Vierdaagse - Draw by lot

When will a draw take place?

49,000 starting tickets will be available in 2020. If the limit of 49,000 registrations is exceeded during the registration period, the available starting tickets will be assigned by a draw. The draw will then take place on Friday 3 April.

Who is guaranteed participation and will therefore not included in the draw?

Walkers who have successfully completed the Four Days Marches at least once before are guaranteed participation in the 104^th Four Days Marches.
The following four groups are exempt from the draw: 1) anyone who the Central Administration, after checking proof of identity, has been able to determine was born in one of the calendar years 2005-2008, 2) anyone who registered for the Via Vierdaagse programme in 2020, 3) anyone who was eliminated by the draws for both the 102^nd and 103^rd editions of the Four Days Marches and 4) anyone participating as part of a detachment or a group.
Civilian groups and detachments are also excluded from the draw. There are seperate regulations for these participants.

What is a successful participation?

By 'successful participation' we mean a participation at a regulation distance, for which as a result the participant has received a Four Days Marches Cross or a number. Walkers who have successfully participated in the Four Days Marches at least once are assured of participation (when registering as an individual civilian participant). They do not have to participate in the draw. Of course you must not forget to register with the existing registration number.
A previous participation as an accompanying walker or at a diploma distance does not count as an official participation.

Who will be included in the draw?

All civilian participants who never successfully participated in the Four Days Marches before and are registered to take part in the 104^th Four Days Marches with the intention of gaining reward 1, will be included in the draw, with the exception of the following three groups: 1) anyone who the Central Administration, after checking proof of identity, has been able to determine was born in one of the calendar years 2005-2008, 2) anyone who registered for the Via Vierdaagse programme in 2020 and 3) anyone who was eliminated by the draws for both the 102^nd and 103^rd editions of the Four Days Marches.

Does everyone have the same chance of being drawn?

Is a 12-15 year old debutant ensured of participation?

Debutants born in 2005, 2006, 2007 or 2008 will be exempt from the draw, provided that the year of birth can be verified by the Central Administration by means of an ID check.
• In the registration module, participants who fall into this category will have the possibility to upload a digital copy of their identity card (this can also be done afterwards in My Four Days).
• After approval of the ID, an e-mail containing a payment link will be sent.
• Once the payment has been completed, registration is finished and the participant is insured of participation.
• If the registration is not completed by 27 March at 17.00 hrs CET with an online payment, the 12-15 year old debutant will have to participate in a possible draw.

When will I know whether or not I can participate?

Upon registration, those who are guaranteed participation will be immediately forwarded to the online payment environment. When online payment is complete, this will be shown in My Four Days. You then know for sure that your participation is guaranteed.
Those who are not guaranteed participation will not be sent to the payment page upon registration, and will need to wait until the registration period is over. This will be on 27 March 17.00 hrs CET. If there are more than 49,000 registrations, there will be a draw, which is due to take place on Friday 3 April. All those who participated in the draw will receive an e-mail with the outcome on Friday evening. The results will also be available in My Four Days. ‘Drawn a place’ means that you may participate; ‘not drawn a place’ means that you may not participate. Those who have drawn a place will receive information about how to pay the registration fee. When payment is complete, this will be shown on My Four Days.

How can I see whether or not I have been drawn on My Four Days?

Why can I not enter the draw with someone else?

Registrations are personal, which means that the draw is also personal. This is why you cannot enter the draw with one or more other participants. Unfortunately, due to administrative reasons, it is not practical to combine individual registrations. Not only do technical changes need to be made, but one of the parties may also change their mind if the situation changes. We just cannot fulfil everyone's individual wishes. With the current regulations, we try to fulfil the requirements of the majority of participants. When somebody registers, they are informed well in advance of the implications if they are drawn. You have to weigh this up yourself.

If I am drawn, do I then have to participate?

Can I give away my starting ticket?

Why does registration not close when the 49,000 limit has been reached?

The current approach gives everyone the opportunity to register. This includes those who realise late that the registration period has begun, and those who do not have access to the internet. Everyone now also receives the opportunity to request information before registering, and the registrations received are generally correct registrations. If registration were to be on a first come, first served basis, there would be a pressure to register as quickly as possible, while some people still need to request information. We think that more people would register in haste and then decide not to participate after all.

Can I see how many people have registered so far?

Yes. From 4 February onwards, we will regularly update the homepage with the number of registrations we have received. Immediately after registration closes, we check for double registrations and other irregularities. This can mean that the actual number of registrations received differs from the number we have most recently published on the website. The definitive number of registrations will be published after the draw.

If I have not drawn a place, is there still a possibility to participate?

Will there be a re-registration for those who were excluded in the draw?

In contrast to the past two years, there will no longer be any possibility of re-registration from 2020 onwards. Instead of making the number of cancelled starting tickets available again after the draw by means of a re-registration, these cancellations are taken into account in advance by increasing the limit to 49,000 registrations. This way the entire registration period is completed earlier, which means all participants will have more time for the required training and other preparations.