About the RUN Winschoten

History RUN Winschoten

100 km 1976-1990
Led by Aquilo chairman Theo de Winter, the 100 km of Biel in Switzerland, the oldest 100 km race in the world, was held in 1975. The plan was to hold such a one-off competition in Winschoten on September 25, 1976, to draw attention to the lack of accommodation of the 60-member athletics club. The competition was given the flashy name "RUN". That first RUN was a great success with 77 athletes at the start for 1 big lap of 100 km. The enthusiastic athletes convinced the organization to hold the RUN annually. To relieve some of the burden on the small association, the RUN Foundation was set up after a few years to take over the organization of the competition. In 1980, the Grand Tour was replaced by two 50 km laps. In 1989, this was made into five laps of 20 km. But the RUN became less popular every year, both with the athletes and the public. The 1990 edition was not a success and Aquilo, chaired by Harm Noor, decided to intervene.

100 km 1991-2020
A new foundation was founded, the Ultraloop Foundation located in Winschoten (STUW), which set up a completely new competition in five months. A spectacular 10 km course through the center, with start/finish and passages straight through the manifestation hall of the Cultural Center "De Klinker" in Winschoten, was to form the ingredients for a new, large, attractive competition. The course was officially measured by the IAAF, which set records that were run. The 1991 RUN was a great success. With the `world best time` of 6.26.20 from the Russian winner Konstantin Santalov as a great boost. In 1992, the STUW organized the 1st EEA 100 km European Championship. The Belgian Jean-Paul Praet won in 6.16.41, in front of a very enthusiastic hall. This once again meant a new `world best time`. In 1995, the RUN organized the 9th edition of the IAU World Challenge, again with great success. More than 30,000 spectators saw Brazilian Valmir Nunes become champion in 6.18.11. American Ann Trason raced to the title in 7:00:47, then a new `world best women's time`. The RUN Winschoten organized the European 100 km Championship in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2005. The World Challenge 100 km were held in Winschoten in 1995, 1997 and 2000. In 1999 the World Challenge Masters was organized. The first World Cup 100 km was held in Winschoten on September 11, 2004. In 2007, 2011 and 2015 the following international championships were organized in one competition: World Cup, World Masters and European Championships. The 2015 championship attracted a record number of 374 participants in the 100 km. Since 1995, the RUN has organized the Dutch 100 km Championship every year, with the exception of 2002 when the National Championships were held in Stein. In 2020, the World Cup and WMA 100 km will be held in Winschoten for the fifth time.

Relay
In addition to the 100 km, a relay has been organized since 1985. That relay only became a success when the 10 km round was chosen by Winschoten and Heiligerlee in 1991. In the first edition in 1985, 31 teams participated, while today 225-250 teams participate. In the peak years, more than 300 teams participated. The relay has become an indispensable part of the RUN. Many teams from the region are participating, in addition to teams from the rest of the Netherlands and Germany.

50 km and marathon
Between 1985 and 1987 a 50 km and in 1988 a marathon were organized. There was little interest in those matches. In 2002, the National Championship marathon for masters was organized there. There was a lot of interest in that National Championship with 100 participants. In subsequent years, the marathon attracted fewer participants, which made the organization decide to opt for the 50 km as the second ultra running event. In 2006, the IAU Trophy Final 50 km was organized, the predecessor of the World Championship 50 km. Fast times were run in that race. In 2013, a talent competition (ITC) for runners from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands was linked to the 50 km. In 2015, Harm Sengers won in a course record of 2.53.48. For women, Petra Pastorova ran the course record of 3.30.37 in 2016.

Rabobank Lutje RUN
The first Rabobank Lutje RUN was organized in the context of the 25th anniversary. That was a relay race between teams of 2 children who each ran 2 km. After a number of years it became an individual run with a choice of 1 km (7-12 years) and a 2 km (13-15 years). In 2014, a 500-meter run was added for children aged 4-6 years. The Rabobank Lutje RUN grew into a major run, with 2015 being the top year when 466 children participated.

WalkingRUN
From 2014, RUN participants can choose to walk in addition to running. In the years 2014-16 e