GUSTAV

Gustav (@gustavjansen) creates legendary playlists for our party runs, so it makes sense he moved from Sweden to Berlin “mainly because of the music scene...I do really enjoy living in city that has such a rich and diverse variety of electronic music. To be able to live in one of the capitals for techno is really something! And of course the city itself, all the green spots, in Berlin you have it all when comes culture and people, it's a melting pot and that definitely attracts me!” Gustav was drawn to MR for some of the same reasons: “It is such a great community with a lot of energy and a great vibe. I have met so many fascinating and nice people during my time with Midnight Runners and I am looking forward to meet new members every week.”

“When in school I played floorball like a lot of young people in Sweden do. I have been doing freediving for a long time and also played in an underwater rugby team. I also played baseball; I used to be a first baseman. In winter back home I used to enjoy skiing downhill and cross country skiing as well as snowboarding.” This is one strong and sporty fellow! Gustav names Vasaloppet, a 90k Swedish cross-country ski race, as one of his greatest athletic achievements: “It was a struggle but I enjoyed skiing all the 90 km till the finish line. It was such a blast standing on the start with 15 000 other excited skiers and knowing what was ahead of me.” Another great memory: the Barcelona Marathon, where MR members and Gustav really got to know each other. “...it was a rollercoaster. A couple days before the race I got sick and the day before my flight I hesitated to go. I decided to go anyways and at the airport in Barcelona I met Gabe and the others from Berlin, they convinced me to run [the Friday night party run] with Barcelona Midnight Runners. So I did and it was amazing fun, and after the run we went to a nightclub for some dancing until quite late. Maybe because of this entire dancing, drinking, running I started to feel better. After finishing the marathon on Sunday I apparently had set a new personal best. Sometimes life surprises you.” What a great reminder.

But beyond PBs and meeting people, the main reason Gustav loves MR: “the short answer is joy! It is such a great community with a lot of energy and a great vibe… My favorite part of the Wednesday runs are when we achieve things together, for example when someone helps me out with my sit up technique or when we as a group support each other to do that extra burpee or keep up the pace all the way to finish line.”

What does the future hold for Gustav? “I will run the 2019 Berlin Marathon, that is really exciting. It is going to be so great to run in my hometown with my friends in one of the biggest marathon races in the world. And as always I want to explore new places while running, that is one of best things with running, it takes to you new places and new people all the time. I am looking forward to new adventures.” We are too, Gustav, thanks for inspiring us every Wednesday!