Start 2 Run app now also in French
Start 2 Run, the hyper-popular running app in Flanders is now also available in French for Wallonia and France. The voice for the app is the equally popular Belgian singer Loïc Nottet.
The Start 2 Run app guides anyone who starts running, up to the first 5km. But for those who want to maintain and expand afterwards, there are 25 different running schedules with distances up to a marathon. Unlike most other apps, the Start 2 Run app is a real personal coach with a real voice that guides and motivates you while running.
Loïc Nottet as coach
For Wallonia and France, singer Loïc Nottet is the ambassador and digital coach who will guide you through your training. Nottet hardly needs to be introduced. After being discovered in The Voice Belgique, he represented Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2015. His fourth place definitively launched his career and ever since, the career of the man with the distinctive voice has been rocketing to new heights in Wallonia and France. Among other venues, he played in front of a sold-out Forest National twice and performed at L’Olympia in Paris.
Nottet is very excited about his role as a coach. « C’est complètement nouveau pour moi et je trouve toujours une certaine excitation dans la nouveauté ! Je veux essayer de motiver un maximum des gens à s’entraîner, même à distance. J’ai pu constater que ma voix séduisait pas mal de monde dans les chansons, du coup j’espère qu’elle plaira et motivera les utilisateurs à courir virtuellement à mes côtés. »
« Personnellement j’ai besoin de faire beaucoup cardio pour assurer mes shows. Je suis amené à chanter et danser sur scène et la course m’aide à bien entretenir mon endurance et mon souffle. C’est pour cela que j’aime courir ! Mais j’adore aussi courir dehors pour respirer et me rafraîchir l’esprit. Je suis un grand fan des espaces vert et cela me permet de passer du temps au contact de la nature et également de me permettre dans les forêts, que je trouve très inspirantes. »
As an extension of the collaboration with Loïc Nottet, the Start 2 Run app is also launching Running playlists, in collaboration with Sony Music. This way, every Start 2 Runner has an even better way to choose his or her favorite music to listen to during their run. Multiple playlists are available and each playlist is also constantly updated.
Start 2 run across Europe
The Start 2 Run app no longer needs an introduction in Belgium and the Netherlands, and can count on more than 450,000 active users. The corona crisis and the recommendations to move to boost your immunity have made the app “boom” once again. The number of active users in recent months was double compared to the first months of the year, the number of training sessions and registered kilometers has since been 2.5 times higher than at the beginning of this year. Start 2 Run currently welcomes between 500 and 1000 new users every day.
Marijke De Vuyst, brand manager Start 2 Run: “The realization that exercise is good for you, both physically and mentally, has grown enormously in recent months. We notice this looking at the app numbers on the one hand, and on the other hand from the personal messages we receive through our active Start 2 Run community.”
In recent weeks, Start 2 Run has also been launched in Germany and the United Kingdom, each time with a local reputation as a coach. Later, in August, an Italian coach will follow and in the autumn there will also be a Portuguese and Swiss variant.
European Start 2 run day
On Sunday, September 20, 2020, the very first Start 2 Run 5k day will be held in collaboration with Plan International in all countries where the app was launched. All runners (Start 2 Run users, but also others) are invited to run or hike at least 5 kilometers that day, wherever they want. People who connect with the Start 2 Run app and finish the 5 kilometers will receive a unique Start 2 Run medal and will also support Plan International.
The Start 2 Run app was developed by Energy Lab, the company that helps people to exercise more and better, and to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It offers testing and coaching (in test centers, via online platforms or via mobile apps), as well as corporate exercise programs. Energy Lab is part of the Golazo Group.
