On Sunday, the heat wreaked havoc among the participants in the eleventh edition of the Westerwolde Walking Weekend in Ter Apel.
According to spokeswoman Willeke Bergman of the organizing Stichting Wandelen in Westerwolde (SWW), the first aiders had their hands full, including the administration of extra water and salt. “A number of participants also stopped earlier because of the heat.”
700 participants
The Westerwolde Walking Weekend had 700 participants. They could cover 10 kilometers on Saturday evening and 12.5, 25 and 40 kilometers on Sunday. The routes ran through the area around Ter Apel.
Water stations
On Saturday evening the temperature did not cause any problems, on Sunday everything also went well. The organizers had added extra water stations and given the participants the option to leave an hour earlier. The many woods provided some coolness, just like the Spiekerhûs building through which the walkers walked.
But in the course of Sunday, the heat took its toll and first aiders had to take action.