1.5 months to train. My time was 3 hours. I finished but I was destroyed. Two years later I tried again and took 30 minutes off my time. I was surprised how well it went and I was very happy that I progressed so much.
Recently I did my first marathon (ultra). I moved back to The Netherlands this year because I lost my job. I found this group of triathletes and one of the guys wanted to do a marathon before the year ended, so we decided to organize one.
There were 6 of us on the run. The distance covered half the island I’m living on, with 17km running on the beach. We started at 8:30AM on the beach with low tide. Great running. The start and finish were on the beach. After 6km, the beach stopped and we started on the road to make the full circle back. Unfortunately, I planned the tour. Haha. At 33km we had to go back on the beach to run another 11km to finish. The terrible part was that it just had been high tide. The sand was terrible to run on, it was soft and unstable, but we did it! First time ever to run this distance, which was a proud moment.
Have you experienced any challenges or obstacles?
Late 2018, I started to become mentally ill. From when I was born until now I discovered through psychologists and therapists that I needed help. There was only a little bit of energy left to get myself to a professional. I broke down completely which started about two years ago. Panic attacks and anxiety were a very common place. I wasn’t myself anymore, I was scared and afraid of myself. I hopped from psychologist to psychologist to find the right fit for me. I was in a very dark place in that time living and working in Sweden. I went to The Netherlands for some time to see if that worked (my family lives there). It took me awhile to find the right person.
In September 2019 things changed, I found the right fit for me. I discovered that I walked around with mental challenges since my birth. Situations that have happened to me all fell into place when the therapist added everything into a timeline. It was heart breaking and at the same time confronting. It was all just a build up of not knowing how to cope with situations which hurt me. I was afraid and therefore took the easy road which got me into depression. Running away from feelings was in many cases a common situation for me. Till I hit rock bottom. Completely lost, not knowing how to calm my mind. As of today I still wish that I could just shake my head and my negative thoughts are gone.
I started triathlon about 3-4 years ago. Triathlon has helped me drastically. It gave me motivation to keep going. Especially in the past 2 years it has given me the strength to keep going and that life matters. I remember my mom saying to me continuously, “Peter you will hurt yourself training so much,” which I answered, “Mom, I don’t think you understand how my training schedule functions, but I promise to be careful.” Later I explained to her how much effect triathlon had on my motivation to live. If my body physically hurts and I still have to do the last 5km of a half Ironman I’m able to tell myself “COME ON, LETS GO, ONLY A LITTLE BIT LEFT” (while hitting my upper legs forcefully). She asked me what does this have to do with your current mental challenges? I answered, if I can do this physically it will be easier for me to talk more positive and uplifting with mental challenges. Thats the moment she understood why I was training so much.
There are still many ups and downs these days but there is progress. Very slowly I’m climbing back up. Triathlon has a major role in this.
What is your “why?”
The feeling of living in the present moment. I’m a person that has a brain that likes to make overtime. I’m continuously thinking about regrets I have and the what if’s. I’m a perfectionists and everything I do or make has to be perfect (this is actually a never ending story, the end will never be there, it’s work in progress). I’m learning to enjoy the moment. Nothing better is doing this than triathlon. It gives me power and joy. That’s my drive.
Working with animals is another one that gives me a lot of joy. It is my job. I’m an animal behavior consultant that helps zoological facilities and people with pets. When I see “happy” animals I feel full-filled. As you all might know, when you feel good performance goes up!
What is your favorite gear or training equipment?
Before I started triathlon I never knew how expensive this sport was (haha). I had to get all my equipment. I remember that I ran way too long (2 years) on these semi-trail sneakers and I ended up at a chiropractor. He directly said, “GET NEW SHOES.” This was the first time I put my hands on a pair of brooks. I’ve gone to a sport store where they measure your feet and the Brooks GHOST were the best fit. After these shoes I tried some different ones but went back to brooks again. Im currently running on the Brooks Glycerine and I’m loving them!
When I did my first triathlon I used an old bike from a friend of mine. I wanted to try things out. A year later I bought my own bike, a Giant Defy Advanced. I was very happy with this machine but unfortunately it got stolen out of my car. This was 6 weeks before a 70.3 Cascais, Portugal. I only had a small budget but after a good search I found a TT bike from Cervelo. The P2 from 2010. Still have it and am fan of Cervelo since! I love both brands, Giant and Cervelo. In the past I’ve always had Giant mountain bikes. I have a soft spot for these brands.
I use the garming 735xt as my sport watch.
I’m very happy with it although I’m thinking about an upgrade but will stay with Garmin.
What’s next?
With the current pandemic many events have been cancelled. Last year I signed up for the Challenge Geraardsbergen in Belgium which is now in June 2021. They put me on the list for this one but the question is still if this will happen. Due to the pandemic I haven’t signed up for any other race just yet.
At the moment I’m trying to build my strength and get faster with the run (I’m not a runner!). Now the pools are closed here in the Netherlands I’m not able to swim either so I try to focus my training very much on building muscle with resistance bands to better my swim performance. Hope to one day go for a sub-5 70.3.
In the future I want to go for a full Ironman, but dates aren’t set yet!
Any fun facts about yourself?
I have a secret love for trail running. Guinness is my favorite beer. Sleeping in the forest is a side hobby.
Do you have any advice for someone interested in getting started?
Give it a shot. I promise you it is going to be a life changer. Not only physically but definitely mentally!
Any other comments or stories you’d like to share?
I’ve done quite some events by now. What I discovered is that a lot of emotions come loose when I do so. Before, in, and after. It’s a way out of my current challenges. At the same time, this is sometimes a smack in the face. Whenever I do international events there is nobody of my family or friends (my friends participate the events as well) that cheer for me. This is sometimes difficult. At the same time empowering that I’m able to do this on my own.
The first half ironman was Jönkoping, Sweden. What a fantastic race this was. Not only in the country I was living but the scenery, the swim, the bike ride. I was basically screaming in my mind “I’M THE KING OF THE WORLD.” It was my first big event and I will never forget the moment I passed the finish line crying with joy. I enjoyed the ride! I was hooked on half distances!