It is not the dream first edition of the Wildlands Run. As the starting gun sounds for the first group, the rain comes down hard over the Bucket Zoo. 150 children have kicked off with a route along the elephant valley.
Hundreds of people will run through the zoo tonight, everything is set up this afternoon. The course is fenced off, the banners are hanging and the stage has also been set up. All that happened this afternoon in the rain at the zoo.
The organizer has been looking forward to the event for a long time. “We’ve wanted this for a long time and Wildlands also saw something in a running event through the zoo.” Wildlands is often the setting for a sporting event, but a running track is new. “We saw opportunities here and were immediately enthusiastic,” said Martijn Ademaat, event organizer of Wildlands.
The result of this effort is a trail through the zoo that is run by three groups. “We’ll start with the kids route, which only goes along the elephants.” For the advanced runner, a longer route has been set out, both through the zoo and a piece backstage.
“A total of 1500 people will run past the animals tonight,” says Blaak. The event sold out quickly. “We are of course very happy with that. It indicates that it does not just seem fun to the organization.”
The participants who think they can spot all the animals while running are disappointed. The route does not pass all accommodations. “The welfare of the animals is of course paramount,” says Ademaat. “Not all animals are equally happy when so many people suddenly appear in front of them, such as the penguins, for example.”
Therefore, a short alternative route through the zoo has been devised, where people can also get a glimpse backstage. “Of course we want the most beautiful route, but it is not always possible,” says Blaak. They would have loved to run past the prairie dogs. “But since those animals also walk on the path, that doesn’t seem very useful to us.”
The organization thinks that the route has set a good first run. “We are especially curious.”