photo Jannes Linders
The artwork
This colorful sculpture on the quay was designed by artist Henk Visch. It was unveiled on April 18, 2001, just before the twentieth Rotterdam Marathon was run. The Marathon Sculpture is therefore a gift from the Rotterdam Marathon Foundation to the city of Rotterdam. The 5 1/2 meter tall iron statue appears smaller from some distance than it really is. Yet with its many colorful planes, it is a clear signal on the largely gray quay. That there is a relationship between this statue and the annual endurance run is also made clear by the signs, which are mounted in the pedestal. On them can be read the names of all male and female runners who have ever won the Rotterdam Marathon. But the twenty colors that Visch applied to the sculpture also have a meaning. They symbolize the multitude of nationalities of the participants in this race, which has grown into an international phenomenon. The Marathon Sculpture has, of course, been given a place along the route of the marathon.
