Ypres (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): The Four Days of the Yser event in Belgium set a new participation record this year with over 11,400 walkers thanks to increased interest in walking and the challenge of long distances.
It has been said that this year the Four Days of the Yser event in Belgium was very special because a record number of over 11,400 people joined the march to Ypres. This is the highest number of participants ever. Organizer Jef Depraetere was surprised by the large number of people who showed up. At first it looked like fewer people were coming especially on the first day even though many had signed up ahead of time. Compared to last year’s special edition there were fewer people at the start. However in the following days many more people joined in making up for the slow start. The rise in the number of people joining is a big success for the Four Days of the Yser. This event honors World War I and encourages peace and friendship between countries. The march goes through many historical places and is becoming more popular attracting people from all over the world.
What factors led to the record-breaking participation in the four days of the Yser march?
Jef Depraetere the organizer of the Four Days of the Yser believes that this year’s record number of participants is due to more people enjoying walking. He pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic helped increase interest in walking as a fun activity. During the lockdowns many people started walking to stay active and enjoy nature and it looks like they have kept this habit even after the pandemic. Depraetere also mentioned that there were many more young people joining this year’s event. A lot of these younger walkers signed up to take on the challenge of walking long distances. It has been said that their excitement is clear because some even took time off work to make sure they could fully join in the event. The mix of people still being interested in walking from the pandemic and the attraction of a physical challenge has helped a lot with the big increase in participants. This has made it the most successful year for the event so far.
Oswald Mauroo a 77-year-old from Buggenhout has been taking part in the walking march for many years. He mentioned that he used to walk 32 kilometers but now does 16. He enjoys staying in a cottage in Poelkapelle and plans to join again next year. The only downside this year was the sometimes bad weather which stopped the parachutists from jumping but he believes the walkers still had a great time.
