Charlotte Hofman

My name is Charlotte Hofman, I am 49 years old and I live with my family in Blerick.

In April 2023, I suffered a cerebral infarction and since then I have been living with the consequences of this. In my case, acquired brain injury (NAH) has a major impact on my daily life. My life was busy, a family, an intensive job in education and I also liked to play sports.

Now my life consists of rehabilitation, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, and a lot of rest. I can’t deal with a lot of stimuli anymore. Information processing and executive functions are not the same as they used to be. However, I had already planned in March 2023 to participate in the venloop in 2024, I had already bought the shoes. However, I didn’t dare to pick up running on my own, which is why, after consultation with the physiotherapist, I signed up for the dream team. Exercising together seems to work, fortunately I can also handle sports physically. So far, the training sessions are the 2 best activities I have every week. I’m really looking forward to it. I experience exercising in the open air as very nice. Fortunately, I already have some running experience. I have run the 10 km / venloop several times in recent years.

That was it, it’s over, it’s all over! Soon it will be Wednesday again, it’s all over!

We did it, as a complete dream team we crossed the 10km finish line on Sunday 24 March 2024. And all within 80 minutes!

What a release! We have lived towards it for so long. Fought so hard for it.

The day of the Venloop, I got up with some ‘race tension’ but also suddenly realised that with crossing the finish line there was an end to‘ our’ fantastic, amazing dream team 2024.

I met 6 great people (besides trainer Henk, his wife Ellie and coordinator Viv and her husband Stef), each with their own story, all fighters who had also added 10 km of running to their goals. Then you are cut from special cloth! Despite all kinds of injuries and setbacks (from car accident to frozen shoulder) – no, it wasn’t all roses – we got together one last time on the big day, after a warm-up and speech by our super coach Henk and super-coordinator Vivian we went to the starting area. Here we stood shivering with cold waiting, Daisy and I wondering aloud why this also seemed like such a good idea many months ago. And then the starting signal sounded! It was 12 o’clock, the hour had arrived! Watches on, go with it.

In terms of weather conditions, I have run a finer Venloop before. The wind was bleak and cold and rain fell, blowing your damp clothes icy cold. But suddenly there was the Parade! With all its crowds.

Because of my brain injury, I had to wear big sunglasses, sun visor and noise-reduction headphones to stay upright through this wall of sounds and images. But my legs just kept going. Another 800 metres indicated the sign. That should still do it, I thought, looking back but having lost my teammates. I knew that Stef, Hanneke and Ron were ahead of me and had probably finished by now, so I had to keep going. The last few metres, the moment we had been talking, laughing and training for for over six months. The time had come! It seemed to take 1 second….the Parade down and across the finish line.

We got our medals and a very big hug from Henk and Vivian in the finish area. And then it was done! Exactly as I had realised in the morning : it was done! No more Wednesday evening track training and Saturday morning endurance runs, just finished.

How much I am going to miss it and my dear teammies !!!

Everything hurt and hurts. I am now enjoying at home with the medal around my neck and the ‘hup Charlotte’ poster on the wall. Also, our group app was still full on and many photos and videos were shared.

When I got home, I had to take a quick hot shower and took off my homemade ‘dream team’ bracelet for the last time…..it’s done, it’s done, it’s all good! Proud of myself and of these toppers: Karin, Diana, Daisy, Hanneke, Ron and Sonja, and of course of Stef who joined us from time to time.

This was….my very last Venloop, I am now going into Venloop retirement. I will keep running though! But nice through a forest on Saturday morning, without all that music, horns and drums around me.

And if you have any doubts about joining dream team 2025 : if you dare to ask for help, it means you don’t have to give up on your running dream. And that help is there for you in the form of Henk and Viv! Of course, you have to do the rest yourself: turn up and train and keep going. Take that step!

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step! And then you are a Venlo runner (again)!

Charlotte