RICHMOND, Ky. – Former Eastern Kentucky University distance standout Thijs Nijhuis ran an IAAF World Championships standard marathon time of 2:14:18 at the Düsseldorf Marathon in Germany late last month.
 
Nijhuis finished third overall at the marathon on April 28. With the time, he is now able to represent his native Denmark at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar on October 5.
 
It was only the second marathon in which Nijhuis has competed in his life. He ran his first marathon seven months ago, winning the Danish Championships with a time of 2:19:42.
 
To make that even more impressive, Nijhuis is training while also a full-time medical student at Århus University in Århus, Denmark.
 
Nijhuis was a key member of an EKU men's cross country team that qualified for three straight NCAA Championships (2011 to 2013), including the 2013 squad that won the NCAA Southeast Region title and finished 15^th nationally. He also represented EKU in the 10,000 meters at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Track Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
 
Nijhuis is in a relationship with former EKU mid-distance runner Julie Mathisen – a two-time OVC mile champion (2014, 2015) and 2015 regional qualifier in the 800 meters (2:07.6). Mathisen recently ran 1:16:09 in her second half-marathon ever!