From casual jogger to professional runner

In fact, back in 2019, she only entered the Zermatt Marathon through much persuasion from her research colleagues. That event marked the first time she had ever run 42.1 kilometres – and she came in sixth. The experience fired up a passion for running inside the Netherlands native: “I wanted to find out what I could achieve if I really ramped up
my training.”

Brinkman comes from a sporty family – but, as she explains: “Sport was never the be-all and end- all, though we’re all really competitive.” Before embarking on her doctorate in Zurich, Brinkman played field hockey, a sport that is highly popular in the Netherlands. As it only enjoys niche appeal in Switzerland, however, Brinkman turned to running instead and began pushing her limits there. In winter 2019, she joined the ASVZ running club and repeatedly picked up tips from the instructor to use in her own training. He became her personal coach and drew up a professional training plan for her. Now, the 28-year-old runs at least 120 kilometres per week.

“Run, work, repeat” has been Brinkman’s philosophy during the pandemic as her training has become increasingly intensive. In her doctoral work, which uses seismic data to research the surface structure of Mars, she began noticing that she was finding it more and more difficult to concentrate when working at her computer – so she made the decision to reduce her workload to 60%. The move has taken some effort to get used to, but she has no regrets about her decision. “Running helps me clear my head after work, and vice versa,” she says. While a professional running career is firmly in the picture, Brinkman’s top priority for now remains her doctoral title.

This article was first published in the December 2021 issue of the ETH life magazine.