Every year the Finance Run kicks off the running season after the Summer Holidays. Runners from a wide variety of Finance Companies gather in het Amsterdamse Bos around De Bosbaan. When I arrive, I already see many orange ING shirts.

I pickup my bib and get an orange ING shirt as well. I put it in my bag and change into my ING Runners outfit. I meet the first ING Runners and we drop off our bags. It's crowded everywhere and we head to the spot to get our team picture taken.

This is also our meeting point. Not everybody is there yet, but it's time to smile and we make our team photo with a lot of ING colleagues, the Orange Army. Next, it's time for the warming up and before we know it, we're off!

The half marathon already started at 2PM, followed by the 10k at 3PM and the 5k 10 minutes later. Because of preparations for the Rowing World Cup that will be held at De Bosbaan in 2026, the course has changed this year. No loop around De Bosbaan, but 3 different courses through Het Amsterdamse Bos. The last 2,5k the courses are joined, so the faster 10k runners catch up the slower runners from the other distances. This means you see a lot of colleagues and can congratulate each other right when you've crossed the finish line. Fruit and drinks are for grabs, so everyone can catch their breath again.

I decide to pickup my bag, get changed and head to the after party. This is what differentiates the Finance Run from other runs. The Bosbaan Restaurant has a huge terrace and with the sun shining, drinks are flowing freely. Great to chat afterwards and meet unknown colleagues. The DJ gets more and more people moving and the atmosphere is great. At some point the waiters come by with a starter, a little later the main course and finally delicious ice creams. It's getting later and people are choosing their way towards the weekend. Time to leave. Hope to join again next year, this was an awesome event. Special thanks to Mo for inviting us!

Met vriendelijke groet,

Matthijs Monster