Blubber, blubber and more blubber: for the seventeenth time in a row, Monnickendam residents and local residents submerge themselves in the mud during the annual blubber race. Under the watchful eye of dozens of supporters, at least 182 participants run the 3.2 kilometer race. “It’s always a party. The nice thing about the blubber race is that you can legally get dirty,” says organizer Lydia Brouwer.
It is the seventeenth edition that takes place, but what is different this year from previous years? “The temperature,” says Brouwer with a laugh. “It is now extremely hot, which means that there are fewer participants than usual.” In recent years, at least 400 North Hollanders have taken part in the race. “But now people probably thought it was too hot.” The organization has therefore provided extra supervision during the race and created drinking stations.
Fun and run
The fanaticism among the participants varies, says Brouwer. “It’s a running race, the competition aspect is important to a few of them. For the rest it’s fun and run: fun with the group. They go through those ditches and then they can be sprayed clean by the fire brigade.”
Ten years and older
Participate? You can do that from ten years old. “And we often hear that a parent asks, for example: my twelve-year-old son is going and then my nine-year-old daughter also wants to come along, is that possible? That responsibility lies with the parents. But children have to go through the ditch and the like, so we really keep ten years as the lower limit.”
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