Singelloop Utrecht
Encyclopedia
The Singelloop Utrecht is an annual road running
event over 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) which takes place on the streets of city of Utrecht
in the Netherlands
. It is typically held in either September or October
The competition, which roughly translates as the Utrecht Canal Run, was initiated by Nico Munzert and had its first edition on 30 May 1925. The race, which followed the banks of Utrecht's canals over a 4700-metre-long course, had garnered over 100 participants by 1931, but the crowds of spectators were much larger with over 75,000 people gathering to witness the event. The length of the race was extended in 1937, but the event suffered interruption in this period, being absent between 1940 and 1946 due to World War II
and undergoing cancellations in 1950 and 1955. The 25th edition of the race was held in 1956.
The Singelloop was forced from its original course in the 1960s due to the increase in traffic
in the city. Runners instead held the race in Wilhelminapark. The competition attracted top level Dutch runners in the 1970s: Klaas Lok won in 1974, Rob Druppers
took the 1975 title, then Gerard Tebroke defeated an injured Jos Hermens
to win the 1976 race. The race acquired its long-running course format of two 5-kilometre laps in 1978. Gerard Nijboer
won the 1979 competition.
Following in the trend of greater public participation in European road races at the time, the field of the Singelloop grew in size: some 3000 people entered the race in 1979 and by 1986 this figure had reached around 3500 runners. Dutch steeplechase
r Simon Vroemen
was the 1993 winner and the Singelloop celebrated its 50th edition the following year – a fact which underlined its position as the oldest road race in the country. The race organisers HERMES encountered problems with volunteer recruitment in 2001 and as a result the race was made defunct.
However, it was revived again six years later under the organisation of the Athletic Sports Exhibition Company and the 2007 competition saw top international runners feature for the first time. Dutch finance company Fortis
was the race title sponsor from 2007 to 2009, then the state bank ABN AMRO
took over sponsorship in 2010. Kenya's Leonard Komon
built the race's reputation as a fast course by running the sixth fastest time ever to win in 2009, then took this further the next year with a win in a time of 26:44 minutes – improving the 10K road world record by seventeen seconds. Kenya's Winnie Jepkemoi brought the women's course record down by almost half a minute at the 2011 edition, winning in 31:32 minutes.
The current course for the Singelloop has a singular clock-wise loop format within the city, which begins near Lepelenburg Park, passes along Utrecht's canals, then finishes near Wilhelminapark.
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
event over 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) which takes place on the streets of city of Utrecht
Utrecht
Utrecht is a city in the Netherlands.The name may also refer to:* Utrecht , of which Utrecht is the capital* Utrecht , including the city of Utrecht* Bishopric of Utrecht* Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. It is typically held in either September or October
The competition, which roughly translates as the Utrecht Canal Run, was initiated by Nico Munzert and had its first edition on 30 May 1925. The race, which followed the banks of Utrecht's canals over a 4700-metre-long course, had garnered over 100 participants by 1931, but the crowds of spectators were much larger with over 75,000 people gathering to witness the event. The length of the race was extended in 1937, but the event suffered interruption in this period, being absent between 1940 and 1946 due to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and undergoing cancellations in 1950 and 1955. The 25th edition of the race was held in 1956.
The Singelloop was forced from its original course in the 1960s due to the increase in traffic
Traffic
Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...
in the city. Runners instead held the race in Wilhelminapark. The competition attracted top level Dutch runners in the 1970s: Klaas Lok won in 1974, Rob Druppers
Rob Druppers
Robertus Johannes Druppers is a former Dutch middle distance runner, who won the silver medal over 800m at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics. He set a Dutch 800 m record of 1:43.56 in Cologne in 1985, and a 1000m record of 2:15.23 in his home town Utrecht in the same year...
took the 1975 title, then Gerard Tebroke defeated an injured Jos Hermens
Jos Hermens
Josephus Maria Melchior Hermens is a former Dutch long-distance runner, also known for his latter career as a sports manager....
to win the 1976 race. The race acquired its long-running course format of two 5-kilometre laps in 1978. Gerard Nijboer
Gerard Nijboer
Gerard Nijboer is a former Dutch athlete who competed mainly in the Marathon.Nijboer competed for the Netherlands in three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1980 , when he won the silver medal in the Men's Marathon...
won the 1979 competition.
Following in the trend of greater public participation in European road races at the time, the field of the Singelloop grew in size: some 3000 people entered the race in 1979 and by 1986 this figure had reached around 3500 runners. Dutch steeplechase
Steeplechase (athletics)
The steeplechase is an obstacle race in athletics, which derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing.-Rules:The length of the race is usually 3000 m; junior events are 2000 m, as women's events formerly were. The circuit has four ordinary barriers and one water jump. Over 3000 m, each...
r Simon Vroemen
Simon Vroemen
Simon Frans Vroemen is a Dutch runner, specialising in the steeplechase.Vroemen has a degree in molecular sciences from the Wageningen University. He wrote his dissertation on the stress physiology of grasshoppers...
was the 1993 winner and the Singelloop celebrated its 50th edition the following year – a fact which underlined its position as the oldest road race in the country. The race organisers HERMES encountered problems with volunteer recruitment in 2001 and as a result the race was made defunct.
However, it was revived again six years later under the organisation of the Athletic Sports Exhibition Company and the 2007 competition saw top international runners feature for the first time. Dutch finance company Fortis
Fortis (finance)
Fortis N.V./S.A. was a company active in insurance, banking and investment management. In 2007 it was the 20th largest business in the world by revenue but after encountering severe problems in the financial crisis of 2008, most of the company was sold in parts, with only insurance activities...
was the race title sponsor from 2007 to 2009, then the state bank ABN AMRO
ABN AMRO
ABN AMRO Bank N.V. is a Dutch state-owned bank with headquarters in Amsterdam. It was re-established, in its current form, in 2009 following the acquisition and break up of ABN AMRO Group by a banking consortium consisting of Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Santander and Fortis...
took over sponsorship in 2010. Kenya's Leonard Komon
Leonard Komon
Leonard Patrick Komon is a Kenyan long-distance runner and the current world record holder in the 10 kilometres and 15 km road races....
built the race's reputation as a fast course by running the sixth fastest time ever to win in 2009, then took this further the next year with a win in a time of 26:44 minutes – improving the 10K road world record by seventeen seconds. Kenya's Winnie Jepkemoi brought the women's course record down by almost half a minute at the 2011 edition, winning in 31:32 minutes.
The current course for the Singelloop has a singular clock-wise loop format within the city, which begins near Lepelenburg Park, passes along Utrecht's canals, then finishes near Wilhelminapark.
Winners
Key:| Edition | Year | Men's winner | Time (h Hour The hour is a unit of measurement of time. In modern usage, an hour comprises 60 minutes, or 3,600 seconds... :m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
Women's winner | Time (h Hour The hour is a unit of measurement of time. In modern usage, an hour comprises 60 minutes, or 3,600 seconds... :m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winners list incomplete from 1925 to 1998 | |||||
| 55th | 1999 | 46:39 | 58:54 | ||
| 56th | 2000 | 45:55 | 58:28 | ||
| Not held from 2001 to 2006 | |||||
| 57th | 2007 | 27:52 | 32:05 | ||
| 58th | 2008 | 27:44 | 32:01 | ||
| 59th | 2009 | 27:10 | 32:37 | ||
| 60th | 2010 | 26:44 WR | 32:51 | ||
| 61st | 2011 | 27:28 | 31:31 | ||