April 12, 2019
Wednesday, April 10 marked the annual RoetersRun at University of Amsterdam’s Roeterseiland Campus. Over 50 runners kicked off at 7:30 pm beside the bridge between the ABC building and the E building. The participants ran 5 kilometers over three laps around the campus and finished behind the GL building. The runners were accompanied throughout by cyclists in orange vests leading them the right way.
The tickets cost €6.50 for the recreational evening run.
Family and friends came to support the runners, cheering them on after every lap. According to Job Wink, the event coordinator, the run was aimed at a broad demographic, including “University of Amsterdam students, students in general and residents living nearby.”
Nikki Verhoeven, a 21 year old anthropology student at the UvA, participated in the run. She reported feeling “healthy nerves” and excitement. Her more experienced runner friends had talked her into her first 5km run, and she had been very “chilled” about the prospect until ten minutes before the race.
The fastest runner finished the first lap (1.5km) in just under 5 minutes.
This 5km run is one of several running and athletic events organised annually for Amsterdam’s students by Aquila (Amsterdam Student Athletics Association). The same organisation manages the NSK Cross run each January, an open event in the Amsterdamse Bos for all student running clubs in the Netherlands.
While in the last few years, the run has been located at the Science Park due to construction at Roesterseiland Campus, event coordinator Job Wink explained that it returned to Roeterseiland last year. Fellow organizer Mijntje Minkema, a 22 year old nursing student at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam and as Amsterdam Marathon veteran, is already keen about next year’s RoetersRun.
Although the purpose of the run was simply for fun, several runners could be seen sporting university merchandise, in a comparatively rare display of university sporting affiliation.
