New generation of young walkers transforms image of Nijmegen Vierdaagse walking event
The Nijmegen Vierdaagse walking event, which begins Tuesday, is drawing more young adults than ever. The dynamic is challenging the long-held view that the grueling annual walking event is mainly for older participants, NU.nl reports.
The share of participants in their 20s has jumped from 7.5% in 2016 to 20.5% this year. The average age of all walkers has fallen from above 50 to 47. Organizers expect thousands to take part in the event, which runs through Friday, July 24.
Participants choose daily distances of 30, 40, or 50 kilometers, setting out in the early morning hours each day.
Sem Betgen, 21, of Leiden, who is walking the 50-kilometer route for the third time, said the growing youth presence is unmistakable. Betgen, who first completed the march at age 11, has logged 700 to 800 kilometers (about 435 to 497 miles) in training this year. "I think that this year I have walked about 700 to 800 kilometers," he said.
For Betgen, the march offers a chance to disconnect. He walks without earbuds or his phone.
"As soon as I walk, I no longer pay attention to my phone and I don't respond to any notifications. I want to have nothing on my mind. I want to listen to my surroundings," Betgen said.
He also values the social side of the event. "Hereby I have nothing on my mind for a while."
Walking has grown more popular among younger people in the Netherlands overall. According to the Mulier Instituut, the percentage of 16- to 25-year-olds who walk weekly rose from 27% in 2012 to 38% in 2024.
Lucy Sanders, 23, of Nijmegen, is participating for the first time, covering 40 kilometers per day with two friends who also had little prior walking experience.
"But if you live in Nijmegen, that whole week has something magical," Sanders said. "During the Vierdaagsefeesten we often said to each other that we would really do it the following year. Usually that didn't happen, but this time we followed through."
Sanders said she has discovered she enjoys walking more than she expected. She credits social media and word-of-mouth for the youth surge.
"Four days in a row of walking was perhaps once seen as something for people who are retired, but young people now tell each other how fun it is to participate. We infect each other; it is a kind of mouth-to-mouth advertising," she said. "Social media also contributes to that. If you like a video about the Vierdaagse walking event, you quickly end up in a Vierdaagse walking event algorithm. After that you see all kinds of videos with tips and showing all the fun sides of the walking event."
Sixteen-year-old Lynn van Emden of Nijmegen is walking the 40-kilometer distance for the second time this year. She pointed to expanded entertainment as another draw for younger participants.
"The parties have become more extensive in recent years," van Emden said. "There are more and more artists who appeal to young people, such as Roxy Dekker and the Bankzitters."
Van Emden added, "I wanted to experience what it is like to be the one being cheered on, instead of the one cheering from the sidelines. It is very nice that you all have one goal together."
When Sanders picked up her participant wristband on Monday, she noted the crowd still included many older walkers, but the shift toward younger participants was clear.
