Evert van Benthem
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 Evert van Benthem | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 November 1958 Sint Jansklooster, Netherlands |
| Sport | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Sport | Speed skating |
| Retired | 1997 |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | 1985 Elfstedentocht 1986 Elfstedentocht |
Evert van Benthem (born 21 November 1958) is a Dutch former speed skater who won the rarely raced Elfstedentocht twice in a row, in 1985 and 1986.
Van Benthem, a farmer from Leeuwte, near Vollenhove in The Netherlands, became involved in marathon skating in the early 1980s. He started racing in the A-class in 1983, which involved longer races (100 km instead of 40 km), and finished third in the Dutch championship in 1985.[1]
Elfstedentocht 1985
In 1985, it had been 22 years since the last Elfstedentocht. The event is skated on natural ice in Friesland, at a distance of 196.8 kilometres (122.3 mi). On 21 February 1985, van Benthem won the 13th Elfstedentocht. Van Benthem entered the final stretch of the race into Leeuwarden together with Jan Kooiman, Jos Niesten and Henri Ruitenberg, all marathon speed skaters. Van Benthem won the sprint, completing the race in 6 hours 47 mins, an average of 29.0 kilometres per hour (18.0 mph).
Elfstedentocht 1986
One year later, on 26 February 1986, the competition was held again. The leading pack near the end of the race included, Rein Jonker, Robert Kamperman and van Benthem. Van Benthem kept the lead and won again, with a time of 6 hours 55 mins 17 secs.
