Ton van Zutphen: 100th edition Walk of the World / 4 Daagse van Nijmegen in the Netherlands

Ton van Zutphen finished the Walk of the World: 100^th edition of the ‘Nijmeegse 4 Daagse’

19-22 July 2016 / Received medal (pin) 8th year finisher.

Well oh well…what a city Nijmegen has become because of this 4Daagse event! A city with a more than 2000 year history, makes daily front page news in the Netherlands during the third week in July when this walking spectacle takes place. This year the number of 172.000 inhabitants grew to a daily estimated 375.000 people, including the 50.000 registered walkers. In the course of the week, which features hundreds of small festivities all over town, perhaps even one and a half million people were out and about. Some 50 nationalities were counted as well. A special WhatsApp application informed people to avoid certain ‘too crowded’ locations.  This special 100^th  edition sported for the ‘die-hards’ one-off distances of 55 kms each day (with 5.000 registered walkers!) and a pre-selected 100 semi-professionals who walked each day 100 kms. A Danish military unit marched all the way from Copenhagen to Nijmegen and then fully participated with packs of 10 kgs. Walking can be a serious pastime. You bet!

But before I started on Tuesday 19^th July a few things happened. As usual I prepare with a 3 days’ training  in the rural area around my sister Ellie’s cozy home in ‘Lith sur Meuse’. Walking alongside the rivers Maas and Waal is when the weather is good a perfect preparation. Nevertheless my work in Turkey is not conducive to training; somehow I cannot create the discipline, hence my condition as I get older …suffers.

Those who believe that the art of endurance walking is not to lead to any discomfort or even injuries are simply wrong. Here are a few…some of them known and walkers can live/walk with them: muscle pain, sprained ankles, blisters, ‘blacktop prickly heat’ (high temperatures heat up the asphalt roads and the dust gets all over one’s calves / an unpleasant but bearable prickly reddish result is called in Dutch ‘asfaltbrand’, which vanishes in a few days). All bearable. Other injuries are absolutely to avoid such: sheer exhaustion, heatstroke, dehydration, dizziness, and in my case during my training Shin Splint…runners and walkers get it when the training is too sudden too harsh. I combined my walking training with some racewalking which has a strong effect on the shins. And after 2 days I saw suddenly in Dedem/Batenburg before crossing the Maas with the tiny ferry we call ‘fietspontje’…a reddish part appearing just above my right foot. I was on my way to say hello to my nephew Henk in Bergharen…and as God had known all this: Henk is a retired and very experienced sports physical therapist. And he confirmed immediately what I feared…and suggested I may have to call off the 4Daagse and potentially also the planned hike around the Mont Blanc with my lady Biya a week later….WOW; I felt like being hit with a wet towel. I had planned all of this for months in terms of timing…and a shin splint could all change this planning.  Anyway, after checking with my friend Cor who is also a very experienced retired physician it was clear: ‘Ton, do not take e gamble on this’.

So I retreated and looked for plan B….change the daily 40kms into a 30 kms distance and walk slowly, take rests and put the legs up as much as possible. This proved to be an excellent adjustment as already during the warm day 1 the ambulances had to pick up and treat two dozen exhausted walkers. A different 4Daagse for me as normally I do some racewalking. This time it had to be changed and it worked out! Arriving in Nijmegen on Sunday early morning I went to the special mass for the walkers in the Saint Peter Canisius Church for an international pontifical catholic mass, celebrated by the Bishop of Utrecht, Mgr. Hoogenboom. ‘Eripe mede inimicis meis, Deus meus, et ab insurgentibus in me libera me. God please take away this enemy, and liberate me from this evil shin splint (a very liberal translation J). I felt increasingly better and also the next day when visiting my Brom-friend Jan Konings in Molenhoek…I thought I could do this 30 kms a day without too much risk.

So I walked with the ‘grey wolves’: to be eligible to walk only 30kms a day one has to be 60 years and not younger than that. No need to start too early in the morning: as of 6.15am I took off…and day 1 was nice / weather good/sunny and the reddish area on my leg became smaller…but was still there. Day 2 same same…and day 3, I felt the urge to start walking fast…a beautiful road between Mook and Groesbeek presenting rolling hilly terrain and walking in the shadows with fresh air amidst large trees.  I simply walked on fast and did not stop until Nijmegen where I arrived as the first of the 30 kms walkers….This felt good but had it endangered the status of my shin splint?  A good rest and sleep confirmed it had not.  And de facto, the splint simply vanished a few days later fully…in time for the 9 days mountain hike of the TMB (Trans Mont Blanc).

