Brooks Super Fans report from European Championships
All eyes were on Amsterdam earlier this month as the Dutch capital hosted a top edition of the European Athletics Championships.
Athletes and fans flocked to the historic Olympic Stadium and among them were three special guests – the Brooks Super Fans.
To celebrate Brooks’ involvement with the event as official apparel and footwear sponsor and spread their Run Happy spirit, the leading running brand held a search for three athletics super fans to travel to Amsterdam.
Amelia Pettitt, Stephanie Lawrie and Philip Goose were the winning trio and received a trip package to the event and exclusive Brooks European Championships kit. As guest reporters for Brooks and AW with VIP access, here they share their experiences.
Home favourites Dafne Schippers (100m and 4x100m), Churandy Martina (100m) and Anouk Vetter (heptathlon) were among the winners at an action-packed edition of the championships which saw many Rio Olympics-bound athletes competing.
Poland topped the medal table ahead of Germany and Great Britain, with Dina Asher- Smith (200m), Greg Rutherford (long jump) and Martyn Rooney (400m) among those gaining golds for GB.
In addition to sponsoring the European Athletics Championships, Brooks hosted a unique run through the heart of Amsterdam on Sunday July 10 – the Brooks 10k Champions Run – which gave the Brooks Super Fans the chance to get involved in the action as well as report on it!
Throughout the European Athletics Championships, Brooks showcased their new innovative approach to gait analysis, called Run Signature. Run Signature uses leading-edge technology to assess the way your body naturally runs and offers the right shoe to fit your run, taking into consideration your preferred experience.
To celebrate the championships, Brooks also released a limited edition ‘Brooks Amsterdam Launch 3’ shoe. The design was inspired by Amsterdam’s twisting network of canals and uses the very Dutch orange, red, white and blue colours.
STEPHANIE LAWRIE | VICTORIA PARK CITY OF GLASGOW AC
A 4am alarm isn’t how I usually start my Saturdays, but this wasn’t a usual Saturday. I was off to Amsterdam to see the European Athletics Championships, courtesy of Athletics Weekly and Brooks.
We were greeted at our hotel with the weekend’s itinerary and a pair of Brooks Amsterdam Launch 3 trainers each (bright orange, of course). It was then time to get on our bikes and cycle to the Olympic Stadium. The morning session was a good one for the Brits, with both 4x400m relays and the male high jumpers advancing to their respective finals.
In between sessions, GB international and Brooks athlete Jonathan Taylor kindly took the time to answer our questions, providing a good insight into balancing elite athletics with a full-time job.
The evening session was packed full of action. Steph Twell’s well-deserved bronze was the highlight from a British perspective, with success also for the home nation – the stadium erupted as Anouk Vetter ran her way to heptathlon gold.
After some welcome sleep, it was our turn to compete on Sunday. The Brooks 10k Champions Run took place in the centre of Amsterdam, taking in some of its most famous landmarks. It was a fantastic race to be a part of and a great way to round off the weekend.
Unfortunately, our trip came to an end all too soon. Massive thanks to Brooks and AW for giving me such an amazing opportunity, and to the Brooks staff, who looked after us extremely well. It was a weekend I’ll never forget!
PHILIP GOOSE | HYDE PARK HARRIERS
I was incredibly excited when I found out that I had won the competition with Brooks and AW and would be heading off to the European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam.
In the Olympic Stadium there were loud cheers for the GB team from the British contingent sitting around us, but the best atmosphere was reserved for any events featuring the Dutch athletes. The highlights for me in the Saturday evening session were seeing the British ladies qualify from their heats in the 4x100m relay and then getting a photo with them afterwards, a superb run by Steph Twell to win bronze in the 5000m, Anouk Vetter winning the heptathlon in front of a home crowd despite finishing last in the 800m, and a tactical 1500m which saw GB runner Lee Emanuel leading around the final bend, before being swamped on the home straight and finishing sixth.
After having the opportunity to perform ourselves in the Brooks 10k Champions Run on the Sunday morning (I struggled in the heat and ended up running outside my PB), it was back to the Olympic Stadium. Before the evening athletics session myself and another Brooks guest managed to run a few laps of the track, and ended up getting cheered by a group of the event volunteers!
The loudest cheers were yet to come in the evening session, with Dafne Schippers and co. threatening to take the roof off the stadium if it had one by winning gold in the 4x100m relay – it was such a great atmosphere that I didn’t mind that they had beaten GB’s girls into second place!
AMELIA PETTITT | VALE ROYAL AC
Outstanding athletics, kit, people, food and sights made the weekend in Amsterdam live up to the city break away I’d been looking forward to for the past couple of months!
Brooks generously supplied us with the event kit which we collected on arrival and immediately wore ready for our cycle to the Olympic Stadium (where I discovered my weaknesses in “follow the leader” skills by cycling into the wrong park). We had a fantastic view, watching the afternoon events including the 4x400m relays, and then took part in the Brooks Run Signature experience to analyse our running technique in comparison to our own natural form.
Watching all the athletes made me a little envious, therefore we managed to squeeze in a short run before settling down to watch an evening full of athletics including Steph Twell’s 5000m bronze and a rather tense and impressive 1500m final for Lee Emanuel and Jake Wightman.
Sunday began with a luxury breakfast, which I had to resist taking full advantage of as I was to participate in the Brooks 10k Champions Run which followed the half-marathon.
During the whole weekend we were treated like royalty! We met so many runners from Brooks and retailers across the country, all with inspirational stories to share.
Thank you to Brooks and AW for a fabulous weekend!
» For more information about Brooks visit brooksrunning.com/uk
