Prepare for 4 days in Nijmegen

The Inter­na­tio­nal Four Days Mar­ches in Nij­me­gen, the Net­her­lands, is the world’s lar­gest mar­ching event with over 45,000 par­ti­ci­pants wal­king 30, 40, or 50 kilo­metres a day for four days. The Elfs­borgs­mar­schen is your per­fect pre­pa­ra­tion. Two days of 40 kilo­metres each will test your equip­ment, your pace, and your abi­li­ty under rea­listic con­di­tions. Walk the Elfs­borgs­mar­schen in June – and be rea­dy for the Four Days Mar­ches in July.

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Elfs­borgs­mar­schen

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Half of the Four Days Marches

Elfs­borgs­mar­schen is half of the Four Days Mar­ches. It is the ide­al pre­pa­ra­tion and the ulti­ma­te test befo­re par­ti­ci­pa­ting in the world’s lar­gest mar­ching event. Is your equip­ment fun­c­tio­ning pro­per­ly? Can your body hand­le the strain? It is bet­ter to disco­ver any issues in Gothen­burg than in Nijmegen.

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Day two reveals the truth

The last few miles of the second day sepa­ra­te tho­se who take chan­ces from tho­se who pre­pa­re. When your feet are swol­len, your legs are tired, and only your will­po­wer is kee­ping you from quit­ting, you will know if you are phy­si­cal­ly and men­tal­ly pre­pa­red enough to com­ple­te the Four Days Mar­ches chal­lenge. You learn how hard you can push your­self and what the con­se­quences are. The­se are use­ful les­sons befo­re you go to the Netherlands.

Prepare for the military class

Of the 45,000 par­ti­ci­pants in the Four Days Mar­ches, 5,000–7,500 are mili­ta­ry per­son­nel. Between 250 and 350 sol­di­ers from Swe­den have par­ti­ci­pa­ted eve­ry year sin­ce 1967. Mili­ta­ry par­ti­ci­pants walk 40 km per day with at least 10 kg of gear. The Elfs­borgs­mar­schen offers the same con­di­tions and is per­fect pre­pa­ra­tion for tho­se in the Home Guard, the Armed For­ces, or any of the volun­ta­ry defence orga­ni­sa­tions aiming to par­ti­ci­pa­te in the Four Days Marches.

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International meeting place

Elfs­borgs­mar­schen attracts par­ti­ci­pants from abro­ad, many of whom return year after year. As well as see­ing both well-known and les­ser-known parts of Gothen­burg, they get excel­lent trai­ning for the Four Days Mar­ches. It is also a good oppor­tu­ni­ty for Swe­dish par­ti­ci­pants to make inter­na­tio­nal connections.

Build the team for Nijmegen

Are you going to walk the Four Days Mar­ches toget­her as a team? Elfs­borgs­mar­schen is per­fect for prac­ti­sing teamwork. You will learn to keep pace toget­her and sup­port each other when some­o­ne is strugg­ling. After two days in Gothen­burg, you will know what you can achi­e­ve toget­her and what needs to be improved.

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The road to Nijmegen starts in Gothenburg

You’­ve read the argu­ments: Elfs­borgs­mar­schen is half of the Four Days Mar­ches. It’s the ulti­ma­te test to see if your plan will work. Taking a chan­ce in the Net­her­lands means risking mont­hs of pre­pa­ra­tion and a lot of money. Tes­ting your­self in Gothen­burg means inve­sting in success.

Tho­se who have wal­ked the Inter­na­tio­nal Four Days Mar­ches Nij­me­gen know the truth: day three and four are no long­er about phy­si­cal fit­ness. They are about men­tal endu­ran­ce and flaw­less equipment.

A trial – not theory

You can’t read about how your body reacts after 60 kilo­metres in the same boots. You have to expe­ri­ence it. Elfs­borgs­mar­schen gives you exact­ly that expe­ri­ence. Our 40-kilo­met­re rou­te on asphalt, two days in a row, is spe­ci­fi­cal­ly desig­ned to simu­la­te the con­di­tions in Nijmegen.

  • Do your sho­es work? You won’t know until you’­ve wal­ked 40 km, slept, and then wal­ked anot­her 20 km in them.
  • Does your pack hold up? For tho­se aiming for the mili­ta­ry class, two days with a 10 kg pack is a must. This is whe­re you find out if the straps cha­fe or if the weight is unbalanced.
  • Is your team hol­ding up? Wal­king as a mili­ta­ry or civi­li­an group in Nij­me­gen requires synchro­ni­sa­tion. Here you prac­ti­se kee­ping pace, mana­ging bre­aks, and sup­por­ting each other when the going gets tough.

Fail here. Win there.

Elfs­borgs­mar­schen is your chan­ce to iden­ti­fy pro­blems befo­re they become cata­strop­hic. Having to drop out in Par­til­le is a che­ap les­son. Being for­ced to drop out on the day of “de 7 heu­ve­len” (the seven hills) in Nij­me­gen is a bit­ter disappointment.

This is more than a mar­ching event; it is your most impor­tant pre­pa­ra­tion. For tho­se in the Armed For­ces, the Home Guard, or the volun­ta­ry defence orga­ni­sa­tions, this is also an oppor­tu­ni­ty to com­ple­te a qua­li­fi­ed sol­di­er test as part of your training.

Be rea­dy for the Four Days Mar­ches. Pro­ve to your­self that you are prepared.

Secu­re your pla­ce at the star­ting line in Nij­me­gen – by first finishing Elfsborgsmarschen.

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