Among the over 30,000 elite and recreational runners turning up for Monday’s 129th edition of the Boston Marathon, one man stands out.
Fondly nicknamed ‘Rubani Mkimbiaji’ (pilot-athlete), Dutchman Gert Brienne’s reputation precedes him.
The long-serving Cargo pilot is an avid recreational runner, at ease rubbing shoulders with marathon greats.
I proceed to the banks of Charles River, a common training location for athletes. While observing the various runners warming up in the scenic park, I feel a light tap on my shoulder that disrupts my focus.
“Jambo bwana!!” Brienne greets me with a warm, infectious smile as he shakes my hand.
Brienne also speaks a splash of ‘Ekegusii’ and ‘Kalenjin.
“Karibu Boston, rafiki!”, goes on the Dutchman.
His tall lanky frame is hard to miss among the elite runners, in whose presence he feels most at home.
“I have always loved running. It’s my competitive nature. I have been doing this for more than 25 years. Every time I fly into a city, I always schedule a morning or evening run” adds the pilot who boasts a marathon personal best time of two hours, 45 minutes, clocked at the New York City Marathon, says.
“I’m growing a bit older, going into the ‘mzee’ region of running, but if I run under three hours (in Boston) I will be happy because I’m also running in London in six days but my target is the Comrades Ultra Marathon in June.
“Basically, I’m doing two marathon trainings and the main aim is 89 kilometres in South Africa on June 8.”
Brienne has trained alongside big names in Kenyan athletics, including Eliud Kipchoge, who he pays glowing tribute to.
“It is hard to say who the best Kenyan marathoner of all time, but Eliud is certainly a very disciplined individual. This easily makes a great sportsman.”
Last year, he trained with world marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum just weeks before the marathon star was killed in a car crash.
So sad…only a few weeks ago I was in Chepkorio training with my friend Kiptum. So young, such a nice guy and a great running talent. I am in shock, can’t believe it,” he mourned at the time.
His favourite marathon?
“That’s a tricky one…,” he responds.
“Because we are in Boston, I should say Boston… But actually, all the Majors are special in their own way…. I did my PB, strangely enough, in New York which is a tough course so I’m a bit biased towards liking New York.
“But Tokyo is also a very special marathon and, of course, don’t forget the Standard Chartered Marathon in Nairobi just like Lewa… there are many special races.”
Brienne, at 57-years-old, enjoys fitness and is as comfortable on the marathon course as he is on the cockpit of his Boeng 747.
“How do you balance work and training?” I ask.
“When I fly out of the KLM hub in Amsterdam, I normally have at least 48 rest hours at my destination. I use that time to do my morning runs and training,” he explains.
“But I love it most when I train in Iten or Ngong, where I benefit from being in the midst the best runners in their local environment. I always marvel how these guys are approachable and down to earth, back in Kenya. It’s such a treat to train with them.”
‘Rubani’ – sporting Bib number 4571 at this historic Boston marathon – will also feature at the London Marathon, scheduled just six days from now on Sunday, April 27.
With the friendly skies in Boston this year, Brienne hopes for a decent result.
Brienne’s dream is to run in all seven Majors and clock sub-three hour times in all.
Just what keeps him going?
“I like setting goals and it’s fun to set a goal and see if you can achieve it. I wanted to run all the Majors and I wanted to run all of them under three hours – I did Sydney last year and managed to do a sub-three – I hear Cape Town and Shanghai are coming up as the next Majors, so I just have to keep going and keep that streak alive!”
The Bank of America Boston Marathon features a tough 26.2-mile course that often poses a challenge to all runners and is touted to be one of the toughest races of its kind.
It is also one of the seven Abott World Marathon majors, alongside Chicago, London, New York, Berlin, Tokyo and Sydney.
As ‘rubani’ – who has been flying in and out of Nairobi since 2015 with his 34-year career as pilot – signs off our conversation and jogs away alongside Hellen Obiri, the two time Boston women’s champion, one thing is certain: the Dutchman certainly has a lot of gas left in his tank, or, I should say, many more air miles to clock!
‘Rubani Mkimbiaji’ Factfile:
Name: Gert Brienne;
Occupation: Pilot (KLM Cargo);
Base: Amsterdam, Netherlands;
Personal Best Times:
10 kilometres: 36:00
Half Marathon: 1:19:00
Marathon: 2:45:45
Toughest races: 2013 Kass Marathon (Kapsabet-Eldoret), Comrades (89km ultra-marathon, South Africa)
Most special races: Lewa Marathon (competed six times), Antarctica Marathon (won race);
Countries visited: Lost count!
Based in Worcester, Massachusetts, Douglas Maina contributes exclusive interviews and sideline reports from various locations in the USA. Beyond covering high-profile events in athletics, motorsports and other sports, Douglas is an avid motorsports enthusiast, who religiously follows WRC events. Even when he is away, immersed in his office job, he stays connected to the sports world by always finding elusive back scene stories, and the unseen happenings that are often missed by mainstream media.
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