Nijmegen Four Days Marches cancels first walking day due to heat and becomes three days | NOW

The first walking day of the Nijmegen Four Days Marches will not take place on Tuesday. Due to the expected extreme heat, the organization does not consider it responsible to send hikers out that day. The Four Days Marches now starts on Wednesday and consists of three days.

According to march leader Henny Sackers, it is “code red” for Nijmegen and the Betuwe, through which the walking legion would pass on the first day. Alternative scenarios, such as starting earlier or shortening the routes, were “not sufficient”, he said. “Conditions are worse than 2006,” he said. During that year’s edition, two runners lost their lives because of the tropical heat.

All weather bureaus expect the temperature to rise to above 35 degrees on Tuesday. Weerplaza currently assumes a maximum temperature of 39 degrees in Nijmegen.

“It seems as if there is a curse on the 104th edition”, said Sackers about the fact that the Four Days Marches cannot take place again under normal circumstances. The event has been canceled for the past two years due to the corona measures in force at the time.

Furthermore, Sackers urged participants not to run on their own on Tuesday. “Seek the coolness and take it easy,” he said.

The rest of the week less warm

Exercise physiologist Maria Hopman of Radboudumc in Nijmegen is associated with the walking event. On Friday she already expressed her concerns about walking in the heat. Meteorologists called it irresponsible to let the first day of the Four Days go ahead. Rijkswaterstaat warned that the temperature of the asphalt could exceed 50 degrees on Tuesday.

It will also remain warm for the rest of the Four Days Marches week, but the temperatures are no longer so extreme. On Wednesday it is expected to be 28 degrees in Nijmegen. Due to the high humidity, it can feel stuffy. Thursday and Friday it will be 25 degrees.

Many water stations are set up along the hiking trail. Red Cross volunteers have also been given instructions about heat phenomena in runners.

Two participants died during sweltering 2006 edition

More than 44,000 people participate in the Four Days Marches. There are three distances: 30, 40 and 50 kilometers. Soldiers walk 40 kilometers every day, while carrying 10 kilos of gear. Russian soldiers are not allowed to participate this year because of the war in Ukraine. The Four Days Marches ends Friday on Sint Annastraat, Via Gladiola, just outside the center.

In 2006, two people died during a sweltering edition of the Four Days Marches. The organization immediately canceled the event after that first walking day. At the time, many runners became unwell on the shadowless dike along the Waal. For a few years now, the route has been reversed on the first day, so that walkers immediately cross the dike in the morning.

In previous warm editions of the Four Days Marches, the route was shortened or the runners were allowed to take longer on their tour.

Emergency ordinance for planned farmer actions

Incidentally, an emergency ordinance also applies in Nijmegen. It has nothing to do with the heat, but everything to do with planned farmers’ campaigns around the Four Days Marches and the Four Days Marches. The measure has been in force since Friday evening and will apply until Saturday afternoon, July 23.

With an emergency ordinance, the authorities in a certain area can take stricter measures than is allowed under ordinary law. For example, they can clear that place, close streets or prohibit gatherings.