One of elite running’s most influential teams has a new name.
The NN Running Team has become dsm-firmenich Running Team, following a new title sponsorship from the Dutch multinational. The change marks the end of NN’s near-decade run as naming partner of the team, which was launched in 2017 and quickly became a central force in global distance running.
NN Group confirmed last month that it would step back from its role as title sponsor at the end of 2025, transitioning instead to a founding partner position from January 1, 2026. At the same time, INEOS concluded its partnership with the team, clearing the way for a new lead sponsor.
That sponsor is DSM-firmenich, a company formed through the 2023 merger of Royal DSM and Swiss-based Firmenich, and one with a growing footprint in elite sport.
DSM-firmenich is not new to sponsorship in elite endurance sport. The company has spent recent seasons as a major backer in professional cycling, most notably as title sponsor of a WorldTour team before stepping away from naming rights in 2025.
Its brand positioning around nutrition, health, and applied science aligns closely with the performance-driven identity the NN Running Team has built, particularly during the Eliud Kipchoge era. The move into elite running also follows a pretty similar logic: global visibility, individual star athletes, and a sport where marginal gains still matter.
For the team, the shift appears more evolutionary than disruptive. The athlete roster, training camps, and centralized support structure that defined the NN Running Team all remain in place under the new name.
While NN is no longer the team’s title sponsor, it is not leaving running.
Nationale-Nederlanden remains the title sponsor of the NN Marathon Rotterdam through at least 2028 and continues its long-running partnership with the NN CPC Loop in The Hague. Those race sponsorships operate separately from the elite team and are expected to continue unchanged.
In practical terms, fans will likely see less of the NN name on elite kits, but plenty of it on start lines and finish banners across major European road races, especially in the Netherlands.
The NN Running Team really helped reshape how elite distance runners are supported by bringing structure and professionalism to a sport that often lacks both.
There is no immediate suggestion the team’s competitive ambitions will change. But the rebrand closes a defining chapter in modern marathon history, and opens another under a sponsor already deeply invested in endurance sport.
