Disagreement over 680 kilometers of skating in 24 hours: ‘Certainly a record, but not my record’

Jochem Kerssies has muscle pain throughout his body. The 25-year-old Groninger broke a thirty years of 24-hour skating record this weekend. In a day the student skated 680.94 kilometers in 1,863 laps on the Groningen skating rink Kardinge. « I waggel instead of walking, » says Kerssies afterwards in a video call, dressed in a sweater with the logo of ’24 hours on the ice.  » « After a while I can stand just standing. » His feet hurt little, says the Groningen student electrical engineering. Although he has a nasty sanding place on his foot, « but that is part of it. »

In September, Kerssies started his preparation for the record attempt. He trained six days a week in addition to his full -time internship at a machine builder in Drachten. « Many people declared me crazy because of my training schedule. I am now used to that, » laughs the skater. The long distances for the marathon skater are also nothing new, « although the skating marathon is normally 40 kilometers. This is something completely different. » Just not 681 kilometers, but still 25 kilometers more than the 24-hour record that Jan Roelof Kruithof portrayed in 1994.

The now 88-year-old Kruithof enjoys great fame among the older skating enthusiasts. Since the 70s, Kruithof has been dominating marathon skating for twenty years. He can call himself an eleven -time winner of the alternative Elfstedentocht – although he never won the real Elfstedentocht.

In 1994, Kruithof set the 24-hour record on the open air track of the Italian Baselga di Pinè at the age of 57. He skated a total of 655.7 kilometers during a 24 -hour race against nine others.

Ceremony

A few months before his record attempt, Kerssies visited Kruithof. The challenger asked the record holder for advice to do the job, but received few concrete instructions. « He liked it that I tried, but wouldn’t like it if I broke his record, » says Kerssies about the meeting.

In a reaction Kruithof says: « I don’t have to make a spread bed for someone else. I have not told any lies, but I don’t want to make it easy for him either. »

Kerssies starts his record attempt in the evening from Friday to Saturday. An important part is the forty ‘veiners’, the skaters who ensure that Kerssies does not have to fall in the wind. « A platoon also has a major influence mentally, » says Kerssies.

The runners also collect water bottles on the side, to which muesli and gingerbread bars are attached. Kerssies eats the race as much solid food as possible « A pancake with sugar was the most savory that I ate. »

It goes fine until 2 a.m. The encouragement of a group of students along the track keeps him going, says Kerssies. On the other hand, my sister was rolled up on the boarding. She was so tired that she almost fell asleep and encouraged me with her eyes close. « 

The starting of the morning, about the thousandth round, gives new energy. « I thought: only six hundred laps to go, but I looked up there – that is more than a whole Elfstedentocht in a distance. » At 12.30 on Saturday afternoon, Kerssies reached his low point and he has to stop by the side.

In the last hours the number of spectators grows to around three hundred. If his coach suggests to skate for the last ten minutes without readers, Kerssies refuses: « I had to have people for me, otherwise it would not go well. » He drives the last two laps alone. At the finish, all lanners form an honorary hedge and applause sounds: there are more than 1,863 rounds and almost 681 kilometers on the counter.

Other circumstances

It is an achievement that nobody has invented Kerssies. But is that also the three decades old 24-hour record Van Kruithof from the books? Kruithof disputes this. It is certainly a record, « he says. » But not my record.  » According to the 88-year-old skating veteran, the carers ensure that the performance of Kerssies is not comparable to his record.

After all, there were no changing people who kept Kruithof out of the wind at the time. « I won with a hundred kilometers ahead and I only drove many kilometers in the lead, » says Kruithof. « If you want to break a record, you must do so under the same conditions. »

The ‘conditions’ about which Kruithof speaks do not officially exist. The ’24-hour record ‘is not officially recognized anywhere and there are no fixed rules for it. A record committee assesses whether a record is officially recognized by the union, but that is not the case here, Jurre Trouw van Schaatbond KNSB explains.

Every skater runs the record in a different way, says Kerssies. « Kruithof did this in a competition context. In 1984, Hans Homma established the first world meal record with 406.1 kilometers on Lake Memphremagog in Canada, at a temperature of twenty degrees below zero. You cannot compare these attempts with each other, » says Kerssies – who now calls himself a record holder. « The one who travels most kilometers in 24 hours deserves the record. »

Kruithof remains disagreed. He already raised his objection to the veiners during the attempt of Kerssies at the organization, members of the Kerssies’ student skating association Tjas, but received little understanding. « They thought I was jealous. That is not the case. I just want an honest comparison. »

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