The first-ever edition of this event takes place in Brussels and Leuven on April 12-13 with club runners and elite athletes on the same start line
There are now less than five months to go before the European Running Championships starts in Brussels and Leuven in Belgium.
For the first time the European Championships is open to all, too, with ordinary runners having a unique opportunity to run alongside the elites over a distances that range from 10km, half-marathon and the full marathon.
The marathon starts at the Royal Palace in Brussels and follows a scenic course through to Leuven. The half marathon and 10km set off from Leuven and cross the city and wider surroundings.
Uniquely, the net finish time of the top 25 runners per country, including elites, will be added up and this will form the basis for the country ranking per competition and gender. The country with the lowest aggregate time in each race and gender category are declared winners.
European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov says: “The European Running Championships symbolises my vision of a sport that really is for everyone. Young and old, male and female, fast and slow, big and small, elite and amateur will all compete together and simultaneously in mass marathon, half marathon and 10km races, with global and national ranking places on offer.
“For too long, athletics has been seen as a rarefied activity, the preserve of only the super-fit and the super-gifted. All children, and a growing number of adults across our continent, take part in athletics, in the form of recreational running, every day. Yet many of them do not think of themselves as athletes. I am determined to bridge this gap.”
The venue for the next event in 2027 has been decided as well with Belgrade holding the event on April 18 of that year in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the city’s marathon.
Register for the Brussels-Leuven 2025 event here.
» Subscribe to AW magazine here, check out our new podcast here or sign up to our digital archive of back issues from 1945 to the present day here