Pas op, Nederlanders! Someone has gained popularity on TikTok by capturing videos of people in the Netherlands running to catch Dutch trains — and guess what? You might just be on one of them.
TikTok is humankind’s most addictive digital drug these days.
By now, you’re likely used to watching creative edits of characters from your favourite television series on repeat, or celebrities turning into iconic memes for three minutes straight.
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However, the last thing you’d expect to see on your “for you page” is a video of yourself running to catch an NS train with over a million views on it. Say what? 🤨
What’s this? Dutch TrainTok?
It all started with a TikTok user, @ns.sprinters, and the whimsical idea to film people in some of the 400 NS train stations that the Netherlands boasts.
And it’s safe to say that the Dutch TikTok community is eating @ns.sprinters’ content up.
With 117.3k TikTok followers and videos amassing as many as 3.2 million views, there’s certainly a market for watching people have a bad day at the station.
But what’s all the roddel (gossip) about really? Take a look for yourself!
Sprinting for NS Sprinters
The first victim of this TikTok account takes after the sprint king of the Olympics!
@ns.sprinters Usian bolt van Nederland 🇳🇱 #nssprinters #fy #foryou #viraal #viral #NS ♬ Als Je Bij Me Blijft (feat. Cristian D, Bilal Wahib, Ronnie Flex & Boef) – $hirak
We’ve got a Dutch Usain Bolt on our hands.
@ns.sprinters Rennen naar Ibiza! #nssprinters #fy #foryou #fyp #viraal #NS #fail #trein #rennen #sprinters #sprinter ♬ Ibiza – Chorus – Bilal Wahib
Oma has got some serious running skills. 😄
@ns.sprinters Hij heeft em gehaald, sprinters doorsturen is altijd welkom! #nssprinters #fy #foryou #fyp #viraal #viral #NS #sprinter #trein #rennen #fail ♬ Mooie Dag – Jayh
“Lekker rennen, heh?”
@ns.sprinters Lekker die trap op! #nssprinters #fy #foryou #fyp #viraal #viral #NS ♬ Hupsakee! – Kinderen voor Kinderen
Get a load of this guy sprinting up the stairs in Den Bosch. Tarzan in the flesh!
@ns.sprinters Zieke slalom tijdens het sprinten!!! #nssprinters #fy #foryou #fyp #viraal #viral #NS #slalom ♬ 03:45 – M1KEGICAL
Goeie techniek…“Slalom” (zigzag) style.
@ns.sprinters 2022 in sprinten!! #nssprinters #fy #foryou #fyp #viraal #viral #NS ♬ Not into you CCB remix – Charlie Curtis-Beard
OMG! @ns.sprinters is even in Den Haag Centraal! No city is safe.
@ns.sprinters Snelle Jongen Dunne Jasje💨 #nssprinters #fy #foryou #fyp #viraal #viral #NS ♬ origineel geluid – emma
Run, Forrest! Run! 🎬
@ns.sprinters Lekker sprintje hoor #nssprinters #fy #foryou #fyp #viraal #viral #NS ♬ SOS – Berend & Emile op tiktok <3
She’s a runner, she’s a track star 🎶
A new fear unlocked
People are bonding in the videos’ comment sections over their mutual fear of @ns.sprinters coming to film in their local station.
I guess this TikTok user should receive some brownie points for the effort they put into catching travellers in their most chaotic moments — but how easy is it for them to really find you?
Well, let’s ease your fears and do a quick rundown, shall we?
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The Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) runs about 5,000 scheduled domestic trains to hundreds of central stations in the country, and serves more than 1 million passengers every day.
This means that there’s a higher likelihood of your bike getting stolen five nights in a row than there is of you getting caught on this terrific yet terrifying TikTok account.
The lesson? Keep your eyes peeled
The next time you find yourself running in a train, tram, or bus station in the Netherlands, just keep an eye out for the Dutch boogeyman that is now known as @ns.sprinters.
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself… and also whoever’s behind this TikTok account. Now we have that too. 😒
Could you have gone your whole life without knowing this? Yes, but now you do. Let us know what you think about it in the comments below! 👇