Behind The Movement

JASON HENDERSON MEETS BOB VERBEECK, THE CREATOR OF GOLAZO – A BELGIUM-BASED COMPANY AT THE CENTRE OF A FITNESS REVOLUTION

- Bob Verbeeck

AS a runner, Bob Verbeeck ran in the 5000m at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and won the 1985 European indoor 3000m title. Now, as the head of a Belgium-based company called Golazo, he is one of Europe’s major players when it comes to sport and exercise and endurance events.

Golazo – which takes its name from the Spanish celebratory word for a goal in football – organises the Memorial Van Damme meeting in Brussels, the Belgium CrossCup series and a whole host of marathons, city runs and urban trails across the continent, not to mention cycling, obstacle racing and walking events.

Golazo is, effectively, a movement about movement and Verbeeck is the founder and driving force.

“When you’re healthy, the chances of you being happier is much greater,” he says. “To be healthy there are a number of factors – you need to eat healthy, to manage your stress and to have a social habitat. But we also think that by moving for at least 30 minutes every day, a lot of those factors are going to be influenced as well. So we try to focus on trying to get people moving at least 30 minutes a day.”

We meet in a hotel near Piccadilly Circus. Verbeeck is in London on business and has a day packed with meetings until 7pm. So I ask him if he practises what he preaches and if he will work out today.

“Of course, I will probably do 30 minutes between 4:30-6pm,” he smiles. “Or on other days like this I do it very early in the day. I still keep fit every day. For example, yesterday I did a two-hour mountain bike ride covering about 40 miles.”