An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir July / August 2023 www.military.ie/magazine 24 | "GO MEAR, MÁIRSEÁIL" 4 DAY MARCH IN NIJMEGEN, THE NETHERLANDS BY LT (AR) FERGAL FITZGERALD PHOTOS BY LT (AR) FERGAL FITZGERALD T he Vier Daagse Marches (4 Day Marches) is an annual walking event held in the Dutch city of Nijmegen during the third week of July and is open to both military and civilian participants. Entrants undertake one of four distance categories dictated by their age: 30km, 40km, 40km (Military), and 50km each day for 4 consecutive days. Dubbed "The walk of the world", the 4 Daagse is the largest multi-day walking event in the world and 2023 saw the 105th edition of the marches with 47,000 entrants from over 70 different countries. The Marches have a proud tradition stretching back 114 years to the first March in 1909 when 300 Dutch soldiers completed a 150km route march via a series of garrisons. Routes and distances changed over the early years and eventually the 4 Daagse became permanently located in the southern city of Nijmegen on the river Waal in 1925. Marches did not occur during both world wars and more recently the 2020 and 2021 editions were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic with the walk returning in 2022. Military participants must carry a minimum weight of 10kg throughout the march which is spot-checked at random points along the route. Military participants can enter either as individuals or as part of a team which must be made up of no less than 11 members. Individuals have significant flexibility on how they approach their march, their rest stops, and their chosen pace. Teams, however, have much less flexibility with strict departure times and must remain as a group at all times, particularly when reaching control points where the whole team must be present or face instant disqualification. Members of the Army, Navy, Air Corps and Reserve have successfully completed previous editions of the Marches and a call for expressions of interest was released across 2 Brigade in September 2022 followed by an online briefing on training requirements and what to expect at the event itself. Training is essential and consisted of one team training weekend each month, combined with individual training – each member of our team clocked up at least 300 kilometres before departing for Nijmegen. The final team of 11 Army Reservists, drawn from 2 Eng Gp, 2 BTC, 7 Inf Bn and 27 Inf Bn, departed for the Netherlands on the 15th of July and reached our military accommodation in Camp Humensoord later that evening. The 2 Brigade Team were joined in Nijmegen with individual walkers from Air Corps, 1 Cn Cois and DFTC bringing the total number of Irish participants up to 17. For the duration of the Marches, military participants are housed in Camp Humensoord, a temporary camp located in woodland approx. 5km south of Nijmegen city centre. Built to house 7,500 military personnel, the camp is built from scratch annually and consists of accommodation, ablutions, dining, medical and recreation marquees along with a temporary fire station, police station, administration cabins with its own bus stop and shuttle bus service to and from the city centre. Sunday morning commenced with a Parade on the camp square marking the official opening of the camp and the raising of 32 national flags with the Irish flag raised by Lt Alan Markey (27 Inf Bn) and Coy Sgt Brian O'Keeffe (7 Inf Bn). Each day individuals are the first to cross the start line and depart between 0400 hrs and 0500 hrs followed by teams who are allocated a different daily departure time from the camp. Tuesday 18th July saw the 2 Brigade Team cross the start line at 0600 hrs for Day 1 and cover a 43km loop north of Nijmegen crossing the river Waal over Waalbrug (Waal Bridge). This is the iconic arch bridge that was famously captured by the US 82nd Airborne Division as part of Operation Market Garden during the Second World War. The route continued through the town of Elst, back over the Waal and finishing back "home" in Camp Humensoord. Logistically, Military Personnel are supported at a series of designated rest stops located at approx. 15km intervals. These stops provide essentials like water refill, energy drinks, snacks, tea / coffee and toilet facilities and are a welcome chance to take boots off and rest tired feet. The rest stops are staffed by various Dutch military units who are deployed on the ground for the duration of the Marches, staying one step ahead of the marching teams as they go. Each night they occupy their designated rest stops along the following day's route and have everything set up by the time the various military teams start to filter through the next morning. Medical support is provided via Rode Kruis (Red Cross) volunteers in large medical tents at different points along the route. Thankfully none of our team required medical Flag raising Dawn on day four

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