Around 2,500 participants ran through decorated streets in the center of Meppel today. For the tenth time, the runners put on their shoes under a radiant sun for the Meppel City Run.
Wiebo Walstra wipes the sweat from his forehead. As the organizer of the running event, he is very busy today. Shake hands with sponsors, make sure the sound system works and make sure that there are enough wet sponges and drinking cups at every water station.
“We’ve had super nice weather during every edition for ten years, we always try to arrange that a bit,” says Walstra jokingly. “But we are doing well with the warm weather every year. With extra water stations, more sponges on the way and the youth fire brigade ready to spray people with water.”
With a few thousand participants, the City Run has grown into a major event in Meppel in ten years. According to Walstra, sixty percent of the participants come from the city itself. According to the organization, it is one of the proofs that the City Run really lives among the inhabitants. All terraces are open and residents hang out their windows to watch the race.
The starting gun sounds at 2 p.m. for the 8 miles, a sloppy 12.5 kilometers, and more than 450 riders start from the Grote Oever on the longest distance of the day. They run past windmill De Weert, past theater Ogterop and through the Wilhelminapark. Along the Heerengracht and the Marktstraat, the runners will be festively welcomed in the Ambonstraat.
The entire street is decorated by local residents. Rows of colored flags span the course, balloons and streamers brighten up the neighborhood even more. The local residents sit on folding chairs in front of their houses and loudly encourage all riders.