Elise Vanderelst

Running

I started running at the age of 41, ran my first marathon at 43 and gradually evolved into an ultrarunner. I am the only Belgian woman to have finished the Spartathlon ultrarace (246 km) twice, holding the Belgian female's course record. My achievements also include becoming the female Belgian champion in the 100 km race and completing the grueling Marathon des Sables. In 2024, I set out to break the world record for consecutive marathons, running 366 marathons in 366 days in support of BIG against Breastcancer. Through extreme weather, injuries, and relentless challenges, I never gave up, fueled by Etixx sports nutrition and the determination and support of my husband Bruno, friends, and sponsors. With an unbreakable spirit and a heart for charity, I'm planning to continue to inspire other people on my journey of resilience and dedication.

Natación

Soy una ex nadadora profesional. En diciembre de 2024, después de haber competido en tres Juegos Olímpicos y de nadar durante 30 años, decidí dar un paso al costado de la natación competitiva. Sin embargo, soy una atleta por naturaleza y ya he comenzado a asumir nuevos desafíos, como jugar al tenis, completar mi primera media maratón y participar en mis primeros triatlones sprint.

Athletics (marathon)

Hello, I am Thomas De Bock, 31 years old and working as a doctoral student at the research group of sports management at UGent. In between working hours I run a lot of kilometres, mostly in preparation of a marathon. In the past, I have already tasted European and World Championships but I still have two major goals in my athletics career, namely to run under 2h10 at the marathon and qualifying for the Olympic marathon in 2024.