Ton van Zutphen finished the Walk of the World: 100th
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 100th 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
19th 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).
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….
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!
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
4th day some heavy rains early morning; I simply stopped
twice and joined the crowds again.
Hope to be present again next year 2017.
