DNA Running Crew, Berlin

Co-founders: Seb and Cecile

We are standing on a running track in the dark, while the Berlin sky does the maybe-it’s-going-to-tip-it-down glare over a group of runners. 

It’s 7pm on a Tuesday evening in November. Hellos, friendly hugs, new introductions all meet with a weary, “are we actually going for a run? I want to be cozy with a hot drink.” Perhaps it was just me thinking that. Here we are.  

Seb Cadet, Paris born, Berlin based marathon runner and Cecile, co-founded DNA in 2022. DNA stands for Dedication and Attitude. They are strong advocates for an internationally connected running community that promotes diversity.

Every continent is represented in the running crew. 

The ethos of DNA is that everyone is welcome, no matter if you have never ran before or if you are a serial ultra-runner.

Seb and Cecile, Co-founders of DNA.

Photo credit: Marathon de La liberté

A key part of the DNA mentality is to invite crew members to run with other clubs and crews across the city. They are passionate about connecting with and supporting other communities. DNA often holds events in collaboration with other running crews within the city to encourage this. 

One of the most popular annual collaborations is known as “The Last 10”. An annual event where over 300 runners meet to run the last 10 miles (or 10 kilometers) of the Berlin Marathon. In 2025, DNA collaborated with Fresh Patterns Collective, HOKA, Run n Rave, Amazfit, On and others to connect runners. 

What is DNA?

DNA is a running crew based in Berlin. Every Tuesday they meet at Maybachufer Running Track. 

The session begins with a warm up, followed by dynamic stretches around the 400m track. We jogged in circles, shaking out legs, rolling shoulders. The “main menu” as Seb describes it, is the workout session.

Tonight it’s 7 x 1km. Whether it be this or timed intervals, the main menu creates space for runners to move at a pace that they decide. There is an advised pace set by Seb or Katarina, the captain, but everyone is free to decide how they want to move based on how their body feels.

When the main menu is over, the group gathers to share a cool down and stretch. The cool down does not start until everyone has finished their running. Each member is clapped to the finish line, no matter what pace they take. 

This encompasses the ethos of DNA. They promote diversity while welcoming everyone, through the commonality of running, people from different places across the world come together.

3 years ago, Cecile was not a runner, yet through the team atmosphere, she was encouraged to run her first half marathon. It’s hard to find a running crew co-founder that is so proud in sharing that she hates running!

Despite this hate, she is still passionate about bringing people together through the DNA Running Crew. 

As Cecile says, “you can come the way you are, we want to create a safe space for everyone.”  

While they have collaborated with various brands over the years, DNA holds space in remaining independent. Cecile and Seb explain that the reason is to keep community at the core. They also want to maintain agency over how the crew come together.

As running becomes increasingly popular and the brand affiliation market becomes more saturated, remaining independent brings its own challenges. Yet, the co-founders have run events with brands such as: ASICS, PYNRS, lululemon, Stox and others, but for their long-term branding the team want to keep themselves independent.

By being independent, the team remain loyal to their key values of promoting a diverse running space. This independence gives them the flexibility to continue building bridges between other crews and clubs. It also reflects the openness of Berlin’s city culture within the running scene.

There are no membership fees, team mates simply need to turn up (even on a dark November evening) with a pair of shoes and a friendly attitude. 

Dogs are sometimes brought along. Some people join just to watch and say hello to running friends they haven’t seen for a while. Others who are back in the city visiting pop in to catch up with their old crewmates. 

There is a camaraderie and a draw to this crew that means even if you are not a weekly participant, you can always show up. 

Follow DNA here on instagram.

Message the Instagram page to join.