About Me - and why....
A successful entrepreneur in logistics (now co-owner of EWF bv, East West Forwarding), but a "late bloomer" in athletics.
She started running at the age of 38. Within a year, she completed her first marathon, and the club recognized her as a talent. In 2016, she became the Dutch champion in her age category for the first time at the CPC Run in The Hague, in the half marathon.
Meanwhile, she began training as a running coach with the Athletics Union and became a coach for one of the competitive groups at Haag Athletics. She is now a certified trainer (BLT-3). Naturally, she continued to develop herself, earning 3 gold medals and 3 silver medals at Dutch National Championships (marathon gold in 2021, 2022, silver in 2018 and 2023, half marathon gold in 2023, silver in 2022).
At the "Sixty of Texel," a 60-kilometer race around the island of Texel held every two years, she developed a love for longer distances. In the three times she participated, she consistently finished as second woman overall and first in her age category, even in the grueling 2024 edition with hail, rain, and wind force 8!
2024 she followed up with the 80-kilometer long "King of Spain" trail in Limburg (1st place women overall) and the 50-kilometer long Ardennes Ultra Trail (1st place women overall). She is now happily working towards her next challenges, with the ultimate challenge planned for 2026... the Marathon des Sables Legendary!
Olga is ambassador for Rotterdam Erasmus University Cancer research, especially research into symptomatic tumors in neurofibromatosis by dr. Walter Taal and his team.
Directe donaties: IBAN NL29 FVLB 2021 0100 15
t.n.v. V. Dudko / J. Maas
And here's why....
I have been running for almost 10 years now, and from the very beginning, I have found great joy in it.
Living in a city behind the dunes by the sea, every run is a gift.
The sea, the dunes—they are different every day. More than that, the view changes dramatically when you turn around and start running home.
As a member of the Haag Atletiek club, I have met many interesting people, some of whom I have known for 10 years now. I can hardly believe that so much time has passed. The club is much more than just running! And I am sure that everyone who joins will agree with me.
Over the years, I have participated in many charity events, and the most striking and memorable one was the RoParun. The atmosphere that unites all participants in this event is hard to describe. Everyone comes with their own tragic story, trying to do something so that humanity can conquer this disease—or simply, under the starry night sky, see those who are no longer with us and tell them why we are here, and once again say that no matter how our hectic lives carry us away with our problems, stress, and worries, we remember and love them all...
Without a doubt, the most emotional moments are when you see sick people along the route, especially in Rotterdam near the hospital. Through tears in your eyes, you want so badly to believe that, in some way, you have helped at least one person.
My father passed away at the age of 49. He had cancer, which today can be treated, allowing people to live on. Back then, it was still impossible. Perhaps the scariest thing is realizing that medicine is powerless, that you are sent home and have to accept that this is a death sentence...
For a long time, I doubted whether I should start a charity fundraiser or not. Almost all participants of the Marathon des Sables try to raise awareness for various rare diseases and issues.
We live in very difficult times, and I know that people are facing many challenges and unexpected financial burdens. That’s why it seemed difficult to me to ask for donations for charity in such a tough period.
But one day, I thought: this is my 49th year of life—the exact age my father was. He didn’t believe he was leaving; he didn’t have a single gray hair… and medicine was not ready to help him. And if I can now draw attention to the research being conducted by Dr. Walter Taal at Erasmus University, maybe he will be able to help someone in time. Maybe his research will become a piece of the bigger puzzle in humanity’s victory over incurable diseases.
I truly hope and pray to God that this will be the case! I will pray for the strength to endure all the trials that await me in the Sahara Desert, and when I see the Milky Way in the endless galaxy, I will thank the Almighty for everything we have and for our efforts to save this world—or at least to make it a better place.
Thank you all for your patience in reading my story.
If you are interested in learning more about Dr. Walter Taal’s research, you can reach out to me.
What is the Marathon des Sables Legendary?
An epic run in 6 stages, where participants run 250 kilometers through the Sahara desert in Morocco. The MARATHON DES SABLES The Legendary is a self-sufficient adventure. During the whole week in the desert, the competitors must carry all their equipment and food, except the water and the tent, which are provided by the organization.