                                                       1st Day 7 kms before the finish / 11.am / past town of Elst

So…….this Walk of the World has now become part of my annual life! What does that really mean in terms of planning…. Every year as long as I can I will plan about 10/12days for this event: training and participating; and as a norm walk the 40kms a day distance. Once retired it is easier to build up my conditions and stamina. I should have then simply more time. It is not just the walk; staying with my sister Ellie for a few days in that very ‘Holland-looking’ area of the big Dutch rivers is wonderful. Staying with Antonet in an apartment overlooking the beauty of Nijmegen and receiving her hospitality is another big bonus. Visiting my nephew Henk and his wife Marijke with my sister and enjoy taking a rest in their lovely garden and catch up, is yet another pleasure to look forward to. Meeting all the ‘Brommers’ from my university days presents also another great treat. A bit hilarious but day 3 of the Walk is up and down with a few hills…and we always have beers around 4pm outside of a  bar just before the finish and see and welcome the ‘ones that know that they are walking but do not really realise it’. Some sore sights but it is all part of this endurance walk.

                                                                           

                                       3rd Day 14 kms before finish before entering Groesbeek

And then immediately after the Walk….shower, say thanks to my host Antonet, catch the train and ride to Eindhoven/Valkenswaard to see my best friends Cor and family, Gerard, Odi …and have BEERS….

Thanks to all including Ellie, Henk, Marijke, Antonet, Frie, Gerard, Annet, Wilma, Frits, Jan, and all the old friends of Kees whom I am  privileged to meet every year on the Sunday afternoon for a an adult beverage pick-nick in the Kronenburger park.

Most heard song of the Walk of the World this year the same as last year: ‘Country Road Take me Home’ by John Denver (the singer I met in Ouagadougou in 1985); he crashed with his plane a few years later…a legend!

                                                                   

                Left to Right: Gerard, Frits, Ton, Frie, Wilma, Jan, and Antonet / 'the Brommers' 

Stats:

I walked on Brooks shoes as usual; size 13 US

Good breakfast with special mashed oxen meat in the form of a sausage (’osseworst’ a Dutch old fashioned specialty)

Food intake just fresh fruits and water / plus an energy bar a day

About 40.000 steps every day / no stops

Very light gear and clothing

4^th day some heavy rains early morning; I simply stopped twice and joined the crowds again.

Hope to be present again next year 2017.

Ton van Zutphen on a discovery trip to Korea in Dec.15/Jan.16

Ton van Zutphen on a discovery trip to Korea in Dec.15/Jan.16

After Spain, Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan, Turkey and Greece….this was the sixth trip with my girlfriend Biya….now to her country.  Korea remains exotic, inspiring, surprising, and absolutely beautiful with its people and scenery. We went to Jeju island and all around Seoul, the capital city, a huge area where 10 million people live. It is dotted with mountains/hills to walk in. As it was the Christmas season there were lights everywhere and the Cathedral and the older churches (all built by French missionaries late 19^th century and of the same look as the Cathedral in Bangui! / see my blog on CAR) were full of believers and visitors. The small stream with its sidewalks, passing through Seoul’s city center was delicately decorated and a busy place to be. Crisp air and cleanliness all over. Joy to the world…..

Korea…South Korea obviously, entered into my brains and stomach for the first time in 1994 when I had a taste of delicious, exotic Korean food in the famous restaurant ‘Arirang’ in Dhaka, Bangladesh ( I still recall with gusto the spicy green mustard and raw fish). And ‘kimchi’, the traditional national side-dish, is always on the table in every Korean family. This fermented  cabbage dish with radish, garlic, red pepper and shrimp juice was stored traditionally underground in jars to remain unfrozen during winter. It helped generations of Koreans to stay supplied with vitamin C and carotene. In my country we have the famous ‘Zuurkool=Sauerkraut’ made of white cabbage, and also pickled with vinegar and black pepper.  It used to be THE famous Dutch winter dish, accompanied by mashed potatoes and a large sausage smothered in fat gravy. Hmm…delicious the way my mother made it in the fifties. She even called me ‘Toontje Zuurkool’ when I finished my second or third helping J. Kimchi is the soul food of Korea…there is even a kimchi field museum that shows and documents 187 historic and current varieties…using cucumber, radish, ginger, scallion, garlic and so on. Per capita the Koreans eat 18kgs a year of this delicacy. And during the Vietnam war in which Korean soldiers participated in the thousands, the then President Park Chung-hee told his US colleague Lyndon B. Johnson that kimchi was vitally important for the morale of his Korean troops…so put it on the menu buddy!   In those days (around 1970), the American military just started to introduce their now infamous MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat)…and this must have been quite a shock for the Koreans!  Now read-up folks: Biya’s older sister in Seoul actually has a refrigerator, a large one that makes excellent kimchi. The various stages of fermentation of mainly cabbage and radish are regulated electronically and the fridge produces kimchi of different texture and tastes depending on type of vegetables used and fermentation time. So the family always has it fresh from its own production-line. Incredible but true. We in the Netherlands when a pic. is taken say…’cheese’…in Korea obviously one says ‘kimchi’!  Finally I prefer the kimchi that is still fresh and has been fermented only a few days/weeks. I guess my taste for the more ‘matured’ kimchi which is spicier and ‘hot’ has to be developed…and I trust that will come.

