In 2003, on the initiative of Erik Schnock, one of the board members of the Venloop, 62 people from Venlo started training for the New York Marathon in 2004. They were mostly novice runners looking to raise €42,195 for two charities. So for every meter one euro. A year of hard training, having fun together and suffering to train toward a marathon, THE marathon, creates a bond. So the experience in New York was also indelible. On the way back to Holland the idea arose that we should have such a fantastic event with so much atmosphere, sportsmanship, for so many people also in Venlo. New York in miniature, in other words.

Shortly afterwards, the Venloop Foundation was founded and preparations for a running event started. The purpose of the Venloop Foundation was originally to promote the sport of running to a wide audience. This by a well-organized, atmospheric running event.

A few years later, a walking tour was added and the Venloop Foundation is now an ‘umbrella’ of all kinds of activities, in which a healthy lifestyle is central through sports, exercise and healthy food. All kinds of events are organized throughout the year, in the form of running competitions, walking tours, but also awareness days such as the VenloopKids afternoon and the Senior Day. Every target group has been thought of, because after all, you experience the Venloop together!

In this way, the foundation knows how to motivate people to an active and healthy lifestyle in a fun way throughout the year.