Hosts Belgium has announced their marathon team for the inaugural European Running Championships in Brussels-Leuven on 12-13 April.
The standout name on the men’s team is Michael Somers who finished a creditable 22nd at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and has a lifetime best of 2:08:09 for the distance which makes him the fourth fastest Belgian in history.
“I know I can run for the medals here and if you can do that, you can also win. So I'm going all out for gold,” said Somers in a recent interview with Sporza.be.
Other notable names on the Belgian team for Brussels-Leuven include Thomas de Bock (2:10:17 PB) and Dorian Boulvin (2:13:29 PB), both of whom have represented Belgium internationally on multiple occasions.
The women’s team is headed by Hanne Verbruggen who finished an excellent 19th in the marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and has a lifetime best of 2:26:32 for the distance which puts her third on the Belgian all-time marathon list.
The marathon starts at the Royal Palace in Brussels and is expected to attract a field of 13,000 runners - elite and non-elite runners alike.