Thijmen Lek

Thijmen is currently running for his club team AAV’36, but also trains at ATR (Athletic Training center Rotterdam) that serves as a training center for talented athletes in the region Rotterdam. This talented athlete is currently ranked 6th U18 in The Netherlands with his 1500m PB of 4:02,98. Recently (November, 2022) Thijmen placed 4th at XC nationals running 4300m on a hard course. 

Thijmen started doing track and field when he was 14 years old and used to play soccer before. At his local track club he started trainings as a multi-event athlete. He engaged in various events and still played soccer besides doing T&F. One year later he competed at various track meets, mainly doing running events. At age 15 he decided to focus on distance running primarily and started training with a professional coach. Since then Thijmen made lots of progress very quickly. One of his best results so far are a 3rd place finish at indoor Nationals U18 (2022) in the 3000m and a 4th place at XC nationals U18 in 2022.

His major strengths are his motivation and aerobic capacity. Thijmen is a very disciplined athlete who would never skip a workout, always shows up and gives a 100% effort. He’s willing to work hard, but is also curious and likes to learn about different training methods. This characteristic makes him a very coachable athlete. Thijmen is currently working to improve his speed and his running form. Considering that Thijmen only started specialising in running about 2,5 years ago, there is still much room for improvement, especially when he develops more natural speed in addition to his excellent endurance.

His current PBs are:800m: 1:59,93 (indoor)1500m: 3:56,79 (2023)3000m: 8:56,33 (2023)5000m: 15:49

In the USA, Thijmen’s primary goal is to perform at his absolute best for his college team and get the maximum out of his athletic career. He would like to become a more experienced athlete and run many XC races as well. Moreover, besides being a strong distance runner at the track, Thijmen really likes the XC season and is excited to run big XC races in the United States. His ultimate goal is to become a national champion. 

Thijmen completed the highest level of Dutch high school (VWO) in 2023 and is currently enrolled in Dutch university. He expects to obtain his bachelor's degree in the Spring of 2026 and should have at least two years of eligibility remaining. He’s interested in doing major in Business Administration or International Business. For more details about his academics, please check out the details section below.