Trainer Pascal

My adventure with the Venloop 2025 Dream Team

As a performance coach, I help runners achieve their goals. I usually work with performance runners, but coaching the Dream Team of the Venloop, a group of participants who have endured difficult times, was a special challenge that I took up with open arms.

The Dream Team symbolises perseverance and resilience. These participants show that, regardless of setbacks, progress is always possible. Running offers them personal growth, stress relief and a powerful sense of belonging. With a common goal: to finish 10 km during the Venloop on 30 March, we embarked on this adventure together.

From the first training session, I felt the energy and willpower within this team. Each participant had her own story, but they shared one common goal: get fit and take control of your life again. I started training with basic running techniques and slowly built up to longer distances and speed. Every step meant progress, however small. Of course there were challenges, days when motivation was hard to find. But by supporting and motivating each other, we persevered.

The weekly training sessions strengthened mutual bonds and self-confidence. The high point, of course, remains the Venloop itself: a day full of adrenaline, support from family and the public and, above all, which will deliver incredible performances for the Dream Team. I look forward to seeing their proud faces at the finish, it will surely be one of the most impressive moments of my career.

My aim was to create a positive and safe environment that focused on both physical and mental growth, and that without injury. The Dream Team proved that perseverance is the key to recovery and personal success. This adventure has shown me how powerful running can be in changing lives. Everyone has it in them to make their dreams come true. So do you!