Most people will be surprised when they see Jodi Hoogeveen running through the snow these days. Hoogeveen runs in shorts without outerwear. The principle is also called the ‘Naked Run’. “It’s fantastic!” he says.
That love for the cold was not always there. Hoogeveen used to not have much of an issue with it. “It was only later that I came to see it as something pleasant. It is good for your body. When you run, your blood vessels open up. It gives you energy and a huge boost,” he says. “The convenience is in the discomfort.”
The idea started for Hoogeveen a few years ago during a summer holiday. In a glacial lake he saw another traveler take a dip and cross the lake without any problems. “I thought: I want to be able to do this too,” he says. “So I started to delve into it and I keep going a little further.” He also added a hobby of studying psychology to learn more about the effects.
The extremes that Hoogeveen seeks took some time for his family to get used to. “They initially said: is that necessary? But it turned out pretty quickly.” According to Hoogeveen, they are no longer surprised. “They’ve gotten used to something by now. I do more crazy things.”
How different that is for passers-by. “People sometimes look with great surprise when they see me take off my shirt in the parking lot, for example. Sometimes they stare a bit,” he explains. “Sometimes people ask if I have lost my shirt.” But usually Hoogeveen can also count on support. “Then people honk at me, for example, and I am encouraged.”
Jodi is now a real cold fanatic and seeks out temperatures below zero as much as possible. Usually in the form of an ice bath. So today he braves the snow and opts for a lap on the Dwingelderveld, not far from his hometown of Hoogeveen.
He is the first to walk on the fresh snow. It creaks under his feet. A satisfied smile appears. “This does not happen very often in the Netherlands and so you have to make optimal use of it.”