105th edition of Nijmegen Vierdaagse Marches kicks off with over 43,000 participants

March leader Henny Sackers of Stichting De 4Daagse fired the starting shot on Tuesday at 4:00 a.m. for the 105th edition of the Vierdaagse Marches in Nijmegen. The hikers who will cover 50 kilometers for four days in a row started on the shot. Those doing 40 kilometers started an hour later, and the 30-kilometer walkers will leave between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m. On Tuesday, the Dag van Elst is on the program - a trip through the Betuwe that even visits Arnhem.

Sackers hopes for “an ordinary Vierdaagse,” he said. The emeritus professor of sanctions law, himself an experienced hiker in the four-day long marches, has been march leader since 2018. His first year was very hot. In 2020 and 2021, the Vierdaagse got canceled due to the coronavirus. There was a Vierdaagse in 2022, but it was again very hot. So hot that the Vierdaagse board decided to cancel the first walking day because of the heat. Later that week, the Vierdaagse had to deal with farmers’ protests on tractors.

Last year, the Vierdaagse did not fully sell out for the first time ever because many hikers were still expecting coronavirus restrictions to return. This year, the 47,000 available tickets for the event sold out faster than ever. The Vierdaagse Marches’ own weather service predicts four days with “fine walking weather.”

Nearly 43,400 hikers collected their starting cards on Sunday or Monday, the organization reported on Monday. That means that about 3,500 people who had registered decided not to participate in the four-day walking event. A few did want to participate but only arrived at the Werden in Nijmegen on Monday when the starting desks were already closed. According to the organization, experience shows that not everyone will show up on Tuesday, so it expects approximately 42,500 hikers to set off for the Dag van Elst, the Day of Elst.

For the first time, a safety car for the walking legion will go over the course. The people inside the “broom wagon in advance,” as march leader Sackers called it, check whether the course is ready for the walkers. They check, among other things, road closures, medical aid stations, and whether all the checkpoints are in place. Vierdaagse participants are not allowed to overtake the safety car. If they do, they do so at their own risk. At checkpoints, hikers who are too fast will be warned to wait for the broom wagon.

The organizers opted for the safety car because a small group of hikers try to finish first in Nijmegen every year. That resulted in dangerous situations because they walked on unfenced public roads in the dark. Stichting De 4Daagse guarantees the safety of the course behind the safety car. If someone goes ahead and has an accident, for example, the organization is not accountable for it. Anyone who misses a checkpoint due to speedwalking will be disqualified. Fast walking and running have always been prohibited during the Vierdaagse Marches.