Amsterdam.  It’s been know to be overcast and drizzly but today it’s Sunny!  An explanation…we’re talking about runner Sunny Schippers, a native of Amsterdam who’s coming to Jamaica for Reggae Marathon, Sunday, December 2 this year.

I’m from Amsterdam, the Netherlands. 36 years old and @mistermarathon on Instagram, where I post about my marathon adventures. With 59 marathon in 28 different countries I got some things to talk about.

After my father passed away I tried many things to kind of deal with the loss. I did some kickboxing for two years, got my motor driving license and..started running.  That was in 2007 when I was 25. My first marathon was in 2008, in my hometown of Amsterdam which I dedicated to my father. The Amsterdam Marathon course is next to the graveyard where he’s buried, so imagine running next to that place when your mother, brother and sister are standing there to support you, while you’re wearing your dads lucky charm necklace. That same necklace I’ll be wearing in Jamaica as well. I only wear it during my marathons. It’s a mental boost when I need it the most.

Since I started to run marathons in 2008 I became addicted instantly. In 2009 I ran my first marathon outside the Netherlands, Dublin, Ireland.  Since then I’ve had the urge to combine running marathons with traveling the world, my other “hobby”.  

Since 2010 I’ve gone on a marathon trip each year. Cities/Marathons so far include Stockholm, Copenhagen, Rio de Janeiro, Kiev, Prague, Riga, Belfast, Vilnius, Tallinn.  Other trips since 2016 include Frankfurt, Cologne and Porto in 2018).  I went with my mother to Athens, with my stepfather to Tokyo and took them both to Washington, DC I’ve been to Budapest, Barcelona and Madrid in the past and we’ll run Beirut in November 2018. The Reggae Marathon this December will be my 65th marathon in a foreign destination. These running trips are the best quality time I can possibly get, so these trips become increasingly important to me.  Yes, that’s me posing with Meb!

I always wanted to see Jamaica…it has been on my mind ever since 2011.  My running agenda for 2018 was already filled with 11 marathons, but December was still blank. On Worlds Marathons Jamaica kept popping up. I asked my girlfriend what she thought of a holiday in December. I dropped Jamaica a couple of times…showed her some pictures of sandy white beaches, beautiful waterfalls and tropical vibes. We had a perfect holiday destination…AND another special marathon to run.

I feel blessed that I’m able to see so many wonderful countries/places and can run their marathons. For me the smaller marathons have so much more character than the traditional majors. I’m really looking forward to run Jamaica and find out what that Reggae Marathon is all about. To get to know the people, the culture. On top of my list is a visit to the tracks where Usain Bolt trains. If it’s possible, I even want to run some laps in that beautiful national stadium in Kingston! So see you soon guys, let’s get that Reggae Marathon party started!

Thanks for sharing your story Sunny.  We’re super excited about meeting and running with you in Negril at Reggae Marathon this December.

Until next time…

Reggae Marathon RunninGuy (aka Sugar ‘Tuff Gong’ Bong)

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