Vierdaagse marches kicks off in Nijmegen

The first participants in the 100th edition of the Vierdaagse in Nijmegen started their march on the 55 kilometer route at 4:00 a.m. this morning. Over the next four days 50 thousand people will march through the Betuwe and the Gelderland town of Est, passing Huissen, Arnhem and the dike between Oosterhout and Lent, and over the Waal bridge in Nijmegen, to end where they started - the Wedren, ANP reports. The 55 km route was added specifically for this 100th anniversary edition of the marches. Until 8:00 a.m. this morning the other participants will start out on the 30, 40 and 50 km routes. A total of 68 nationalities are taking part in this largest multi-day walking event in the world. King Willem-Alexander will visit the Vierdaagse on the last day, Friday. The weather forecast for Tuesday is sunny wit little wind and temperatures ranging from 13 degrees Celsius in the morning to 25 degrees in the afternoon. Some 700 Red Cross volunteers stand ready to help hikers who get into trouble, whether it be a blister or something more serious.