RUNEXPECTED

This run is certainly no walk in the park: on the marked route, participants in this fun run run the risk of being attacked by a bear out of nowhere, getting a cream cake in the face or being tackled by a horde of muscular American Football players.

“Last year we decided to bring RUNEXPECTED to Rotterdam. It was such a success that it made perfect sense for us to organise the event in the port city in 2025 as well,” says Hubert van Wensen, the initiator behind the ‘unpredictable run’. He is the chairman of the LET’S BEAT NF foundation, which aims to eradicate the rare disease neurofibromatosis. “During RUNEXPECTED, hundreds of participants raise money for research into ‘NF’, a neurological disorder characterised by the uncontrolled growth of tumours that can be located on the skin or deeper in the body. This disease has a very unpredictable course, which is why we are also organising an unpredictable run.”

Unforgettable experience

The course is surprising in many ways, Van Wensen continues. “For example, you may be kidnapped in a helicopter or sumo wrestlers may block the running route. And yes: the chance that you will be attacked by a three-metre bear is certainly not excluded. Without giving everything away: RUNEXPECTED is an unforgettable experience that you can experience with your family, a group of friends, relatives or just by yourself. And you will also raise money for medical research.”

Ambition

RUNEXPECTED is being organised for the fourth time this year. The LET'S BEAT NF Foundation hopes to raise more than 200,000 euros this year for new research at the Erasmus Medical Centre. “Apart from all the unexpected obstacles, we will also be walking past the Erasmus MC this year, where the NF expertise centre is located. Nothing will literally and figuratively stand in our way to raise even more money for research into neurofibromatosis.”

About neurofibromatosis

Neurofibromatosis (NF) is mainly a skin and nerve disease. Characteristic is the uncontrolled growth of tumors. These can cause cancer, spinal cord injury, suffocation and severe pain. What and when you get something is very unpredictable and remains uncertain for the rest of your life. In the Netherlands, 1 in 2,500 children are born with NF, making it 'the biggest minor disease'. People die from neurofibromatosis every year.