I want to put a quote of Pieter right in the beginning of this post.
“I will be running a new 100 miles in Belgium, with 7.000 altimeters and ranked with the most trailpoints possible, on May 29, 2021. It is the hardest course ever designed here Belgium. And they got the top field on the starting line. Not having been competition hungry helped me to not being disappointed by race cancellations 😁 And I am ready and confident for this one anyhow!” The race is called GTLC (Grand Trails des Lacs et Châteaux).
What an endeavour. Pieter is a passionate trailrunner since 2019. He finished this breath-taking course in 14th place within a field of more than 200 runners. It took him 24 hours and 41 minutes to fnish this race. The BIEST BOOSTER was with him. We shall talk about his epxerience in one of our next lifetreams.
Pieter loves what he does, his family, his work and his sport
That is what makes him so succefull. Pieter himself is from Belgium. I know him for more than 15 years by now. Pieter has a great personality. He is loyal, soft and tough at the same time. That we are still in touch tells a lot about his character. He is married and has two sons. Finn is 3 years old and Mats one year.
This long period of the pandemic is far from easy for everyone, but Pieter and family managed to stay positive. Even though he had to go through a very critical period due to the COVID-19. He lost his job last year in the middle of a COVID restructuring process of his previous company. After more than 6 months he found a new job. Searching ate up almost all his time. “Family, work and business school soaked time from me,” he says, “so sports has been on a low level.”
Anyway, running helped him through these difficult months. He did not enroll in any race, but put quite some time in getting up to speed.
Pieter – one of the first BIESTMILCH athletes
He was the second athlete after triathlete Alexander Taubert ever in my BIESTMILCH life, who contacted me to get to know more about my wonderful baby. He visited me in my office in Wiesbaden – I don’t remember exactly – in 2004 or 2005. He was a skinny young boy 20 years old on his path to become a professional cyclist in the first place. Then chang
But then discovered his passion for triathlon soon after. A keyword in his life is to challenge and push ones own limits, and by that exploring the world. He did exotic triathlons at the time. Now great ultratrails in scenic exciting landscapes became his passion.
Pieter leads a busy professional life and family life as well, where sports helps him to find a good balance. After stopping triathlon in 2011 he in somehow lost this balance until summer 2019, when he picked up sports again.
Those 8 years without strenuous sports did not feel good at all, he says today.
In Junne 2021 the Belgian explorer Dixie Dancercoer died on an expidition in the artics (Greenland). Pieter met the guy years ago. His Leitmotiv was “Explore, expand, exceed”… it is exactly what Pieter is after.
Pieter’s words after the race: “Everything hurts today, walking is rather difficult. This course was so heavy. It looked like they searched for every steep climb, where you can barely walk and took trails full of mud. Incredible to make a race that hard.
I started well and ran in 2nd position early on. Probably too fast and I faded away totally. I concentrated on nutrition, found back my rythm and felt good in the last parts of the race. Glad with this performance. Thanks for the support, hear you soon.”
At the end of Pieter’s adventurous story for which words are difficult to find, I want to add his feedback about taking the BIEST BOOSTER during this race.
“I have used the Booster on several aid stations during the long trail. When taking it with intervals of 25km, it helps you to get the little kick of focus to get you started again. It was particulary helpful when I went to a more difficult feeling after 60km in the race… Then after my feeling improved quickly.”
