Story of Teunis
‘The 4Days Marches had been on my bucket list for years’
From 16 to 19 July 2024, a large number of walkers will be making their way through Nijmegen and the surrounding area with the aim of earning the much-coveted 4Days Marches Cross. Registration for the 106th edition of the 4Days Marches will be opening at 10.00 hrs CET on Monday 12 February.
Just like in 2023, the registration process will take place during two periods. Period 1 starts at 10.00 hrs CET on Monday 12 February and is open to participants who have previously participated successfully in the event and to young people born in the years 2006-2012. This first period will end at 17.00 hrs CET on Friday 1 March.
Period 2 is intended for all those who are interested in registering for the 4Days Marches in 2024. Registration for this starts at 10.00 hrs on Monday 4 March and will continue until the maximum number of entries of 47,000 has been reached, with the final deadline set on 14 June 2024. This means that there will be no draw this year either.
The full version of the Registration Regulations is available on the 4Days Marches this website. Separate registration regulations apply to military participants.
This year, Stichting DE 4DAAGSE is introducing the option of transferring starting tickets for the first time. This option will become available once the maximum of 47,000 participants has been reached. Should a participant inadvertently be unable to participate, they will have the opportunity to transfer their ticket until 17.00 hrs on 31 May 2024, but only through the 4Days Marches platform (administration fees not included). Because of this, the option to cancel up to two weeks after purchase will be withdrawn.
Chairman Henny Sackers explains things: “Transferring starting tickets was a long-cherished wish of both our organisation and our army of walkers. Until now it wasn’t possible to facilitate transfers, but a new system has allowed us to meet even more of the walkers’ needs. This gives us a great opportunity to allow as many interested people as possible to participate in the 4Days Marches.”
As of 2024, Stichting DE 4DAAGSE will be teaming up with Atleta, an experienced partner in the field of ticket sales for sports events. This will result in a new registration module that will look familiar to participants in events like the Amsterdam Marathon, the Zevenheuvelenloop run or the Dam tot Dam walk. The 4Days Marches is everything that makes a sports event so beautiful. Bert Cocu, CEO of Atleta BV: “Suffering, happiness, participants pushing themselves to the limit, the atmosphere and parties along the route. The immense satisfaction when reaching the finish. We’re delighted and proud that we can contribute to this special event.”
Another change to the registration process is that people will be given the opportunity to purchase two tickets at once during period 1, provided that the second person is also entitled to register during this period.
After completing the registration and payment, the participant will immediately receive a ticket. This ticket will not yet state a specific starting group. Starting groups will be assigned on 3 June 2024 once there is enough clarity on the number of participants for each distance. Hans Teunissen, Head of Mobility: “For safety reasons and to improve walking comfort, we’ll be spreading the walkers out over the route as much as possible. Among other things, we can do this by managing the number of people starting together.” The starting times will be about the same as those of previous years. Changing your assigned starting group will not be possible this year, but the option to start at a second starting time will of course always be available.
The registration fee for participation in the 106th 4Days Marches is €115. Members of the Dutch walking association KWBN who have a ‘Wandelvoordeelpas’ for 2024 will get €5 off.
Sackers: “We’ve increased the registration fee for 2024 by €6, which is a limited increase of about 5% compared to 2023. Despite the considerable increase in costs for the organisation and stricter regulations, we continue to do everything we can to keep the price of our event as low as possible, allowing us to offer our participants a valuable walking event, both in 2024 and the years to come.”
Note: low-income residents of the City of Nijmegen can make use of the ‘Meedoenregeling’ (Participation Scheme). There are several councils with this kind of scheme. Ask your local council if they have one.