Movember Run: Have Fun and Make a Difference

The moustaches in Amsterdam become thicker and thicker, which is a clear sign that the month of Movember is coming to its ends. That, in its turn, means the Movember Run (also known as the MoRun) is approaching.

Have you already registered, stocked up on some clown clothes and are now counting down for the moment when the fun starts? Or do you have absolutely no idea what the last question was all about?

In both cases, keep reading as we have something for all of you! Curious about the MoRun and people who make it possible, we talked to Bertram Welink, one of the Mo-founders.

Movember Run: Run for Men’s Health

The MoRun is one of the Movember charity events raising funds for men’s health – to fight prostate and testicular cancer, as well as high suicide rates among men.

The concept of ‘the hairy November’ is very simple. Men shave off their moustaches and beards at the beginning of the month and don’t do it again for the rest of it, raising money for a good cause through the Movember official website.

While a moustache is the symbol of Movember, growing one is not the only way to join the movement. The Movember Run is something everyone can do. And it’s considered to be the funniest run in town!

Simply put, people dress up and run a ‘hairy marathon’: young and old, men and women, in costumes and almost naked (yep, in November!), those who wear real or fake moustaches and those who don’t have any moustaches at all.

Watch the video to get a better idea:

A Word from the Mo-founder, Bertram Welink

The MoRun in Amsterdam originated in 2013 from a wonderful initiative of three Mosketeers: Hendrik Nuyens, Bertram Welink and Viktor van der Riet. Working at an e-commerce start-up together, they thought it would be great to participate in something completely different. And that is how Amsterdam has got its first MoRun.

In 2013, there were only 32 people involved. Last year the number of runners increased to 250! Bertram Welink says that the Mo-team intends to break that record in 2016. Help them do it and sign up for the run!

As for the records, the Movember Run set a couple of those. Since every MoRun is a competition, each edition has its winners. Last year one of the participants, Wesley van der Gouw, became the fastest Mo-runner, finishing the 5K MoRun in 16 minutes!

Besides, the Mo-team raised €3,653 for Movember in 2015, which is also a record so far. And the last but not the least, Bertram claims that they “might have broken the record of a number of moustaches running in the Vondelpark too.”

The aim of the MoRun is very simple – to involve people in a very serious manner in a really fun way. That is why the Mosketeers have always encouraged participants to dress up for the run. Surprisingly, people are very creative about their outfits!

There were runners dressed as Super Mario, Freddy Mercury, Spider-Man, the Smurfs… Some of the participants showed up for the run with ironing boards, their dogs or even a newborn in a stroller! Others had really weird moustaches (including fake ones, which was a common trend among the Mo-women).

Since the idea of dressing up worked out really well, the Mosketeers decided to have a different theme for every MoRun. Last year, the marathon was superhero-themed, and this time the participants are expected to have circus-inspired costumes.

However, even that is not mandatory! The most important thing is to raise money for Movember, which is why everyone who wants to participate is welcome. With or without a clown outfit, a moustache or any experience in running! 5K is not that much, and many participants are not professional runners. So, no worries – walking a part of the track is allowed!

The Mosketeers encourage everyone to join the run, as well as invite their families, friends and colleagues. The more people participate, the more money there will be for Movember! Let’s join efforts for a greater cause, set new and new MoRun records and help men live healthier, happier and longer lives!

Buy a ticket for the Movember Run via the following link! Early birds get a lower price, so hurry up!