Aletta

My name is Aletta and I live in Schiedam. From a young age I went to the mountains with my family for hiking and sport climbing. When I got a little older I took several Alpine courses, which caused me to live for beautiful climbs in the Alps in the following years.

Six years ago, I also turned to trail running. It seemed like the perfect way to move lighter and faster through the mountains. It soon became apparent that in races I do best on the longer distances. I love seeing it turn from day to night, going from wide vistas to a small beam of light illuminating the trail in front of me. Alone with the thoughts in my head and not giving in to aches and pains and fatigue.

During a race, I am hugely performance-oriented and want to cover the route as fast as possible. But on training stages in the mountains, I want to enjoy the amazing scenery and there is time to take pictures and take a break to eat a sandwich.

At home I train mainly in the polder and on the weekends I look for locations where I can make more altitude meters. I also enjoy bouldering, survival and gravel biking. It is therefore sometimes a puzzle to fit all the training into the week next to my full-time job.

Tailwind is the way for me to get both electrolytes and carbohydrates during exercise. For the shorter distances, I don’t need to bring anything else. For the long days, it is an extra support in addition to gels and solid food.