On 9 February 2025 was the 45th edition of the Groet uit Schoorl Run. It was my fourth running event so far, and the first time I took part in this specific race. Groet uit Schoorl Run is definitely not the most well-known running event out there. It is, however, (also) a really popular one, and it sells out without fail every year. It's particularly known, especially the 10 km, as the fastest course out there, and a lot of personal records get broken on it. On top of that, this running event takes place in a gorgeous setting. At every distance, you actually run a large part of the route through the Schoorl dunes.
Groet uit Schoorl Run
The Groet uit Schoorl Run is an event mainly known for its gorgeous setting and fast course. As an adult you can choose between three different distances. Namely 10 km, 21.1 km and 30 km. The 30 km is a really nice stepping stone if you're training for a full marathon (42.2 km) and you've already experienced the half marathon distance (21.1 km) once. On top of that, the Groet uit Schoorl Run is a really nice event for running your first 'official' 10 km. It's well organised, set in a lovely (beautiful) and possibly motivating environment, and it's also a fast course. You should be aware that there are a few climbs and descents in it though. You hit the first and biggest climb-descent fairly early in the race, and you benefit from it for almost the entire 10 km.
Our logistics
Every running event you do comes with a certain amount of prep and logistics that has fairly little to do with actual running. You start by figuring out how to get there. Big events like this usually offer shuttle buses to and from the nearest (major) stations. Parking, unless you're really early, you can generally forget about. Because we live in Egmond, we had the option of going by electric bike.
What did it look like for us in practice? Drive to Egmond, grab the bikes, cycle to Schoorl, park the bikes, head to the sports hall to drop off our things after changing, and then to the start. Run, die a little, pick our clothes back up, and cycle back to Egmond.
For us it was honestly really doable, the cycling. It's about 15 km, and it took us roughly 47 minutes to get there. We were lucky with the weather, of course, since it was dry, not much wind, and not too cold.
Practical prep
Clothing, that's something I always get a massive error message about on 'race' days. Running itself will probably go fine, but picking the right clothing. I do have to admit that I generally find this tricky at this time of year, and it also really depends on the person, what you find comfortable to run in. It was going to be around 4-7 degrees. So, thermal leggings for sure, since my legs get stiff fairly quickly once it's a bit colder outside. So I do have respect for the people who can just run in shorts at that temperature and colder. In the end it was thermal leggings, a thermal long sleeve, and a regular long sleeve over that. Gloves weren't quite necessary, and as far as I'm concerned, a hat or something similar wasn't either. Also, by the way, try out your clothing choices beforehand!
Then you're really dependent on your start time if you want to plan food/drinks. Before we headed to the start pen I drank quite a bit and had a protein bar. During the race I didn't grab any drinks or food, since I don't normally do that for a 10 km either. After I finished running, I walked to the sports hall. While running I'd already had one of the AA drinks that were being handed out at the finish. In the sports hall I drank quite a bit more water. I'd also brought along a tub of quark, nuts and protein powder. My body always needs that after a 10 km. Then, of course, we still had to cycle back.
Our day; the Groet uit Schoorl run
Cycling was honestly a great choice, especially on an electric bike. For me it was a good way to burn off some nerves. We were able to leave our bikes somewhere between the start and finish. After that we still had to walk a bit towards the sports hall. This took us alongside the last 200 m of the course. That was, uh, not particularly pleasant. Because;
- There were spectators lined up.
- It was at its narrowest, three metres wide,
- People who'd already finished were coming towards us.
- People who were already walking towards the start for the 10 km were coming towards us.
- And then there were the people who wanted to get to the sports hall (which included us).
That gave me a little spike of nerves, since we still had 45 minutes before we had to start. In those 45 minutes we still had to get into that mega busy sports hall, change, drop off our things, get out of the sports hall, and walk alongside the course to get to the start. Jesse also still had to pick up a replacement bib, since his purchased bib hadn't arrived in time.
The sports hall was really busy with people getting ready for the 10 km, but also with people who'd already finished running. Because of that it was pretty hectic, and it took a while before our things got labelled and stored. Not a big deal though, since it was quite a bit calmer alongside the course in the end, and we were standing in our start pen 10 minutes before start time. In the start pen I picked out a playlist in advance, put my headphones on five minutes before the start, and did some exercises on the spot to warm up.
The course
You start the first stretch in Schoorl, running through the village for the first 1-2 kilometres. After that you leave the village behind and head into the dunes. That stretch was tough, since I hadn't expected we'd be climbing for such a long stretch, and so early on at that. The upside is that you're still fairly high on energy at that point. The downside is that you risk starting off too fast, and passing people is annoying. After that you run through quite a few kilometres of dunes. The nicest parts are the stretches, and there are quite a few of them, where you're just gently descending. Running takes less effort then, and you can hold your pace while maybe letting your heart rate drop a bit. That loop on the Hargerzeeweg, by the way, is no fun at all. In the first stretch you see a lot of people who are further ahead than you, and after that, you're running on a really narrow, poorly paved stretch where you have to fight for your spot just to hold your pace. The last 2-3 kilometres take you back through inhabited areas, into Groet.
All in all, definitely a fun run in a beautiful setting. It's also a fast course, since I ran a solid personal record there! I'm just not sure yet whether I'll sign up again next year.
What's the next race? Zandvoort Circuit Run, 12 km. Really curious about that one!
