More than 25 million euros have been raised for KWF at the Alpe d’HuZes. More than 1,300 people from Brabant climbed the Alpe d’Huez mountain in France on Thursday, walking, running or cycling. They raised money for cancer research.
In total, the sports enthusiasts managed to raise 25,020,619 euros for charity. That is much more than the 19 million euros raised last year. The final amount for this edition will be announced in October. The sky-high amount will be raised in the anniversary year of the event.
Jubilee year
Alpe d’HuZes started twenty years ago with 66 participants who raised money for KWF. The event has now grown into one of the largest fundraising sporting events in the Netherlands. The limit of 5,000 participants is quickly reached each year.
The climb of Alpe d’Huez is over 14 kilometers long, with an average gradient of 8 percent. Along the way, participants pass 21 turns before finishing at an altitude of approximately 1,800 meters.
Special stories
There are many special stories of participants who climb the mythical mountain. For example, Saskia Swinkels from Eindhoven climbed the Alpe d’HuZes on Thursday with her daughter Fay in mind. She died of leukemia at the age of 14. Fay would have turned 17 on Thursday. “Extra special,” Saskia called the climb.
Gerard from Geffen and Anja from Chaam thought about their loved ones during the climb, both of whom they lost to cancer. Years ago they both decided to participate in the Alpe d’HuZes and found love again. “Loving your deceased partner does not go away. That remains, and we both have that. It was added and not instead. Perhaps that is the best thing about what happened to us,” Anja said earlier.
Here you can read all the stories about the Alpe d’HuZes.