Page 50 - RADC 2016

The 100th Four Day
Nijmegen Marches –
The amazing Walk of the World
Sgt Alex Stephenson RADC
The Vierdaagse (four-day march), as it
is locally known in the Netherlands, is
the largest walking event in the world
and dubbed the Walk of the World. This grueling annual march sees over 50,000 participants walk up to 50km over four consecutive days, with military male participants carrying a minimum of 10 kg in their backpack, marching through the idyllic towns and villages of Nijmegen in the Netherlands. Females are not required to carry any weight other than their own food and water.
It was primarily a military event with few civilians participating but it has become more of a civilian event now.
The four day annual marches were started in 1909 as an initiative by the Dutch Army
by way of improving the tness and physical skills of mostly young men after concerns were highlighted about military tness upon the arrival of motorised transport during those days. 306 people took part in the rst edition in 1909 including 10 civilians. This has continued ever since apart from during the World War years.
The rst woman walked the Four Days Marches in 1910, back when the event started from different places around the Netherlands. In 1925 Nijmegen, which is the
country’s oldest former Roman garrison city, became a permanent start and nish home to the Four Days Marches.
The year’s Nijmegen march (19-22
July 2016) saw some 47,000 walkers, including 5,000 military personnel, from diverse nationalities taking part. A musical extravaganza rocked the streets of Nijmegen on Sunday 17 July, kick-starting the world- renowned marches which celebrated its 100th anniversary.
British Forces personnel have been taking part in the marches since the 1950s and
now form one of the largest
military contingents with a mix from all
three Services including cadets, reservists and regular personnel; 2016 saw 762 British Military personnel join the throng. All military participants were accommodated at Heumensoord camp.
I was selected to represent the RADC as part of HQ BFG team of eight men
from different cap badges and this was my rst time. We trained hard every Friday all the way up to the event. The demanding nature of the event is such that you cannot
MILITARY MATTERS
48 RADC BULLETIN 2016