The active lifestyle is constantly evolving, so therefore we at Rezet Store joined John Hansen, the founder and owner of DOXA, for a run to inspire our community with John’s many years of experience within the running culture. DOXA is born from the passion of running. By merging fashion with technical running apparel, DOXA has managed to create products that are not only functional but also timeless. With the introduction of their latest series, RErun, we wanted to catch up with John about the future of DOXA and dive into some of his personal experiences with running.

It’s a performance brand for all runners, originating from running. Its authenticity comes from being created by a runner. DOXA is born out of a passion and love for running.

DOXA has a backstory born from my love of running. I have been running since the age of 10, so I have now accumulated over 34 years of experience in this field. Through this, I have cultivated a certain energy and history that I want to carry forward into the new ventures of DOXA. The current era calls for a slower pace and an appreciation for quality products. We need to return to the core. You can create quality products without them being loud.

Yes! I wanted something that aligned with how I see the running culture changing. I am very close to the culture and have been for many years, so I can instantly get feedback on the direction the culture is going.

It has become much more social. People want to look good and feel connected. In the old days, the only goal was to run. Today, we network and are social. There's an orientation towards community in running today. It's a way to make friends and meet new people, which is great. Being part of a community is a wonderful experience. When I began running, almost all training was done alone and we hardly ever ran together. It wasn't until around 2006 that we started running together, initially just a few old military friends. Community running truly began in 2010 with the formation of NBRO. Before that, you were either running solo on the streets or part of an athletic club.

For those who have run marathons before, the reason to continue running another marathon is the unique experience and feeling. You spend so much time preparing, planning everything from training and diet to family arrangements. First, you need to avoid injuries, then you need to avoid getting sick. The last 14 days leading up to the Valencia Marathon, where I set my personal record at 2 hours and 43 minutes, were extremely stressful. My daughter got sick 14 days before the race, and I did everything to avoid getting sick myself. I even went as far as not kissing my daughter or wife for the entire 14 days until the race. However, a week before the race, I could feel that I was starting to get a little bit sick, which was extremely hard on me since I had put so much effort into preparing for the race. However, I ended up running a PR, but the moment I crossed the finish line, I started coughing and couldn’t stop. Then I began to cry, overwhelmed by the experience and the culmination of achieving the PR I had worked so hard for, against all odds.

In 9th grade, I wrote an assignment about running, which shows how much I loved running at the time. In the assignment, I wrote about Henrik Jørgensen, who unfortunately passed away today. He still holds the Danish record for a marathon, finishing in under 2 hours and 10 minutes (Henrik won the London Marathon in 1988, where he ended up running 2 hours and 9 minutes). When I interviewed him, we talked about the New York Marathon, which initially sparked my interest. Since then, I've seen pictures, and running in New York seems incredible. It's not a fast course, but it's one I'd love to experience.

It’s extremely hard to say exactly, but if I had to guess, it would be over 100 pairs. I have run in everything from spikes on the track to more modern competition shoes. I have an old pair of Nikes, completely black with Gold laces, inspired by Michael Johnson's gold-winning shoes from the 1996 Olympics, they are super sick!