Running clubs in Amsterdam.
Amsterdam has one of the densest running scenes in the Netherlands: large athletics associations, dozens of informal run crews, and a free parkrun every Saturday. Here is the full list. One thing upfront, honestly: Zinq only matches runners in Rotterdam today. This guide exists because it is useful, not because Zinq works here yet — at the bottom is how to tell us Amsterdam should be next.
The big associations
Phanos trains at the Olympic Stadium and, with roughly a thousand members, is one of the city’s larger athletics clubs. It formed in 1999 from a merger of two clubs dating back to 1917 and 1936, and covers youth athletics and track alongside road running for recreational members. See phanos.amsterdam.
AAC (Amsterdamse Atletiek Combinatie) trains at Sportpark Ookmeer in Amsterdam-Nieuw-West, three evenings a week — Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, 19:00 to 20:30. The Thursday group is explicitly for faster runners (under 40 minutes for 10 km); Monday and Wednesday are more general level, and there is a free two-week trial. AAC also runs Running Blind, pairing sighted runners as guides for blind and visually impaired runners. See aacamsterdam.nl/hardlopen.
AV Startbaan sits just over the municipal border in Amstelveen, on the edge of the Amsterdamse Bos, with more than 700 members and volunteers. Alongside regular training it runs a frame-running programme for runners with a physical disability. See avstartbaan.nl.
Rainbow Athletics Amsterdam is an athletics and running club primarily for the LGBTQ+ community, affiliated with the international Frontrunners network, with around 60 to 70 members. Training runs Wednesdays at AV 1923 in Amsterdam-Oost and Fridays at the Olympic Stadium, at every level. See rainbowathletics.amsterdam.
The informal run crews
Running Junkies has run since 2010 and counts more than 600 members. Sessions are Tuesday and Thursday from Van Woustraat, at varying paces from around 5:30 per kilometre, and the evening often ends with a drink or dinner. The group explicitly says you are welcome even if you do not speak Dutch yet. See runningjunkies.nl.
Eastrunners trains from Oosterpark in Amsterdam-Oost, including a Saturday-morning session, and the first session is free. See eastrunners.nl.
Urban Runners Crew runs a free, social session every Wednesday at 19:00 from Vondelgym Oost on Wibautstraat, open to every level. See urbanrunners.nl.
Midnight Runners Amsterdam is the local branch of a global community that combines running with music and short exercise stops along the way, born in Vondelpark. Social and open to every level. See midnightrunners.com/cities/amsterdam.
Loopwijzer has trained across Amsterdam’s parks for over a decade — the Amsterdamse Bos, Westerpark, Vondelpark, Flevopark and Frankendael — and offers free trial sessions. See loopwijzer.nl.
For structured coaching rather than an informal group: Running Holland has run courses for 17 years, with around 25 groups spread across the Vondelpark, the Amsterdamse Bos, Westerpark, Oosterpark, IJburg and the Olympic Stadium. See runningholland.nl.
Free, every Saturday: Amsterdamse Bos parkrun
The lowest barrier in the region, exactly as in Rotterdam, is not a club at all. Every Saturday at 09:00 a free, timed 5 km starts in the Amsterdamse Bos, at Bosbaanweg 5 in Amstelveen — just over the municipal border, but functionally Amsterdam’s running park.
The start is by the Speelweide. The course is flat and you run at your own pace — running, jogging or walking all count. There is no membership; you register once and get a personal barcode usable at any parkrun in the Netherlands.
Register at parkrun.co.nl.
Where Amsterdammers run
Vondelpark is the best-known place to run in the city: a loop of the main paths is roughly 3.3 km, and weaving through the smaller paths gets you closer to 5 km.
The Amsterdamse Bos is bigger and quieter: a loop along the Bosbaan is about 5 km, a half-loop of the woods about 10, and the full outer perimeter comes out around 21.7 km for anyone after a long run.
Rembrandtpark in Amsterdam Nieuw-West is a quieter, sandier alternative to Vondelpark, with more room for an uninterrupted run without constantly weaving around walkers.
Westerpark, Oosterpark and Flevopark all recur as regular training grounds for the groups above; Flevopark also has a marked route with distance markers along the water, useful for intervals.
Diemerpark, at roughly 90 hectares about double the size of Vondelpark, connects via waterside paths to Flevopark and IJburg — a good option for a longer run without doing laps.
What a first session is actually like
Most associations and crews let you join once or more for free before anything is asked of you — AAC offers a two-week trial, Eastrunners simply makes the first session free. Message ahead that you would like to join and give a rough pace, so the group knows where you fit.
Arrive fifteen minutes early for an association, less so for an informal crew: at the bigger clubs you are placed in a pace group, and that goes better with a little time to talk first. At social crews like Running Junkies or Urban Runners Crew the mood is looser and you simply join in.
You are rarely the slowest. Any group of size — especially the associations with multiple levels — has a group at the back, and that group is precisely why most beginners keep coming.
Four questions to ask first
Which evenings, and at what pace? At an association like AAC this is fixed per evening; at a crew like Running Junkies the pace varies by session. Check what fits your week before joining a session.
Is there an entry level or a trial? AAC offers two weeks free, Eastrunners a free first session — it is completely normal to just ask other groups the same.
Where in the city does it train? Amsterdam is large; a group training in Amsterdam-Oost is a different proposition if you live in Nieuw-West. Most groups list their fixed starting point on their own site.
Does it cost anything, and what exactly? Associations typically charge annual membership plus an Atletiekunie contribution; the informal crews are often free or charge only for a structured course, as with Running Holland.
Zinq is not here yet — and this is not a pitch
To be direct: Zinq only matches runners in Rotterdam today. This guide to Amsterdam does not exist to funnel you into the app — it would not find you anyone here, which is exactly why multi-city claims were removed from this site once already.
What you can do: tell us you run in Amsterdam. Which city Zinq opens next is decided by where people ask for it, not by an internal schedule. An email to hello@joinzinq.com with your city is, for now, the only signal that counts.
Want to see how it works in the meantime? The Rotterdam page shows how Zinq matches runners there one-to-one on pace, free days and neighbourhood — the same approach that comes to Amsterdam once the demand is there.
Common questions
Does Zinq work in Amsterdam yet?
Not yet. Zinq only matches runners in Rotterdam today. Email hello@joinzinq.com with your city to tell us Amsterdam should be next — which city opens after Rotterdam is decided by that demand.
What running associations are there in Amsterdam?
The largest are Phanos (Olympic Stadium, roughly a thousand members) and AAC (Sportpark Ookmeer, Amsterdam-Nieuw-West). AV Startbaan sits just over the border in Amstelveen, on the edge of the Amsterdamse Bos. Rainbow Athletics Amsterdam is a club specifically for the LGBTQ+ community.
Is there a free group run in Amsterdam?
Yes. Amsterdamse Bos parkrun runs every Saturday at 09:00 at Bosbaanweg 5 in Amstelveen, free, 5 km, no membership — register once at parkrun.co.nl.
What informal running groups are there in Amsterdam?
Running Junkies (Tuesday and Thursday, explicitly English-friendly), Eastrunners (Oosterpark, first session free), Urban Runners Crew (every Wednesday, free) and Midnight Runners Amsterdam are the best-known social run crews.
Where is the best place to run in Amsterdam?
Vondelpark for a short loop of about 3.3 km, the Amsterdamse Bos for long runs up to just over 21 km, and Rembrandtpark as a quieter alternative without Vondelpark’s crowds.