Draw by lot

When will a draw take place?

When the registration limit of 45,000 registrations will be exceeded in the second registration period, the available starting permits will be allocated by means of drawing lots.

Why the draw and not 'first come, first served'?

There has been one year in which registration was executed according to the principle 'first come, first served'. Afterwards, however, survey showed that this method was neither helpful nor useful to walkers and to the organisation. Therefore, it had been decided – for several reasons – to choose the present registration procedure. In this manner loyal walkers will be protected against a draw, and there are sufficient starting permits to be allocated to debutants. There are about 30 % first time walkers per year.

The current system also allows everyone to register with an equal chance. Think of foreign participants or participants that do not have access to the Internet. Furthermore, everyone is now able to request information prior to registration ensuring that all received registrations are also correct registrations. If one would register using a system that emphasised the order in which participants register, the pressure to register as quickly as possible would be enormous, without people even knowing for certain if they really want to register. The number of people that would change their mind after their hurried registration, and would consequently not start, would be much bigger.   

Why 45,000 registrations and only 40,000 participants?

To ensure walking pleasure and the safety of our participants, yet at the same time allow as many people as possible to participate, it was decided a couple of years ago to set the number of participants to about 40,000. To approach this number as accurately as possible, 45,000 people can register. We have learned from experience that about 5,000 participants (have to) decide not to actually start in the Marches on the Tuesday for personal reasons.

Who shall enter the draw?

All individual (civilian) participants that have registered in the second registration period and that have never successfully completed the Four Days Marches according to the rules and regulations on the regulation distance applicable to them and that are now registered for reward 1 will enter the draw. Exceptions to the rule are:
1.     Children born in the year 2000
2.     Participants who failed to obtain a starting permit (due to the draw) for the 94th as well as for the 95th Four Days Marches
The Restriction Protocol – and therefore the draw – does not apply to group participants, military participants, companions and participants in the Via Vierdaagse training programme.

Drawing lots

The draw will take place on Friday 13 April (in week 15) and will be executed under the supervision of a civil law notary. If you draw a place you may participate in the Four Days Marches, and when no starting permit is allocated to you, you may not. 
The result of the draw will be posted on My Four Days Marches. Furthermore, all participants will receive notice via e-mail (when your e-mail address is known to us) or via a letter sent by post.

How can I see at My Four Days Marches whether or not I have drawn a place?

After logging on with your registration number and date of birth or password, a screen with your personal details will appear. If you can see the button 'my registration' on the left side menu of the page, it means that you have drawn a place and you can view your registration by clicking the link. If you did not draw a place (and therefore cannot participate), it is indicated at the bottom of the page. In that case, the button 'My registration' will not be visible. Furthermore, your registration for 2012 has been removed. 

Can I draw together with my friend?

No, the draw is individual. It is not possible to enter the draw with one or several other participants.

Can I cancel my registration after the draw?

When you have drawn a place (and therefore may participate) you will have the opportunity to cancel your registration in writing until fourteen days after the results of the draw. You will not have to pay any registration fees.

After the draw, will there be a waiting list?

Participants that have drawn a place will have fourteen days after the results of the draw are known to annul their registration. The starting permits that are available again will be re-allocated to the participants that did not draw a place. This will be done in the following manner: every participant in the draw will be allocated a number. The numbers of the participants that did not obtain a starting ticket will be placed on a list; lower numbers first, higher numbers last. When a permit is once again available the first person on the list will be contacted via telephone. After the draw, please visit My Four Days Marches for your number for the draw and your position on the waiting list. . If you did not draw a place and you are interested in obtaining a starting permit that has become available again, please ensure you can be reached via telephone on work days. You can use 'My Four Days Marches' to add or alter your telephone number(s), if needed. The starting permits will be re-allocated until Tuesday 15 May.

Actual Number of Registrations

Once the registration closes, our data will be submitted to a check that reveals double registrations and other inconsistencies, as in previous years. This implies that the factual number of registrations deviates from the number published on our website. The number that will be presented to the notary previous to the draw will be the definitive number of registrations and will be published afterwards.

The registration for the 96th Four Days Marches will be done according to the Restriction Protocol.