Frame Running development in the Netherlands

It's already quite common in the Netherlands for children and adults to participate in competitions and training sessions with their running frames. This wasn't the case at all in the beginning!

In 2009, Petra van Schie (pediatric physiotherapist) was teaching Danish pediatric physiotherapists in Copenhagen. There, they showed her a short video of a child on a "Petra-bike," which, coincidentally, was also her first name. Watching this video, she immediately saw how such a frame could offer opportunities for some of the children she saw as a pediatric physiotherapist. Children with CP (Celebral Palsy), in particular, would be able to walk and run more easily, and participate with their peers!

Petra developed a plan to purchase frames to test at pediatric rehabilitation centers and special needs education schools. After launching this project, she set out to encourage athletics clubs to establish Frame Running as an inclusive sport. In September 2015, the first athletics club launched with one participant. A pool of frames, which could be borrowed, allowed clubs to become acquainted with the sport. Ten years later, there are more than 50 athletics clubs that offer Frame Running to more than 500 athletes who practice this sport now.

Current status
The sport is enjoyed by a wider target group now. Besides Frame Running being offered as a track sport, many athletes are also active in road athletics, who find a challenge in the long distances. Participation in events where normal athletes run is becoming increasingly common. The first marathons have already been run!

Frame Running is not only a sport but also a very suitable form of exercise for people with, for example, knee problems, stability issues, rehabilitation support, or obesity. Clinics are given throughout the country at rehabilitation centers, residential groups for people with physical disabilities, special needs education schools, etc.

The Dutch are a true skating nation; whenever possible, we go to natural ice or the ice rink together. How wonderful it would be if we could also offer children and adults with physical disabilities the opportunity to skate? The inspiration came from the Running Frame: replace the wheels with a skate set and you can Frame Skate! After a successful pilot program in Thialf (2022-2023), this development has already been embraced by approximately 20 indoor ice rinks in the Netherlands. The participating ice rinks have their own frames that can be rented or borrowed by to visitors, allowing them to experience frame skating.

The future?
Besides the ongoing development of various frames, we are still discovering more applications, challenges, and target groups that facilitate movement and sports using a Frame.

The integration of Frame Running into track and field events is becoming increasingly common. We can consider a national Frame Running competition now. We already have an annual national Frame Running Competition; how great would it be if we could compete with each other at multiple times and locations? This would make the transition to, for example, a Paralympic level even easier.

Just as non-disabled athletes, not everyone aspires to or wants to achieve top level. Here, it's more about recreational exercise; participation is more important than a record time. We are therefore in constant dialogue with event organizers to facilitate participation with a Frame. A good example is in the north of the Netherlands. We work together with an insurance company and have made it possible for Frame Runners to participate in six different running events. You can participate in a Frame Run group for the shorter distances, or you can choose to start as an individual participant for the longer distances among the other runners.

Frame Running, as a logical component of these events, is therefore high on the agenda.

And finally, the development of Frame Skating should be synchronized with the development of Frame Running! Why should skating be different from running, or vice versa?