Personal

My name is Wout and I was born in 1983 in Leidschendam, Netherlands. I grew up in Voorburg and later moved to Zoetermeer, where I still reside today. After earning my MSc in 2009, I moved to Utrecht to be with my girlfriend and start my PhD research on meandering rivers. After obtaining my PhD in 2013, I took a Post-Doctoral Researcher Associate position at Durham University in the UK and lived there for 2.5 years before returning to Utrecht for another postdoc. I have since left academia and worked at Arcadis for 2.5 years before I found my current job at Rijkswaterstaat.

I have a passion for exploring landscapes and enjoy hiking, running, and cycling. During my holidays, I love to go on hikes, especially in mountainous terrain, and I run regularly throughout the year. Some of my favorite hiking destinations include Norway's Hardangervidda and Corsica. My girlfriend and I have also visited a number of other beautiful places, such as Scotland, Canada, France, New Zealand, Italy, Iceland (wiht our daughter) and the USA. We're now looking for new adventures, possibly in Patagonia, but this time with our daughter Minke, who was born in February 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

I have a passion for both running and cycling. I have previously taken on several cycling challenges, such as the tourist version of the "Amstel Gold Race" circuit, which I successfully completed 5 times. I completed the 100 km circuit once, but the other times I took on the 150 km tour, which has more hills and was a greater challenge. I also cycled the 130 km course of the "Luik-Bastenaken-Luik," and in 2012, I rode the "Elfstedentocht," a 240 km tour that must be completed in one day, with my girlfriend.

Presently, I'm an avid runner, aiming to run 5-6 times a week. In 2012, I joined the AthleticPoint running club in Utrecht. When I moved to Durham, I joined the Durham City Harriers, but in August 2016, I returned to my old club back in the Netherlands. After 2 years, I sought to make a new challenge and joined Hellas in Utrecht, which helped me improve my 10 km, 15 km, 10 EM and marathon times. To date, I have run 16 marathons (including Rotterdam (three times), Amsterdam (three times), Eindhoven (three times), Berlin (twice), London, Zermatt, Boston, Chicago and Sneek) and several other races. After the COVID pandemic, I am eager to set new goals and continue to improve my running abilities. This year, 2023, I did a couple of ultra runs, including the Eiger Ultra Trail run of 101 km where I stopped halfway at the 55 km marker. Other ultra trail runs included Leersumse Veld 51 km and the Koning van Spanje ultimate trail (including 16, 43 and 32 km).