Nijmegen Vierdaagse
Days Four - the Via Gladiola
It is traditional
that those who make it through three days rarely drop out on the fourth, but this year saw
811 drop-outs. Why, they can only speculate. But the day promised to be lovely and cool. I
had a reserved spot in the VIP grandstand to watch the Final March Past as the finishers
came in throughout the afternoon. I met up with the other International Marching League
delegates from England and Ireland and we had coffee with the founder of the International
Marching League, Wil Docters van Leeuwen.
I walked up the
course for a mile to the area of the Catholic University. This final stretch is along St.
Annastraat, which for the day is called the "Via Gladiola." Flower vendors sell
bouquets and bunches of gladiolus. The onlookers run out to reward any walker who strikes
their fancy with a gladiolus. No walker finishes this final mile without being offered
flowers.
As I watched the faster finishers, I caught a picture
of a medical team waiting to greet their friend Andre who would be passing by. I believe
their sign translates as, "We have a special time coming for Andre Wahl."
Hmmmmm....... Here the crowds were as deep as for any parade, and the estimate of 1
million tourists in this city for the Vierdaagse did not seem an exaggeration.
I also caught a
picture of a young lady walkers being smothered in kisses by her family and draped in
flowers. Music and cheering were everywhere, and I marveled at how fresh the walkers
looked after four days of long distance walking.
I joined the other VIPs in the grandstand. A band played across the street, its music
soon joined by those of military units whose bands joined them at the Huemenswoord before
their final march past.
From 11 am till 6 pm the walkers passed by, sparse at
first but soon a continuous throng. Each one carried flowers handed to them by the crowd.
In the early afternoon, I handed a gladiolus to Don Evoy of Canada’s
Victoria Blossom Walks. Don walked the
Vierdaagse 20 years previously with his military unit, and today finished for the second
time.
Many walkers wore signs proudly proclaiming their
number of achievements. Some wore "First Time" signs, but even more numerous
were signs proclaiming 10, 20, 30, and 40-time finishes. It was great to see families
trailing their loved ones with a sign contratulating "opa" or "oma"
(grandpa or grandma) for the many finishes.
Sponsor teams walked by in matching shirts or caps from Philips, NUON, Rockport and
others. Many of the foreign walkers carried their national flag. There were big cheers for
the teams from Japan and Korea.
After 2 pm the military groups
began to file by. There were fewer this year due to the activation to Kosovo, but still
there were units from around the world. There were also units of police – bobbies
from Britain, canton police from Switzerland, and many from the Netherlands. The parade
never seemed to end, and the unit bands played on into the late afternoon.
There were 32,000 finishers
greeted by 1 million watchers. Such a celebration of the physical abilities of the average
person. The walkers I saw were of every age and body shape. You would not guess many of
them to be ultramarathoners, yet there they were finishing this challenging event. I
cheered them all, and hope some day to join their ranks in the Final March Past.
And for the triumphant
finishers, at last a rest and a medal.
About the Vierdaagse
Registration, Lodging, Travel
First Day - the Day of Elst
Second and Third Days
Net Links:
Vierdaagse Official Site
Gemeente Nijmegen: the
City of Nijmegen site
Europe for Visitors at About.com
International Marching League Events
International Walking Event Net Links
Full Disclosure: Wendy Bumgardner attended the event as an IML delegate, with some expenses paid by the hosting organization.
