by RBR Admin
NN Running team continues to add to its roster and build depth and new talent. More and more, the club shows the incredible depth it possesses over the marathon, the 5,000m and 10,000m distances.
NN Running Team looks forward to 2023 by announcing three new athletes and setting new goals
The NN Running Team looks back on a great 2022 season with Abbott World Marathon Major wins, fastest debuts, world champion titles, and even a world record. With the start of 2023, it is time to start looking ahead, because, from a performance and a marketing perspective, the NN Running Team looks to further strengthen the team, to promote the sport, and to engage its fans even more.
In 2022 the NN Running Team celebrated a 5-year anniversary by organizing a special University Webinar so fans could ask their questions live to the staff and athletes. A special anniversary book with highlights was released as well. 2022 also marked the start of new partnerships with INEOS and Abbott to strive for growth and innovation within the world of athletics.
Additionally, the year was lined with incredible successes such as Abbott World Marathon Major wins in Tokyo (Eliud Kipchoge), Berlin (Eliud Kipchoge), and London (Yalemzerf Yehualaw), three fastest marathon debuts ever (Almaz Ayana, Yalemzerf Yehualaw & Letesenbet Gidey), two bronze medals at the European Championships (Lonah Salpeter on the 10,000m & Nienke Brinkman on the marathon), three medals at the World Championships (including 10,000m gold for both Joshua Cheptegei & Letesenbet Gidey, and bronze on the marathon for Lonah Salpeter), and a world record (2:01:09, Eliud Kipchoge at the BMW Berlin Marathon).
After such a successful year, the NN Running Team kickstarted 2023 by expanding the roster and adding three new athletes. First is British athlete Marc Scott, who has a successful track career with the Bowerman Track Club and is now looking to transition to the marathon distance. The second addition is the 2022 European Championships Marathon silver medallist Maru Teferi from Israel. Last but not least, former world 1500m champion and Olympic silver 1500m medallist Genzebe Dibaba has also joined the team. In Amsterdam last year she made a solid marathon debut in 2:18:05 showcasing her promising marathon career. With the addition of Genzebe, the team now has a solid group of female athletes, including the three fastest marathon debutants ever, which indicates a promising female marathon future. Overall the team now consists of a little over 70 athletes from eight different countries including around 20 women and 50 men, solidifying our ambition of being truly global and inclusive.
Furthermore, in 2023 the mission of the NN Running Team is to continuously promote the sport of running and the team strives to bridge the gap between professional athletes and running fans & sports fans. Through social media, events, and activations the team would like to make the sport more engaging to experience and watch. The NN Running Team and its staff feel it is partly their responsibility to make the sport more inclusive and more appealing to the fans so they feel more connected to the team and the athletes.
Marleen Vink-Rennings, marketing director of the team: “We have reached over 45 million people last year through social media, many more through events and TV broadcasts. In 2023, we will continue to bring our athletes’ experiences to running fans worldwide through social media. Everything we have organized in the last years was with the intention to make our sport more exciting and to inspire runners around the world. Together with our partners, we will try to make the next step in the team experience and try to unite and inspire runners worldwide.”
On a performance side, 2022 has shown to be successful and for 2023 the NN Running Team hopes to further improve the level of the team. Valentijn Trouw, performance director of the team: “Our main focus as a team is on injury prevention to enable the athletes in the team to perform consistently at a world-class level. At the same time, we focus on choosing the right competitions for the athletes as individuals, to shine and balance this with the team as a whole, to create the best possible impact and motivating environment to improve as a team. In the new year, 2023, we will focus on making the next steps in these two areas”. The team has grown and investments have been made on the coaching side, physiotherapy, injury prevention, and support. Growing and investing in our athletes will help the team to be at its best in 2023
