International Four Days Marches Nijmegen

The classic multi-day march, first held in 1909: four consecutive days of 30, 40 or 50 km a day around Nijmegen and the wooded country along the Waal river, with your daily distance set by age and gender rather than freely chosen. Military entrants march 40 km a day in uniform carrying at least 10 kg. Finish all four days and you receive the Vierdaagsekruis, an official Dutch decoration, and you walk the last stretch into town along the flower-lined Via Gladiola. More than 45,000 people from over 70 nations take part, and numbers have been capped since 2004. Respect the July heat: in 2006 the march was called off after its first day when two participants died. The 2027 march runs July 20 to 23; registration opens later.