Many running competitions come and go, but the Oliebollencross in Nieuw-Dordrecht is indestructible. New Year’s Eve is the fiftieth edition. Rieks Eikens almost always walked along.
The kitchen table is full of pennants that Eikens received for participating in the Oliebollencross. He cherishes them, because the 72-year-old resident of Barger-Oosterveld has fond memories of the running event on New Year’s Day in Nieuw-Dordrecht. “There could have been more, but those pennants only came in the eighth edition. Moreover, the first few times the competition was only for members of DVC’59.”
In order to offer players something in the middle of winter – and undoubtedly also to supplement the canteen coffers – the football club started the Oliebollencross half a century ago. In all simplicity: about twenty football players took a tour of the football field, went through the construction site and then quickly returned to the canteen. Where the beer was cold and the meatball was simmering.
Through the mud
Eikens has been participating since the third edition, when the event was opened to everyone. With a different route, partly through the Oosterbos. “Much nicer, although in the early years we always had to go through a lot of mud. Man, we were ankle deep in mud. That part was later deleted. Which made the route slightly shorter, 7.2 kilometers.” He was immediately charmed by the event. “It was all so pleasant and friendly. The starting signal was then given by lighting a firecracker. Beautiful.”
In the 1980s, the competition grew into a major running festival, with hundreds of participants. “That’s when running really came into play. Ten years before, you were considered crazy if you were running along the road at night. There was also a guide with all kinds of walks, which people then wanted to cross off. Suddenly participants from Friesland, Groningen and Germany also appeared at the start. Real athletes, in shorts and bare feet in their shoes. For some editions we simply wore our football boots, always wore long trousers and often also had a hat on. The weather is usually not very good on New Year’s Eve.”
While those true athletes invariably walked out after the match, Eikens and associates invariably sprinted straight to the canteen. “Then we all drank a case of beer and had the most fun. Yet we did take the competition seriously. The first ten times I always finished in the top ten.”
Step up
Eikens’ group sometimes looked pitifully at some of the participants. “I pushed it even further at the end and ended up being twentieth,” Eikens imitates an athlete in Hooghaarlemmerdijks. “Man, you should have used all your teeth. Then you would have been first, I joked. There was also a year when the athletics club gave us all an electronic anklet for timekeeping. Oh well, I still rely mainly on those ten volunteers who are ready at the finish line with the stopwatch in their hands.”
‘Have a drink with us’
Once, while walking in, which he did, Eikens passed a party tent where an advance was being made for New Year’s Eve. “Have a drink with us,” they asked. I’m happy to, I said, but first walk. On the last part, with a few hundred meters to go, one of them was standing along the course with a Jägermeister in hand. That drink along the way became a tradition. Let’s refuel a bit, because I’ve run out of gas, I said to fellow runners. They then cried their eyes out when a drink was handed to me.”
He and his wife have been counting to determine exactly how often Eikens participated. They only limit it to 45 times, because due to corona it was not possible to run twice. And Sunday? “I hope so, but I’m a bit injured. I tried it this week, but that didn’t work. But I think I’ll take a look anyway.” His wife: “I’m sure.”