First of all: what an amazing achievement. How are you doing after running the Berlin Marathon last Sunday?

‘Thank you very much. I'm happy to be here at NN headquarters. Happy to sit here, especially to celebrate together after the world record in Berlin. My recovery is going well, I can walk around now in The Hague, I can still run. I can say that my muscle soreness is no longer there, and my mind is also on the right side.’

What would be your most important advice to others to be successful and deal with challenges we face? 

‘First and foremost, to have the right systems working. What I mean by the right systems is that I have my teammates, I have the management, I have the coaching, I have the doctors, I have the physios, I have the sponsors. It’s teamwork and all of them are the systems which can lead to success. Actually, I am a good embracer of change. I love change. And I trust that the moment we change, anything comes at us and we change for it. That’s the only way to move on. So I encourage people to change. I change, every now and then, the sort of training. We are actually getting more knowledge not only from running but also from cycling teams.’

What role does food and nutrition play in your life?

‘Nutrition is key number as far as what I am doing is concerned. I follow nutrition that is part of science. Technology also, with the shoes, the apparel and the watches. Another thing is knowing what is going on in your body. I now monitor my glucose level, and see whether my glucose is low, middle or high. So I am able to change what I eat and actually select the right food to give me energy to move.’

You said before you love change. You are already the fastest. How do you keep motivated to keep on improving?

‘My motivation actually comes from the inspiration that I am instilling to the general public. The general human family in the world. That I am receiving the positive vibes, that I am impacting their lives. People are changing their lives because of the way I am running. Because of my performance, because of my longevity in running. People are changing and that’s my happiness. That’s actually what motivates me. That’s what is pushing me out of bed in the morning.’

The changes you made obviously paid off but you never know in advance. So how do you deal with that uncertainty?

‘Uncertainties are there, and any uncertainty you have to swallow it, and move on and find a solution. I always say that there are two types of human beings in this world. The ones that give solutions, and the ones that create problems. So with every uncertainty, I choose to be the one that gives the solutions and move on.’

The NN Running Team, supported by NN Group and Maurten, is organising MA RA TH ON for the second time on 22 and 23 May. Last year 106,000 runners registered for this virtual event, and together they ran a combined 28 laps around the world. With many running events still postponed, and the desire for runners to participate in an event is high, the NN Running Team believes there is no better time to run together again. As supporter of all runners, NN Group is happy to make this second event possible.

Virtual team relay marathon

To join the marathon, people from all over the world form teams of four and run together virtually the marathon distance of just over 42 kilometres. Each team member covers 10.5 kilometres, and as a team they run the full marathon. The participants run solo safely in their own location while still being part of a team and competing as one.

Ten teams will have the chance to run alongside an NN Running Team athlete, who are assigned at random to a participating team. These teams could virtually run together with Eliud Kipchoge, Kenenisa Bekele, Geoffrey Kamworor or Joshua Cheptegei.

#RUNASONE

Remco Barbier, Head of Branding at NN Group: ‘After last year’s success it goes without saying that we are happy to be part of MA RA TH ON again. It will be great to see so many runners from all over the world team up and together run a full marathon. At NN we are supporter of all runners and with this event everything that makes running such a great sport comes together, especially in these challenging times.’

Jos Hermens, NN Running Team Director: ‘It is fantastic that we are organising this event for the second time. Again, in a great collaboration with our title sponsor NN Group and Maurten. Two weeks ago, we organised the NN Mission Marathon, an elite only race. This time we organise an event for everyone because we all miss the excitement of the big mass events. This event will bring our athletes and fans together, back on the start line. In these difficult times we like to challenge people to stay active and to go for a run.’

How to participate

Participants are able to run their 10.5 km section of the race between 12:01am on Saturday 22 May and until 11:59pm on Sunday 23 May (local times) in consideration of the participants’ geography

The competition is free to enter for those aged 18 and above with separate divisions for men, women and mixed teams

Participating NN Running Team athletes will be randomly assigned to their teams

Participants must have a Strava account to join

Follow the NN Running Team and Maurten social channels for updates, information and behind the scenes footage: @NNRunningTeam @Maurten_Official

For more information, to register and to track the leaderboards and how to register please visit NN Running Team website.

The elite-only NN Mission Marathon will be organised by the NN Running Team, Global Sports Communication and the Hamburg Marathon. The race will take place on Sunday, 11 April, around a looped 10.5 km city centre route in Hamburg. The marathon is expected to attract around 100, mainly European, elite athletes, with many representing the NN Running Team.

Olympic qualifying race

With the tagline ‘The fastest way to Tokyo’, the marathon will give athletes the best possible chance to qualify for the rescheduled Olympic Games in Tokyo. The Olympic Marathon will take place on Saturday, 7 August (women), and Sunday, 8 August (men), in Sapporo, Japan.

Remco Barbier, Head of Branding at NN Group: ‘It is great to be able to help top athletes in this way so that they can prepare optimally for perhaps the most important race of their lives. Naturally, we hope that Björn Koreman will be able to show something special as a new member of the NN Running Team.’

Jos Hermens, director of Global Sports Communication: ‘Also in this time, we want to show that we do everything we can to offer athletes a chance for a marathon. In this case it is extra special because it is a qualification for the Olympic Games. I am proud that title sponsor NN Group also supports us in these times and together we want to fulfil the Olympic dream of all those athletes. Hopefully we will see more races coming up soon.’

Frank Thaleiser, Managing Director of the co-organiser MHV: ‘With the NN Mission Marathon Hamburg, many top athletes may get one of the last chances to qualify for the 2020 Olympics. We are pleased that we may support this cause together with the City of Hamburg and our partner Global Sports Communication.’

For more information: please visit the NN Running Team’s website.