Career
Heideman, currently living in a small town named Gelselaar in the Achterhoek, started as an all-around speed skater, finishing in 8th position three times at the Dutch All-around Speed Skating Championships in 1994,1995 and 1996. However, at the age of six he already skated 25 kilometres in one day at the Bolksbeek. At the end of the 2004-2005 season he already expanded his new record to a total of 56 artificial track wins.
January Maarten Heideman is also known to be the Willie Wortel (Gyro Gearloose) of the speed skating peloton.
Together with his sponsor Raps he tested various techniques. In 1997 he was the first and until today the only skater who skated the Elfstedentocht on clap skates.
He was also the first skater to show up with the 3D-skate, the carve-skate, the shark suit, the bird suit, the kluun shoe, the heater skate and the change skate. In 2001 he released a book called "Leren van schaatser January Maarten Heideman" (Learning from speed skater January Maarten Heideman).
He was one of the skaters that organised a mass in an Austrian church with 450 speed skaters showing up in the weekend the Alternative Elfstedentocht was skated in 2004.
69 artificial track speed skating marathon wins, the last one being the final race of the 2006 Six Days of the Greenery in Alkmaar.