Rowan Smeets

During the Corona pandemic (2020) Rowan discovered his love for running. He went on a few runs to stay active and experienced the ‘runners high’ for the first time ever. The following two years he participated in some road races and eventually joined a local track team. This sudden increase in higher intensity training led to some injuries, but after Rowan recovered from this he finally ran his first track races during the 22-23 indoor season, where he immediately managed to place 17th at the Dutch National Championships for students. Moreover, he finished 15th at this same competition outdoors in 2023.

His major strength is his discipline. Rowan never gives up and is determined to accomplish his goals. He does always push himself to his limits and even beyond. Additionally, Rowan is a huge team player who can empathise very well with others. He’s a caring person who loves to support and motivate others to push their limits as well. This determination to always push himself beyond his limits is also Rowan’s greatest pitfall as it led to injuries and overtraining in the past. However, he learned his lesson and we strongly believe there is still much room for improvement, especially when Rowan becomes a more experienced runner. Moreover, if Rowan keeps building his aerobic base and develops athletically he’ll run much faster the coming years and most likely the coming (2023) season already. Rowan has never done a track season before and he’s excited and hungry to run much faster times as, according to himself, his PB’s are in need of improvement. 

His current PB’s:

800m: 2:13,41 (2023 Indoor)

1500m: 4:27,29 (2024 Indoor)

5k road: 17:22min (2023)

In the USA Rowan would like to perform at his absolute best for his college team and get the maximum out of his athletic career. He is looking for a school where he can develop athletically, improve his PB’s and gain more experience as a competitive runner. But most importantly, Rowan has the ambition to enjoy his athletic career to the fullest and would like to help and inspire others to stay active.