Zevenheuvelenloop 2026: Megan Keith takes aim at the European 15K record
By AthRecs Editorial · 2 min read
Megan Keith goes to Nijmegen with a European 15K record in mind. Peruth Chemutai and Asayech Ayichew give the women’s race another reason to tune in, and the home crowd has Mike Foppen to follow in the men’s field.
The women’s race and Keith’s record attempt
Chemutai won Olympic steeplechase gold in Tokyo and silver in Paris. Nijmegen gives her a different sort of race, with no barriers and plenty of hills. The organiser puts the Ugandan alongside Ethiopia’s Asayech Ayichew as the two women to watch at the front. Keith has a target of her own. The Scot won European 10,000m bronze in Rome in 2024 and now gets a chance to test that track speed over 15 kilometres of road.
The Dutch athlete with a familiar pacemaker
Kenya’s Alex Matata and Madagascar’s Benjamin Ratsim, second and third last year, return. South Africa’s Maxime Chaumeton is on the list, as is Foppen. The organiser says Stefan Nillessen will pace Foppen on Sunday after lining up in Saturday evening’s 7K himself. There is a British interest on Saturday too, with Cari Hughes named alongside Amina Maatoug, Loes Kempe and Yasmine Abbes.
How to follow both races
Sunday’s 15K begins at 13:00 in Nijmegen, noon in the UK. Saturday’s Zevenheuvelennacht starts at 19:00 local time. The organiser’s app offers live athlete tracking with kilometre splits, handy if you are following somebody who has given you a name and bib number but only a wildly optimistic estimate of their finish time.
Official information and image credits
Sources: https://zevenheuvelenloop.nl/startlijsten-2026 · https://zevenheuvelenloop.nl/nn-zevenheuvelenloop · https://zevenheuvelenloop.nl/deelnemersinformatie · https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Runners_during_the_2013_Zevenheuvelenloop.jpg · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Quick answers
When is the 2026 Zevenheuvelenloop?
The 15K is on Sunday 15 November 2026 at 13:00 in Nijmegen, 12:00 GMT.
Who is attempting the European 15K record in Nijmegen?
Britain’s Megan Keith is named by the organiser as targeting the European women’s 15K record.