Mikky Keetels is a marathoner and operating influencer who has been steadily making a reputation for herself, not simply on-line, however on the course. On April 12, the Dutch runner positioned eighth on the NN Marathon Rotterdam within the Netherlands, ending in 2:30:42 and successful the Dutch nationwide title. Now her sights are set on Sunday’s BMO Vancouver Marathon.
The course file was set in 2023 by the three-time champion (2022, 2023 and 2025) Dayna Pidhoreskywho’s returning to defend her title this 12 months. It’s a stacked area, and Keetels is competing three weeks after setting a private finest in Rotterdam, but when she will be able to bounce again rapidly, she may take the win from the defending champion.
The Dutch champ
Keetels began operating in 2019 to boost cash for KiKA (a youngsters’s most cancers charity), however has rapidly progressed into the aggressive scene, making her elite debut in 2024 on the Generali Maratón de Málaga in Spain, the place she ran 2:45:04 and cracked the highest 10. “What started as a one-time problem rapidly was one thing a lot greater,” Keetels advised Canadian Working. “In January 2025, I made the choice to completely decide to the game and see how far I might go at knowledgeable degree.”
In October 2025, on the TCS Amsterdam Marathon, she positioned third among the many Dutch girls. After Rotterdam, she made a spontaneous choice to enter Vancouver regardless of the temporary turnaround. “On the final minute, I noticed there was a marathon in Vancouver, so I emailed the group, and so they mentioned I might nonetheless be a part of,” Keetels says. “I booked a ticket straight away.”
Keetels has a full-time job, is a operating influencer and builds her personal coaching plan (with the assistance of ChatGPT). She works as a stewardess for KLM Royal Dutch Airways and matches her coaching into the job’s demanding journey schedule. Keetels can also be dedicated to operating for charity; as an envoy for KiKA, she has raised over €100,000 since her first marathon in 2019.
The competitors
The three-time champion, Pidhoresky, received the 2019 Canadian Olympic trials on the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon, operating 2:29:03. Seven years later, Pidhoresky is now 39; she set a season’s finest of two:31:24 when she received the 2026 McKirdy Micro Marathon at Rockland Lake State Park in Valley Cottage, N.Y., in March. Canadian marathoners, similar to Natasha Wodak, have continued to enhance into their 40s, and with Pidhoresky operating her quickest time since 2022, she could push the tempo alongside Keetels. One other standout competitor is Rita Jelagat of Kenya, who set her PB on the 2025 Los Angeles Marathon, operating 2:32:19.
Keetels holds the quickest time this season among the many elites lining as much as begin on Sunday, however she has solely had three weeks to get well since Rotterdam, which can make it troublesome to carry tempo within the later kilometres. Regardless of this, she is happy and searching ahead to the race. “I’m going into it feeling relaxed and simply need to see what the day brings,” Keetels says. “I really feel match, I’m actually excited and I’m prepared to present it my all on Sunday.”
All three of the highest rivals have recorded races within the final 12 months quicker than the course file; if the circumstances are proper, that file may fall on Sunday.