Interestingly the Dutch have created history in Korea. An accountant of the Dutch Mercantile Fleet (the infamous East India/VOC) Mr. Hendrick Hamel, based in Batavia (now Jakarta, Indonesia) was on a mission to Japan when his ship ‘De Sperwer’ crash landed in a storm on Jeju island in 1653. From the 64 shipmates only 34 survived and all were taken prisoner by the King. Coincidentally another Dutchman, also shipwrecked had been kept as a prisoner already for 26 years in Korea…name of Jan Jansz. Weltevree. The latter interpreted and it was clear there was no way back. According to the King it was the tradition in Korea not to allow foreigners depart that had arrived without permission. How different these days from those fleeing Syria!  This Dutch ‘colony’ of ragtag sailors had to live through many years of ups and down (work in the army, chop wood, beg, play the piper….) and finally Hendrick and 7 fellow Dutchmen fled the island in a small vessel after 13 years, and were able to reach Japan.  Hendrick wrote a book about his life in Korea which remained for over 200 years!!.. the very first,  detailed reference to Korea in Western Europe. Now, Koreans take pride that Hendrick has made their country known to the wider world. In Korea the word ‘Hamel’ stands for courage, perseverance and enterprise…words that also reflect the character of the Koreans themselves. The site where Hamel shipwrecked on Jeju island is a memorable one. An exact beautifully painted copy of the ship has been built sporting a museum on-board with the original ship’s journal. Next to the ship and close to Hamel’s statue is that of the second Dutchman that became an icon in Korea: Guus Hiddink, football trainer of the famous Korean-Eleven that made it to the semi-finals in the World Cup in 2002…and then lost against Germany.  And of course Guus is also ex-trainer of PSV Eindhoven, my football club in the Netherlands, of which my uncle Martien van Zutphen has been the President for many years in the seventies. I just joined the ‘Friends of Hamel Foundation’ in Hendrick’s  birth town of Gorinchem in the Netherlands where his family house has been restored with funding from the Korean government as well, and was inaugurated by the Korean Ambassador in June 2015.  Thus, as a Dutchman in Korea, one is in good standing!!

Overlooking the bay with 'De Sperwer' 

Guus and Ton

Then my special friend Biya and I share the passion of walking…long walks, mountain walks, walking along coastlines, up the mountains…..through the forests, fields and meet the flowers in all their colors and fragrances, see the sun coming up and setting down over the valleys and waters. That is Jeju island for you! With a Mediterranean climate this island is walkable along the famous Olle Trail. Initiated by Biya’s best friend, ex-journalist Suh Myung-suk the Olle Trail connects hundreds of villages through lingering paths, offering the beauty of this island with splendid vistas of the seashores at every corner. 21 Trails with an average length of 12 kms. take you to the prettiest parts of the island.  We managed to do 6 of them and while on Jeju island I experienced many for me ‘exotic things’…like the day I learned how to suck crabs; always different sorts of seaweed for breakfast/lunch/dinner (although Biya reduced my food intake to two and a half meals per day L); everywhere the genuine smiles of the Koreans, windiness as in the Netherlands back home, cooked mackerel and many fish I never ate before,  shell fish I never knew existed, I saw women coming out of the sea after harvesting seaweed, drinking the light Korean liquor that goes with the meals, passing through tea plantations and praying together while visiting a replica of the Via Dolorosa at the  large Catholic retreat center on the island; then walking and smelling the markets and seeing all this really exotic food! I never had soooo many tangerines in my life than during those 5 days on this island. Wow…what a place! Myung-suk soon became my friend as well and as a walker herself, she had actually finished the Walk of the World a couple of years ago (www.4daagse.nl). So she is in my good books of course. The three of us, Biya, Myung-suk and me plan to walk the ‘4daagse’ in 2017 together!  Yes, while writing this now and memorizing bits of those days of beauty, passion and living life to the fullest, Jeju island is good for the body and mind.  Definitely to recommend.

Myung-suk, Anton, Biya

Finally a note on the famous pair of trousers I bought…

Firstly…’Youngone’ is a Korean company I saw producing quality sports clothing already in Chittagong, Bangladesh in 1994….the CEO, accompanied by the COO and both good friends of Biya, invited us for lunch in perfectly arranged surroundings. Later, I had the opportunity to stock up on some high quality and professional sports and mountaineering apparel. Use it all the time now in Turkey (Ankara was minus 7 degrees C during the day all of last week in January). There is sort of a fusion dynamics going on in the clothing industry…and the Korean customer leads I believe: many people wear very good looking sports/leisure clothes during the day, except for going to the office of course. In particular water resistant trousers, with stretch belts and made out of wool and Gore-tex elements, with reinforced paddings around the knees…I found a pretty good looking pair of Mouflon, Xtreme Trail trousers, flashy green colored zips with inside Burberry look finishing’s….for 9 USD (10.000 Korean won) …in a local market. In fact Biya as usual did the bargaining.  It cost me less than one buck to adjust the width in Turkey and …now wear them all the time. And my lady will buy me another pair…blue-ish one…..she promised.

KOREA is simply 2 thumbs up:  Um Ghi-Chuk !!!.       And this demanding boy is soon to return.