The Nijmegen Four Days Marches will not start on Tuesday, but on Wednesday. The organization of the Four Days Marches has decided that now that very high temperatures are expected for the first walking day, Tuesday. The measure was announced in a press conference in Nijmegen on Sunday afternoon. This means that the Four Days Marches will not consist of four, but three days, the organization announced.
According to march leader Henny Sackers, Tuesday will be ‘code red’ for the Rijks van Nijmegen and the Betuwe, through which the Four Days Marches would pass that day. Alternative heat scenarios that the organization has are not sufficient for this, he indicated. The decision was made with the involvement of the event’s medical service, an exercise physiologist, a sports psychologist and the Red Cross.
All weather bureaus predict that the temperature will rise to above 35 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. According to the march leader, it is important how much wind there is on the way and how high the humidity will be, he indicated earlier. Walking makes the walkers, who invariably include thousands of people from Brabant, very heated and the body has to be able to get rid of that heat.
Heat protocol
The Four Days Marches has had a special heat protocol for years. It contains measures such as starting earlier or finishing later, shortening the route, letting soldiers walk without a pack and even crossing out a walking day. This protocol was drawn up after two runners died in 2006 after an equally warm first day of walking. It was then 34 degrees Celsius. Whether the runners succumbed to the heat has never been established. The Four Days Marches was cancelled.
Conditions on Tuesday are even worse, the march leader emphasized. With predicted peaks of 39 degrees, it is likely the highest temperature ever recorded in the history of the hiking event. Due to the extreme heat, the expected pressure on healthcare is too high to be able to organize a safe walking day.
More than 42,000 walkers have registered for the 104th Four Days Marches. It is known that every year several thousand fewer runners actually start the tour. Now that it threatens to get so hot, very many tenderers could drop out.
Mayor Bruls
“The organization had to make a difficult decision. I fully understand their decision not to start on Tuesday. The safety of the participants and volunteers is paramount. Let’s focus on the other three days and then make it a nice walking party” , said Mayor Hubert Bruls van Nijmgeen during the press conference.