"Our goal: Making running sexy”

It’s Sunday morning, 9:50 AM. I’m standing on Plein 1992, surrounded by groups of people dressed, like me, in brightly coloured running gear. The crowd is a mix of young men and women, mostly students. I hear a language I don’t recognise. Someone cracks a cheesy joke in English. I’ve just tightened my shoelaces for the second time. This is the regular morning meet-up of After Friday Night (AFN), one of the many running clubs that have been popping up everywhere recently.

“I had a late night, but I’m still here”, laughs Ziggy Cathalina (28) as he looks around the square. He’s one of AFN’s founders, along with his friends Stef Roelings (28) and Teun Prompers (26). Cathalina studied European Studies, Roelings has a creative background and Prompers is training to be a physiotherapist. They’ve been running AFN since the winter of 2023.

“Time to go!” Cathalina calls to the fifty runners gathered. On Hoge Brug, he splits the group into four, each heading off for different distances. I’ll be running five kilometres. And off we go. One of the runners waves his phone in the air and takes a selfie that will later find its way to AFN’s Instagram page. It’ll sit among photos and reels of students, PhD candidates or Maastricht locals – first running through Maastricht, then relaxing with coffee or pizza, as if the running was just a warm-up for the real fun.

“It wasn’t really about running”, explains Cathalina. He and his friends wanted to create something together. “Running just happened to be how we started.” Stef Roelings designed a logo, Cathalina took care of communications, and Teun Prompers pitched in with photography. The question they asked was: “How can we make running sexy?” Since starting last winter, the club has grown rapidly. “We started with about 10 people, and then one day, suddenly, we were 50 strong.”

AFN welcomes both experienced runners and beginners. Everyone can push their limits at their own pace. Running has been surging in popularity recently, and it seems Maastricht is now eager to join the trend. Some participants are training for marathons, while others see running as a way to explore the city on foot, like one first-year student from Australia who arrived in Maastricht only three days ago. “Running clubs are everywhere back home”, she says, happy to have joined one so quickly. And it’s about more than just running: “You get to wear cool workout clothes, maybe a mini bag, a nice pair of sunglasses – it makes it even more fun”, say several people.

From solo to social

In April 2024, Lucas Muijtjens had had enough of running alone. The 24-year-old student, who’s always been into exercise and nutrition, admits, “It just gets boring after a while.” This is hardly surprising, considering that he trains every day for IRONMAN triathlons and other races. While pursuing his second master’s in Biomedical Sciences, he decided to start his Social Run Club.

It’s a crisp Saturday morning, perfect for a run. I meet Muijtjens on the grass by the city wall. You can tell from his posture that he’s the kind of person who can’t sit still, and his enthusiasm is contagious. The group quickly forms; the vibe is relaxed. What started as a small private group has since grown into a community of nearly a thousand members. They don’t all show up every time, though. Muijtjens, who comes up with a new route each week, is clearly proud of this large group of like-minded people. “Lots of new faces today! We’ll stop at Servaasbrug after five kilometres. If you’re up for it, you can join me for an extra kilometre afterwards. Ready?” It seems that today’s participants are mostly ready to make new connections, buzzing as they are with curiosity and conversation. Many are first-year international students. “This is so much better than the boring introduction day”, says one as we jump up and down to warm up.

The group is large. Muijtjens leads the way. It feels a bit like a marathon, but without the pressure to be the fastest. We even get applause as we cross the bridge over the Meuse River. You can feel the workout vibe, connecting you with the fifty people around you. Muijtjens manages all this on his own. “The group stays together at one pace, which actually gives you more energy”, he explains later, as we gather at Coffeelovers for drinks. But the club has grown so much since the academic year started. Has it been a challenge, even for someone with his experience? “Yes, but luckily, I have friends helping out now.” Despite the club’s popularity, he has no plans to make any money from it. On the contrary, participants actually get discounts on nutrition and physiotherapy through partnerships.

Safe space for girls

The next day, same time and place, nearly eighty young women gather on the grass for Maastricht Girl Run. They form small groups; few seem to have come alone. The atmosphere is calm, voices mingling as others soak up the morning sun. The club, founded this past August, already has 600 members. How did it grow so fast? Founder Leila Nickel (27), a second-year Psychology student: “I kept seeing a lot of guys in AFN’s Instagram photos. If you’ve never run before, that can be intimidating. So I thought, why not start my own club? Girl Run was up and running the next day.” It was an instant success, with a hundred women showing up for the first run. Many could use some help getting started. “Do you eat before or after?” “Which shoes are best?” The pace is relaxed, leaving plenty of breath for chatting. Nickel has tailored the group to meet participants’ needs in terms of distance, pace and running days. Above all, she wanted to create “a safe space, an environment where everyone feels comfortable”. As a girl, I completely understand. It’s hard to explain; the other groups are fun, but with just girls, it’s more laid-back and you can talk more openly. That’s what makes Girl Run feel like a safe space. One participant puts it this way: “If I want to push myself, I go to AFN. Girl Run is more beginner friendly. But most importantly, there’s no competition.” I’d say Social Run Club is somewhere in between.