Carolina ("Carla") Alwina Hubertina Beurskens (born February 10, 1952 in Tegelen, Limburg) was one of Holland's most prominent female long distance runners from the second half of the seventies until far into the nineties of last century, including all distances from 3000 metres until the marathon. During the greater part of this period she even played a leading part at the latter distance. February 10 is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Venlo is a municipality and a city in the southeastern Netherlands. ... Capital Maastricht Queens Commissioner L.J.P.M. (Leon) Frissen Religion (1999) Roman Catholic 80% Protestant 3% Area  â€¢ Land  â€¢ Water   2,153 km² (9th) 56 km² Population (2005)  â€¢ Total  â€¢ Density 1,135,962 (6th) 528/km² (4th) Inclusion 1839 Anthem In t Bronsgroen Eikenhout ISO NL-LI Official website... Motto: Je Maintiendrai (Dutch: Ik zal handhaven, English: I Shall Uphold) Anthem: Wilhelmus van Nassouwe Capital Amsterdam1 Largest city Amsterdam Official language(s) Dutch2 Government Parliamentary democracy Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Beatrix  - Prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende Independence Eighty Years War   - Declared July 26, 1581   - Recognised January 30, 1648 (by Spain... A track event where you run 7 and 1/2 times around a 400m track. ... Modern-day marathon runners Runners in ancient Greece. ...

The variety of the twenty-three national titles she obtained during her long carrier clearly shows to what extent Beurskens dominated all aspects of the métier: three titles on indoor- and five on outdoor tracks, nine on the road and six in the cross country. At the long distances she is by far the most successful Dutch female athlete ever.

Looking back at the length of her career in athletics, it strikes that Carla Beurskens did not very often represent her native country in major international tournaments. She took part in the Summer Olympics twice: in Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988, three times in European and one time in World Championships. For various reasons she never performed particularly well at those events. Her fifth place in the European Championships marathon of 1982 in Athens was her best achievement ever. The Summer Olympic Games are an international multi-sport event held every four years, organised by the International Olympic Committee. ... The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were held in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. ... There are various championships held in a variety of sports on a European Level: European Football Championship (football) European LC Championships (swimming) European SC Championships (swimming) European Mens Handball Championship (handball) European Womens Handball Championship (handball) Rugby League European Nations Cup (formerly known as the European Championship) (Rugby... The World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations. ... The 13th European Championships in Athletics were in held at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, a city in Greece. ... Nickname: City of Athena or Cradle of Democracy Location of the city of Athens (red dot) within the Prefecture of Athens and Periphery of Attica Coordinates: Country Greece Peripheries Attica Prefecture Athens Founded circa 2000 BC Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis Area    - City 39 km²  - Metro 3,808 km² Elevation 70 [3...

Much better were Beurskens’ achievements in the marathons of various big cities all over the world. For instance, with the exception of Kenya’s Tegla Loroupe, she is the only female athlete who won the Rotterdam Marathon more than once. And this although shortly after her first victory in 1984 she declared, that in the future she would ignore Rotterdam, unless the circumstances for female competitors would improve drastically. Finally in 1990 the circumstances seemed to fulfil the conditions of the athlete from Limburg, because she appeared on the scene once more and won for the second time. Moreover she became the first female in Rotterdam to realise a time within two-and-a-half hours: 2:29:47. Tegla Loroupe (b. ... The Rotterdam Marathon is an annual marathon arranged in Rotterdam, Netherlands since 1981. ...

Carla Beurskens ran her personal best (2:26:34 hours) on November 15, 1987 in the Tokyo Marathon, finishing second behind triple winner Katrin Dörre from East Germany. This Dutch national record stood for nearly thirteen years. It was finally broken on November 2, 2003 by the Dutch Kenyan Lornah Kiplagat at the New York Marathon: 2:23:43. Beurskens was also victorious in the Nagoya marathon in Japan in 1987, finishing in an excellent 2:28:27, taking into account the bad weather conditions (some snow showers on the way), in Eindhoven in 1995 and Enschede in 1997, both towns in The Netherlands. November 15 is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 46 days remaining. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Tokyo Marathon held in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the prominent marathon races of the year. ... Katrin Dörre is a German athlete who competed mainly in the Marathon. ... GDR redirects here. ... November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York City Marathon is an annual marathon foot-race run through the five boroughs of New York City. ... Nagoya ) is the fourth largest city in Japan. ... The Eindhoven Marathon is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of 42km and 195 metres held in the city of Eindhoven, The Netherlands in October. ... The Enschede Marathon is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of 42km and 195 metres held in the city of Enschede, The Netherlands. ...

However, for always Beurskens’ name will be connected to the Honolulu Marathon on Hawaii. No less than eight out of the ten times she participated, she carried off the palm, for the first time in 1985. A two-week’s vacation offer came together with the invitation for this event. She took part without being fully prepared and won straightaway. In the following years up to 1994 her series of victories was only interrupted in 1988 and 1991. With her eight victories on Hawaii she is the most succesful female marathon runner ever. Nowadays she is invited by the organizers to be present at the event as a guest of honour. The Honolulu Marathon is one of the worlds largest marathons. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

References

• Stalman, R. (1986) Profiel van Carla Beurskens. Atletiekwereld nr. 5: KNAU
• Ploeg, H. v.d. (1987) Programma Carla Beurskens nog een groot vraagteken. Atletiekwereld nr. 4: KNAU
• Bijkerk, T. and Paauw, R. (1996) Gouden boek van de Nederlandse Olympiers. De Vrieseborch
• Schoor, L. v.d. (1998) Carla Beurskens, het boegbeeld van de vrouwenmarathon. Atletiek nr. 2: KNAU

External link

• IAAF profile for Carla Beurskens