Tens of thousands of walkers appeared this morning at the start of the 23rd edition of the Dam to Dam walking tour. Unlike the regular run that starts tomorrow on the Prins Hendrikkade, this tour does start on Dam Square. 90-year-old Corry was also present. Today she won her ninth medal: “I walk every day.”
20, 27 and 42 kilometers. These are the distances that the participants could walk from Dam Square today. An alternative route of 10 kilometers started in Zaandam. Corry Andriessen and her regular walking buddy Ben Scheeper previously walked the 42 kilometers, but today they opted for the 20. “42 was quite a distance,” she says.
While Corry is probably the oldest participant at the event, we also speak to a very young participant. When asked whether she was also going for the twenty kilometers, the 8-year-old says: “Sure, we’ll go for it.”
Positive thinking and a rosette
Corry and Ben met at a walking club in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel. Corry joined the club 25 years ago when her husband passed away. “My husband died and I thought what now. I could go buy geraniums and sit behind them, but I didn’t feel like that. Then I went for a walk.”
The 90-year-old walks every day, including twice a week with Ben. She also goes to the gym twice a week. But her real medicine for staying fit? “Thinking very positively, and I like a rosé. Not yesterday, but otherwise I drink two rosés a day. You have to lubricate the muscles a bit,” she says.
Participants could also make a donation when registering. This year, that amount will go to Pink Ribbon, the charity that is committed to breast cancer patients and breast cancer research.