Marathon pioneer Wim Witvliet passed away
2/4/2021
Yesterday evening we were informed that Wim Witvliet has passed away. Wim was one of the five founders of the Rotterdam Marathon and also an honorary member of athletics club PAC. We wish his family and relatives much strength.
"Wim was an impressive person," said Mario Kadiks, director of the NN Marathon Rotterdam. “I got to know Wim as a skilled, enthusiastic and vital man until a very old age. I enjoyed working with him in the early years of our marathon. We still saw and spoke to each other regularly during the marathon, where he was present until the last as guest of honor. We look back with gratitude on what Wim has meant for our organization."
At one of the last marathons Witvliet told how he drew the first course with his own hands and personally checked the distance of 42,195 meters with a running wheel. “Everything was done manually at the time. They sometimes asked me if I had run a marathon myself. If I said yes, they would then ask: And what was your best time? Then I laughed and replied: Eight and a half hours. Well, that was during such a course check early in the morning, "said Witvliet with a smile. Wim Witvliet has turned a hundred years.
Photo: PAC Rotterdam