Draft:Mikky Keetels
Dutch long-distance runner (born 1999)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mikky Keetels (born 25 January 1999) is a Dutch flight attendant and athlete. She specializes in long-distance running and became the Dutch national marathon champion in 2026.
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Born | 25 January 1999 |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | Long-distance running |
| Club | AV Phoenix, Utrecht |
Career
Keetels, from Schijndel, studied journalism at HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht and joined a student association where social life was central. She began running recreationally. In 2019, she spontaneously registered for the New York City Marathon to raise money for the KiKa childhood cancer foundation. After that, running developed into a serious hobby.[1]
Flight attendant and runfluencer
The travel-loving Keetels paused her studies and began working full-time as a flight attendant for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. In 2025, she ran about 110 km per week, increasing to around 200 km in 2026. She adapted her training schedule to match her flight roster.[2] She shares her running experiences on Instagram.[3] This earned her recognition as a "runfluencer".
After the COVID-19 pandemic, many people took up running. The marathon became especially popular among Generation Z women. In 2024, one in five marathon runners on Strava was a Gen Z woman. Interest in running was boosted by athletes on social media such as Keetels.[4]
From recreational runner to competitor
Keetels focuses on both endurance and strength training. In 2024, she spent a month training in Bali, combining treadmill running with fitness classes. Afterwards, she ran 2:45:04 at the marathon of Málaga.
In 2025, she joined athletics club AV Phoenix in Utrecht, enabling her to compete in national championships.[5] In April 2025, she improved her personal best by eleven minutes at the Rotterdam Marathon, finishing in 2:34:09 as the second Dutch runner behind Anne Luijten.[2] A month later, she won the half marathon of Leiden in a personal best of 1:14:43. With a sports status from her university, she completed an internship at Runner's World magazine.[6]
National champion
In October 2025, Keetels competed for the first time at the Dutch Marathon Championships during the 2025 Amsterdam Marathon. She started fast and built a lead over Anne Luijten and Jill Holterman, but was later overtaken and finished third in 2:31:23. This placed her 13th on the list of fastest Dutch female marathon runners.[7]
Keetels signed with sports management agency Global Sports Communication, founded by Jos Hermens. In February 2026, she ran a half marathon in Dubai, improving her personal best, although the course was later found to be short. A month later, she equaled her personal best in Lisbon and improved it to 1:13:29 at the Stevensloop in Nijmegen. In April, she became Dutch marathon champion at the 2026 Rotterdam Marathon with a personal best of 2:30:42.
More running than flying
As her running career progressed, Keetels reduced her working hours at KLM. She aims to qualify for the 2028 Summer Olympics and is gradually increasing her training intensity.[8][9]
National championships
- Road
| Event | Year |
|---|---|
| Marathon | 2026 |
Personal bests
Achievements
10 miles
- 2025: 12th Dam tot Damloop – 56:30
Half marathon
Marathon
- 2023: Melbourne Marathon – 3:11
- 2024: 10th Málaga Marathon – 2:45:04
- 2025: 15th Rotterdam Marathon – 2:34:09
- 2025: 13th 2025 Amsterdam Marathon – 2:31:23 (bronze, national championships)
- 2026: 8th 2026 Rotterdam Marathon – 2:30:42 (gold, national championships)