The Batavieren Race is 175 kilometers long, and every year there are some 8,500 male and female participants. The track runs from Nijmegen to Enschede. The last two editions, Team TU/e Fontys finished in second place.

The ESSF Bata Committee is busy getting together two teams for the upcoming, 42nd edition of the race: a TU/e Fontys team for the university competition, and an Eindhoven team for the general classification. It means ESSF is looking for fifty runners, who will be preparing for the race on their own, mostly. “We do want to plan a number of meetings prior to the race to provide runners with useful information, and tips for running at night and eating, for example”,  says Marco van Erp of ESSF. 

The Eindhoven Bata Committee has already approached several inner-circle runners. Still, well-known and/or experienced Bata runners shouldn’t expect to be selected just like that. Van Erp: “We may discover someone who’s extremely fast. If so, they could take the place of a runner who’s been participating for five years. It’s all about performance, eventually.”

Students (including internationals) who are excited to join one of the two Eindhoven Batavieren teams, or want more information on qualifying and the selection procedure, can send an e-mail or drop by ESSF at the Student Sports Center.