There’s a war raging in Europe. 2,5 million refugees have already left their homeland Ukraine. While we “run for fun” there are 84 million people worldwide who are running to survive. Half of them are children.

Our ambassador (and super inspiring runner) Andreas Mathson started his fundraising campaign On The Run in 2020, with the ambition of raising awareness about the global situation as well as raising money for UNHCR. But there’s more to it…

“There’s no political agenda in my commitment, only compassion. I might not agree with everyone in the world, but there's a soul in every human being on planet Earth. If I can help, engage and inspire a few individuals in a positive way, I’m happy. This is my way of contributing. My way of giving back. I run for people on the run”.

Andreas was born in Chile in 1974, one year after Augusto Pinochet seized power in a military coup and turned the country into a dictatorship. At the age of 2 he was adopted and brought to Stockholm, Sweden. His adoptive parents learned that someone had left him at a local hospital and never returned to pick him up. There’s no information about his biological parents.

Although the childhood treated him well, with reliable parents that showered him with love, the feeling of being rootless and not belonging stayed with Andreas until he formed his own family. Somewhere deep within, there was a constant nagging fear of being sent back to Chile and abandoned. An endless concern of being inadequate and not being good enough.

During his youth and while growing older Andreas unconsciously tried to control his emotions in all kinds of ways. Eating disorders and party drinking were quick-fixes that left him in limbo until running saved him. He didn’t pick it up seriously until the age of 37, and the rest is history.

By now, Andreas is a well known runner in the Swedish capital - always carrying a smile, scoring top results if he feels like it. So what defines running for Andreas? Running is freedom. A happy place where any performance counts, no matter how fast or how slow, how high or how low. A disarming feeling that hopefully stays forever.

“It also gives you the flexibility of moving around just as you like, whenever you can. In solitude or together with others”.

Check out Andreas social media profiles below and you get the picture. If he’s not run commuting on his own, he’s leading running groups, does social slow jogging with friends or fast speed sprints with athletes.

One of these specific running initiatives is Inlöparna, organized by the Swedish non-profit organization Hej Främling! (translates Hi Stranger!) that work with immigrants and dream of boundless integration and networking by exercising together. They believe that good physical and mental health leads to a more sustainable life - economically, socially and environmentally.

Running is the solution to many things, according to Andreas. Something happens within. It’s not only a physical challenge. He has noticed during the years how uplifting it is for people. Like a debriefing where he gets to hear life stories in the most humble of ways. Whether it’s tragic tales of war or everyday relationship issues - people tend to open up on the trails. The self image dresses in more harmonical clothes when there's an open road ahead.