4Days Marches registration opens 14 February

After two cancellations, tens of thousands of walkers will hopefully again be able to try to earn the much-coveted 4Days Marches Cross from 19 to 22 July 2022. Registration for the 104^th 4Days Marches opens at 10.00 hrs CET on Monday 14 February.

Hopeful for 4Days Marches next summer

‘In a period where we still face COVID-19 restrictions, we are hopeful that the 4Days Marches will finally be back on again this summer,’ says march coordinator Henny Sackers. This is why registration for the 104^th 4Days Marches will open at 10.00 hrs on Monday 14 February. It will stay open until 17.00 hrs on Friday 25 March. In order to be able to put on a well-organised event, it is key for registration to start early.

Restriction Protocol changes

As in 2020, the registration limit for the 104^th 4Days Marches has been set at 49,000. If this registration limit is exceeded, a draw will be held. The 2020 4Days Marches was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. All participants who were registered and paid their fees in 2020 are assured of a place in the 4Days Marches in 2022. They do, however, have to reregister during the registration period using their existing registration number and will be required to pay the fee for the 2022 4Days Marches.

Anyone who was not registered and/or who did not pay in 2020 will participate in the draw this year. This also applies to participants who would normally be assured of a place, such as walkers who have successfully completed the 4Days Marches on one or more occasions and the 12 to 15-year-olds. These participants are not assured of a place this year, because the group of participants with a guaranteed starting ticket might otherwise end up being larger than the route can handle and it would become too crowded.

Advantage in the draw

Those who were assured of a place in the past, but who are not in 2022, will be given an advantage in the draw. Walkers who have participated in the 4Days Marches successfully in the past have twice as much chance in the draw compared to the other draw participants. Anyone born in 2007, 2008, 2009, or 2010 will enjoy this same advantage. Walkers who have participated successfully before must register with their existing registration number. All other registrations have one chance of being drawn.

Since 2020, there has been a buffer that the organisation has built in the maximum number of registrations in the draw. There is a limit of 49,000 registrations, but at the actual event the maximum number is 47,000 participants. In order to give as many walkers as possible the chance to take part in the 4Days Marches, the registration limit has been set at 49,000, allowing for cancellations and ‘no-shows’. This way, the number of participants will not exceed the limit of 47,000. The full version of the Restriction Protocol is available on the 4Days Marches website.

Registration fee and permit

The registration fee for participation in the 104^th 4Days Marches is €104. Members of the Dutch walking association KWbN who have a ‘Wandelvoordeelpas’ for 2022 will get €5 off. Should the 4Days Marches be cancelled on account of the COVID-19 pandemic after all, participants will receive a full refund of their registration fee. Whether or not the 4Days Marches will go ahead this year depends on whether Stichting DE 4DAAGSE obtains a permit to organise the 4Days Marches, which, in turn, depends on the COVID-19 restrictions that are in place when a decision is made on the permit application. Needless to say, the organisation is keeping close track of COVID-19 restrictions and how they impact on the 4Days Marches. During the event itself, COVID-19 restrictions in place at the time will be observed.

LOWA main sponsor for five more year

Walking shoes maker LOWA renewed its commitment to the 4Days Marches last year and will be the main sponsor for another five years. This sponsorship deal will allow both top brands to continue to draw on each other’s walking expertise and further develop services during and relating to the 4Days Marches. ‘We are extremely proud and honoured to be the main sponsor of this wonderful event for the coming years and look forward to continuing the sporting and successful collaboration we started back in 2019,’ says Dirk Schaffrath, Director/Owner of TCK Sports Group, the LOWA distributor in the Benelux countries.