Willem Bosch, organiser of the event and bachelor student in Industrial Design Engineering, is pleased that the event is finally becoming a reality. 'We are happy to be able to give students the opportunity to enjoy a fun event’, he says. As the name of the event already suggests, not one but two races are held, starting with the Gebouwenloop, the building run, and followed by the Trappenloop, the stair run.
The Trappenloop starts in the basement of the Horst and goes up the stairs to the top of the Horst. As one can imagine, it can be dangerous on the stairs when ten runners try to pass each other at the same time, so some safety measures are taken. ‘Especially the stair race would not be safe if multiple people run at once, which is why every runner starts within an interval of ten seconds’, explains Bosh. The Gebouwenloop starts at the Ravelijn, goes over the walking bridge through the Zilverling and then to Carré and ends at the Horst. The organisers have done everything to avoid runners colliding with distracted students, as Bosch says. 'The event is held on Friday on purpose because the university is emptiest then'. In addition to that the racetracks are closed off with cordon tape.
The three best runners of the Trappenloop and the Gebouwenloop will receive special prizes, which will be kept a secret by the organisers until Friday. Even those who are not among the best runners can hope for a prize, as Bosh explains, 'we also run the Building Beast competition, which awards the person who is dressed the funniest and most original during the run’. To relax after the races, runners and non-runners can have a drink together after the races at the Vestingbar on the UT campus. ‘We have organised a 90s and 2000s party which is open to everyone after the races’, concludes Bosch.
Because of Covid, the organizers do not know exactly how many participants to expect. ‘It's hard to estimate how many people we’re expecting because the event hasn’t taken place for a long time’, says Bosch. Interested students can still register for the Trappenloop and the Gebouwenloop until Thursday evening. For the organisers it is important to make an effort to invite many students to the event. ‘We would like to have as many participants as possible to make the event as enjoyable as possible for the students.’
