Kamiel Maase

Kamiel Maase (born October 20, 1971 in Nijmegen, Gelderland) is a long-distance runner from the Netherlands, who is the current Dutch record holder in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres. He also holds the national record (2:08:21) in the marathon, which he ran on October 21, 2007 in the Amsterdam Marathon.

After having participated in several sports when he was a child, Maase picked up running when he was about seventeen years old. Soon, he joined track club Ilion at the town Zoetermeer, where he started training with a group of middle and long distance runners. At this time, he learned about interval training, fartleks and races.

In 1990, Maase started his studies in biochemistry at Leiden University. One year later, he moved to Leiden and joined Bram Wassenaar’s group at track club De Bataven. This club later merged with A.V. Holland to become Leiden Atletiek, which still is his club. Maase ran both track and cross-country. For the first time in 1993, Maase qualified for the Dutch National Championships. He ran the 5,000 meters and placed second. At cross-country Nationals that same year, Maase finished eighth.

Maase progressed quickly and was offered a track scholarship at the University of Texas at Austin, Texas. From January 1994 until May 1996, Maase was an UT student. He was eligible to compete for UT in the 1994 spring and fall semesters and in the 1995 spring semester. His cooperation with coach Stan Huntsman was fruitful and resulted in four All American awards. During the 1995 fall semester and the 1996 spring semester, Maase was no longer eligible to compete for UT but stayed in touch with the team as an assistant coach. During this final year at UT, he completed his degree and continued to work with Huntsman on a personal basis. During his last year in the US, Maase lowered his personal best in the 10,000 meters to 28:01.4.

In 1997, Maase broke the Dutch national record in the 10,000 meters by running 27:35.72 which qualified him for the 1997 World Championships in Athletics. In the final of this event, he placed 11th. During that same year, Maase participated in the 1997 IAAF World Indoor Championships in the 3,000 m. After those championships, he placed 1st in the 10,000 m at the 1997 Summer Universiade. Since 1997, Maase has qualified for every major outdoor championship including the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics.

At the 2000 Summer Olympics he finished 13th at the marathon in a time of 2:16:24. In 2001, Maase placed second in the European Cross-Country Championships, earning a silver medal. And, in 2002, he broke his own Dutch national records for 5,000 m and 10,000 m by running 13:13.06 and 27:26.29 respectively. After a troublesome start of the season, the resident of Zeist managed to do well at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris and finished as first European in eighth place. Later that year, Maase showed he can run road races as well, and broke the 23 year-old national record of Gerard Nijboer in the marathon, timing 2:08:31. Because of the expected heat, Maase chose to run the 10.000 m instead of the marathon at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He was not quite happy about his 14th place in this race.

In 2005, Maase prepared himself vigorously for the 42 km race at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki. But three weeks before the event he seriously ruptured his left hamstring. The injury sidelined him for about three months after which he came back successfully by winning both the classic Sylvester Cross country race in Soest and the Egmond Half Marathon. In April 2006 he ran his fifth marathon and prepared for the 2006 European Championships in Athletics.

References

* [http://www.kamielmaase.com Personal website]