Eliud Kipchoge's NN Running Team Enters New Era as INEOS Exits

NN Running team

Eliud Kipchoge's NN Running Team Enters New Era as INEOS Exits

Abigael Wafula 13:28 - 18.12.2025

The NN Running Team is entering a new chapter, with NN Group transitioning to a founding partner and INEOS concluding its sponsorship.

Eliud Kipchoge and Faith Kipyegon's team, the NN Running Team, a dominant force in professional distance running, has announced significant changes to its sponsorship structure.

NN Group will transition from its role as title partner to become a founding partner at the end of 2025, while INEOS will conclude its six-year partnership at the end of this year.

Since its formation in 2017 by Global Sports Communication with backing from NN Group and NIKE, the team has reshaped the professional running landscape. A new title partner is set to be announced on January 5, 2026.

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NN Group to Become Founding Partner in 2026

NN Group, a key supporter since the team's inception, will remain involved in a new capacity as a founding partner. The company was instrumental in establishing the world's first professional running team, a venture that has yielded numerous world records, Olympic and World Championship medals, and major marathon victories.

The partnership also produced landmark events like the NN Mission Marathon and the NN Valencia World Record Day, redefining the possibilities in distance running.

"We look back with pride on the achievements of the NN Running Team," said Mariëlle Krouwel, Chief Marketing Officer at NN Group.

"Our partnership with Global Sports Communication has redefined professional running on a global scale. As founding partner, we look forward to supporting the team’s continued success and encouraging participation and well-being within communities worldwide."

Marleen Vink-Rennings, Marketing Director at the NN Running Team, expressed gratitude for NN Group's long-term vision and trust. "We are forever grateful for NN to share our vision and their trust to pioneer with us to make this dream a reality," she stated.

"We look forward to this next chapter for the team and the continuous support of NN Group as our founding partner."

INEOS Concludes Landmark Six-Year Sponsorship

At the end of 2024, INEOS will complete its six-year term as a main sponsor of the NN Running Team. The partnership is most famously associated with Eliud Kipchoge's historic sub-two-hour marathon at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Vienna in 2019.

Following that monumental achievement, INEOS continued to support the entire team, focusing on performance innovation and knowledge sharing with its other sports entities, including the INEOS Grenadiers cycling team and the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team.

"Our partnership with Eliud Kipchoge and the NN Running Team over the past six years has been grounded in performance, supporting extraordinary athletes do extraordinary things," said Jean-Claude Blanc, CEO of INEOS Sport.

"The legacy of this moment and the partnership that followed will remain large as we wish Eliud and the team every success in the future."

Vink-Rennings highlighted the unique nature of the collaboration. "When a partnership starts with the goal to achieve something so audacious that mankind has never been able to achieve it before, you know you are in for something special," she said.

"INEOS has played an important part in our team’s history and allowed us to push our performance to new heights."

The NN Running Team has announced that its long-standing title partnership with NN Group and Nationale-Nederlanden will conclude at the end of 2025. The team expressed immense gratitude for the collaboration, which it described as a historic chapter in long-distance running.

"We are eternally grateful and look back proudly on our achievements, knowing this partnership will forever have a place in the history books as the greatest achievement in long-distance running," the team stated.

A New Chapter Begins

As the team prepares for this transition, it is set to enter a new era with a fresh identity and new primary sponsors. The organization expressed pride in attracting new partners, viewing it as a confirmation of the vision established nine years ago.

The team's new partners are scheduled to be officially announced on January 5, 2026. In the meantime, fans are encouraged to visit the NN Running Team's online memory book to vote for their favorite moments from the partnership's history.