Who are Trail.NL actually? We were founded from Dutch Mud Men. A webshop where we have been selling items for obstacle runners, mud runners and survival runners since 2013. More and more items for trail runners were added and we felt that they deserved their own shop. That has become Trail.NL, with a full-fledged online trail shop and a trail run shop in Amsterdam.
Who are Trail.NL?
Who can you meet in our store?
Dirk
I started in 2013 by selling a few INOV8 X-Talon's to the more fanatic obstacle runners. In the meantime This is a hobby that got out of hand and has grown into a complete trail run store in Amsterdam.
Experience: I have run a lot in recent years. Both short and long distances and both paved and unpaved. On the paved road the highlights were the two runs in South Africa; Two Oceans and Comrades. My most beautiful trail was an ultra trail of 150 kilometers in the Spanish mountains. Furthermore I suffered a lot in the mud during for example the Ultra Viking and the Mud Masters 24 Hours.
Favorite product: You can always wake me up in the middle of the night for a new pair of trail shoes.
In training for: Monte Rosa 90
Naomi
In 2020, I came to live a kilometer away from the entrance of National Park Kennemerduinen. My old street shoes screamed a little louder every day: 'Come on, Nom! Let's go out again!'.
That's how I quickly got a 5km in my legs again, I met my boyfriend more or less while running. He dragged me along to my first trail events and obstacle runs and now our holidays are almost always marked by an event. My first was Trail D'orval in Florenville, Belgium; a beautiful 11km trail, where my love for downhills started. Soon more trips to the Ardennes, Alps and Lofoten followed; mostly between 25 and 30km.
Since 2024 I can also call myself an 'Iron Viking' and hope to complete the Ultra Viking Hofstade and Spartan Ultra in Morzine this year.
Favorite products: Ciele caps, injinji socks, Näak Ultra Energy Drink Watermelon, Clif bloks (all flavors)
Looking forward to this year: the smaller local trail runs that we spontaneously participate in, but also Trailberg Everberg in Belgium. My friend comes from that area and there are always a lot of friends participating, so the atmosphere afterwards is always very nice.
In training for: Iron Viking Wijchen, Ultra Viking Hofstade BE, Spartan Ultra in Morzine FR, Predator Race Neukirchen AT
Farley
In 2021 I went on exchange to Chile for my studies. For the first time you get credits for sports, so what better way to get credits than running in the mountains? I was already in love with hiking, so I signed up for the Cross-Country Mens Selection Team, and since then I have seen myself flying on the road, and on the trail. But the trail has always been close to my heart. Every time I go backpacking, I bring my skateboard to explore the streets and trail shoes to explore the natural areas. Without those two, can you really have seen a place?
Since 2021 I have been reading fanatically about ultras in the mountains and I am in love. The personal experiences during the tour, the different training methods, the differences in adventure and landscape that each race offers, that makes you happy.So tell me about your own experience, next time you visit us!
Experience: After 3 years of daydreaming, I decided in 2024 to make it a reality, become a trail runner. Since then I have done the UTMB Saint-Jacques, UTDS, and GTLC which varies between 44 and 54 km. Enough road races experienced now, but still in the baby steps to lose myself in the forest, mud, mountains, and more.
In training for: Snowdonia (50k) 2025, Monte Rosa (90k) 2025
Arvo
Arvo is an artist and filmmaker from Canada who has been living in Amsterdam for 6 years. Arvo works at the TRAIL store but also as a tutor of Fine Arts at ArtEZ University in Arnhem and works on his own art projects and films.
He enjoys running, trail running, and thru hiking.
In 2023 Arvo did a yo-yo of the GR-20 hike on the island of Corsica (8 days north, 6 days south)
And in 2024 he did a yo-yo of the GR-221 hike on the island of Mallorca (6 days east, 6 days west) and he recently hiked across the Pyrenees Mountains from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea along the HRP (Haute Route Pyrenees) during the month of October in the rain, mud, wind, and snow and completed the hike in 30 days.
Since moving to the Netherlands Arvo has done a one-year artist residency at Artis Zoo in Amsterdam, a two-year artist residency at the Rijksakademie, made art exhibitions in Hoorn, Arnhem, Middelburg, Rotterdam, and Den Bosch and has shown his work at the Berlin Film Festival and museums in Munich, Venice, Geneva, Brussels, Gothenburg, and Paris. Arvo is also a member of the Dutch Orchid Society and enjoys making gardens with native plants and photographing plants in their natural habitats.
