Pushing human boundaries

Rob Plijnaar asked himself this question during his years as a runner. As a co-owner of Hotel Mitland, he achieved commendable marathon times from the age of 30 alongside his work at the hotel, but he didn't really push the limits. However, times well under three hours were no exception for him.

When he stopped running in 2008, he received a book about 'Extreme running' from his son Jort. It marked a turning point. Rob was captivated by stories of running through the desert, in high mountains, or on the polar ice cap. The reason for asking this question stems from what his parents experienced during World War II. Not much was spoken about it, but in the lives of father and mother Plijnaar, the limit of what a person can endure was reached during that period. Rob thought a lot about that question. He sought the answer in running. And not without success.

Ultra marathon
His first ultra marathon was in the Moroccan Sahara. In 2008, at the age of 57, the hotelier ran the Marathon des Sables. A race in five stages totaling 250 kilometers through the desert with 15 kilos of gear. And that in extremely high temperatures up to 53 degrees. Rob Plijnaar was captivated by ultra marathons. Logical question: had he touched the limit of human capability? “After the finish, I was physically exhausted, of course, but I quickly concluded that I hadn't reached that limit,” Rob recalls. “I quickly moved on.”

Mozart's Requiem
Because it could be even more extreme. Rob participated in the North Pole Marathon in 2009. At the 90th latitude, he ran 'on top of the world' a marathon at temperatures ranging between -30 and -47 degrees. The pace was naturally much slower. Running over the ice went smoothly, and in the last kilometers, an euphoric feeling took hold of Rob. “I was listening to Mozart's Requiem in my headphones, yet I was in an absolute state of jubilation.” Rob completed the marathon at the North Pole in six hours. And still, he hadn't reached his limit. Subsequently, in 2010, Plijnaar ran through the driest and highest desert on earth, the Atacama Desert in Chile. In five stages, he would again run 250 kilometers. “Now I did reach the limit of human capability. In the last stage, after 220 kilometers, the battery suddenly ran out. I dropped out, but for me, the mission was still accomplished. A pity about those last 30 kilometers.”

Full measure?
Anyone who would think that this was the full measure is mistaken. The Utrechter ran the Jungfrau marathon in Switzerland in 2011. It was his third marathon that year, after the 'regular' ones in Utrecht and Stockholm. But those mountains in the Swiss Alps aren't really high, you can see Rob Plijnaar thinking.

Race at 5000 meters altitude
After meticulous preparation, Rob started the Mount Everest Marathon in 2015. A race at an altitude of 5000 meters over the traditional distance of 42 kilometers and 195 meters. It involves running, climbing, scrambling, ascending, and descending. Plijnaar took over 10 hours to complete it. Rob formulated his new goal there: a marathon on every continent. “Wouldn't it be great if I, at 65 years old, were the first Dutchman on the International Grand Slam list?” he thought. So said, so done. In 2016, Plijnaar planned three marathons. He ran in Florida and did the Perth Marathon in Australia. The finale was the Antarctica Ice Marathon. “I then became the first Dutchman to join the select group of the Marathon Grand Slam Club. I had run marathons on all seven continents and the North Pole.”

Last running meters
But even now, Rob Plijnaar is not done. A year later, he runs the marathon on the Great Wall of China. In 2018, he also did the Jungle Marathon in Indonesia, and during the Corona period in 2020, Rob organized his own run. This became the finale. He started alone at 2600 meters from Pradollano in the Sierra Nevada to Granada. These were his last running meters. As he swerved to avoid a truck, his foot twisted and he fell. He did reach the finish, but he decided that it was good this way. He hung up his running shoes. He had run enough.

Anyone who thinks that Rob Plijnaar now sits behind the geraniums when he's not working for Hotel Mitland is completely wrong. “I like to stay active, even now that I can't run anymore due to a damaged knee. That's why I cycle daily.” How much then? “I cycle 60 kilometers six days a week!”