Mieke Pullen née ''Hombergen'' (14 July 1957 – 28 January 2003) was a Dutch

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

who competed mainly in

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

races. She ran thirty races over the distance in her career, winning races in

Eindhoven Eindhoven () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 January 2022,Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

Enschede Enschede (; known as in the local Twents dialect) is a municipality and city in the eastern Netherlands in the province of Overijssel and in the Twente region. The eastern parts of the urban area reaches the border of the German city of Gronau ...

and

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

. She was a four-time Dutch champion over the distance. She was killed in a traffic accident while training in Haaren, aged 45.

Career

Pullen started her running career relatively late in life, beginning to take

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competiti ...

seriously at the age of thirty. In spite of this, she had become a top level runner by 1988, when she came third in the

Zevenheuvelenloop Zevenheuvelenloop (''Seven Hills Run'' in English) is an annual 15 kilometres road running race held in Nijmegen, Netherlands. It was first organised in 1984 and has grown to be one of the largest road races in the Netherlands;van Hemert, Wim & T ...

race and made her marathon debut over at the

Eindhoven Marathon The Eindhoven Marathon (Dutch: ''Marathon Eindhoven'') is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of 42.195km which is held in the city of Eindhoven, The Netherlands in October. It has been an annual race since 1990 – it was held bie ...

, coming fifth. She was runner-up at the 1989 Westland Marathon and the year after she won her first Dutch national title at the Westland race. She had her first victory over the marathon distance in Eindhoven in 1990.National Marathon Champions for the Netherlands
ARRS (2011-10-16). Retrieved on 2011-12-08. She established herself as one of her country's best runners in the event in 1991 when retained her title in Eindhoven and also won at the Amsterdam Marathon. In 1992 she ran under two hours and forty minutes for the first time, taking fourth place and a second Dutch title at the Rotterdam Marathon in a time of 2:38:06 hours. She improved her best further at the Carpi Marathon, setting a time of 2:37:15 hours in another fourth-place finish. She also managed third at the Frankfurt Marathon that year. Pullen did not compete in any marathons in 1993, but won two the following year in

and

Zwolle Zwolle () is a city and municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Overijssel and the province's second-largest municipality after Enschede with a population of 130,592 as of 1 December 2021. Zwolle is o ...

. She reached the podium at the Enschede Marathon, coming third, but did not reach the top ten at the Rotterdam Marathon. Pullen did not break 2:40:00 at either the Rotterdam or

Berlin Marathon The Berlin Marathon (german: Berlin-Marathon, ) is a marathon event held annually on the streets of Berlin, Germany on the last weekend of September. Held annually since 1974, the event includes multiple races over the marathon distance of , inclu ...

races in 1995, but got her first win over the half marathon distance at the Dutch Monster Half Marathon race. Pullen also won the 15K VTM Telecomloop race in 1995. She made her American debut at the

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was i ...

in 1996, but her time of 2:41:55 hours left her out of the leading pack. She was that year's winner in Enschede, running a season's best of 2:41:13, and was the runner-up at the Eindhoven and Singapore races. The 1997 season, at the age of 40, was one of her best: she won the Westland and Eindhoven marathons, taking a Dutch title with a lifetime best run of 2:36.51 hours at the latter race. She closed the year with her first win at the

Montferland Run Pfixx Solar Montferland Run is an annual 15-kilometres road running competition held in 's-Heerenberg, Montferland, Netherlands. It was first organised in 1996 and typically takes place on the first Sunday in December. Unlike many elite level road ...

15K – a feat she would repeat the following year. She continued on a career high with a run of 2:39.00 hours for eighth at the 1998 Rotterdam Marathon and retained her Dutch title in Eindhoven, coming second overall behind Romania's

Simona Staicu Simona Staicu (born 5 May 1971 in Băileşti, Romania) is a Romanian-born Hungarian long-distance and marathon runner. Transferring her allegiance from Romania in 2000 to compete internationally for Hungary, Staicu has won numerous titles in th ...

. Other outings on the roads included a runner-up finish at the Oostende Brugge Ten Miles and 11th at the Zevenheuvelenloop. She was tenth at the 1999

Rome City Marathon The Rome Marathon is an annual marathon competition hosted by the city of Rome, Italy. History The competition has also doubled as the Italian Marathon championships on two occasions; in 1983 and 1986. The race date was shifted from the ...

and fourth in Eindhoven (recording her final career sub two hours and forty minute marathon with 2:39.47). Pullen had her last race wins in this period: she won the Almere Marathon in 2000 and 2002, and in 2001 she topped the podium at the Groet Uit Schoorl Run and half marathons in Drunen and Eindhoven. She transitioned into the veterans' master athlete category for women over forty. In 1999 and 2000 she won the masters races at the Oostende Brugge and Zevenheuvelenloop races. At the 2001 World Master's Championships in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, Australia, she won the over-40s women's marathon title. She was a three-time winner of the veteran's race at the Warandeloop cross country. On 28 January 2003, she was dropped off to train in Haaren by her partner and coach, Gerard Notenboom. While running there she was hit by a car and her body was later discovered in a nearby ditch by Notenboom the following day. Police soon arrested a man who claimed he had noticed he had hit something, stopped and searched with another motorist, but that he had found nothing.Atlete Pullen verongelukt
''Trouw'' (2003-01-30). Retrieved on 2011-12-16.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pullen, Mieke 1953 births 2003 deaths Dutch female long-distance runners Dutch female marathon runners People from Oisterwijk Road incident deaths in the Netherlands 20th-century Dutch women 20th-century Dutch people 21st-century Dutch women Sportspeople from North Brabant