Ex-Bayern star Arjen Robben runs a marathon – and achieves his goal

At Bayern, Arjen Robben was dangerous with his sprints. Now he proved himself as an endurance runner – and successfully so.

The longtime Bayern professional Arjen Robben has fulfilled a sporting wish after the end of his football career. The 39-year-old Dutchman finished Sunday’s marathon in Rotterdam in 2:58:33 hours, staying under the three-hour mark he had set himself. “I’m really broken, but I made it,” Robben told NOS TV after 42.195 kilometers: “For a sprinter like me, such a distance is very long. But I like sports and challenges.” The Belgian Bashir Abdi won the race in 2:03:47 hours.

Robben had already tried to stay under three hours in his first marathon at the same place last year, but failed in 3:13:40 hours. “I’m no longer a top athlete, but I can say: I think it’s top sport when you can run a marathon in under three hours,” said Robben at the finish: “It’s very close to winning a major football title. Great, that can be I tick off.”