The Nijmegen March (pronounced nigh-may-gun) originated in
1909 with Dutch military efforts to increase the long distance marching and
weight-carrying ability of infantry soldiers, and eventually evolved into a
prestigious international annual competition. Some more facts about the
Nijmegen March: The four day march (in dutch 'Vierdaagse; or '4-daagse') is
held annually and centered around Holland's oldest town, Nijmegen.
They comprise four consecutive days of marathon marching,
each day 30 miles in length.
The town is given over to a huge festival before, during
and after the event, which is the largest in a series of international
marches.
The event is approaching its 100th anniversary; the only
breaks have been for the two world wars.
It attracts over 40,000 entrants and a similar number of
visitors and spectators.
Routes pass through many towns and villages, which are
given over to a street party atmosphere. Thousands of spectators turn up to
watch the 'river' of walkers go by.
Individuals, civilian groups, police/emergency services,
military and cadet teams all participate from all over the world.
Walking sounds deceptively easy - to walk 30 miles, four
times over is far more challenging than you may realize. Much training and
personal determination is required to complete the distance.
The teams marches in uniform, representing services and our
nations.
Teams train, travel, and take part entirely on their own
time and at their own expense.
Copyright 1998-2012Bob Meyers
Comments, questions, gripes, anything at all, feel free to email
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