Wow!

WOW!
What a challenge the Dodentocht was - but I'm pleased to say I am the other side of it...and it was THE BEST challenge I have ever done, despite all the nerves/apprehension etc about doing it on my own!

We arrived in the town of Bornem, near Antwerp at lunchtime and I literally walked straight into the registration tent set up in the church square to collect my timing chip and map, instructions in case of accident or death (??!!) and then it was a wait until 9pm to start.

The whole town comes out to support this yearly event, the pubs and cafes are heaving with well-wishers, as well as the 10,000 people who have turned up to take part - and this is what suprised me...the website instructions and the booklet stress that it is 'a challenging event'..not 'for the faint-hearted'...and that you need ' a good level of fitness' - well! I could not believe the beer some of the participants were putting away!! The event is sponsored by Duvel and Palm breweries....but I didn't think the competition was to see how much you could take on board!
The course actually took us through the site of the Duvel factory, and the halfway point was at the Palm brewery......the smell of fermentation was nauseating to say the least!!

So yes, it was THE BEST challenge I have ever done, but it was also the toughest. I have done further mileage before, but a 100km over the terrain we did was hard. The first 5km is around the town of Bornem....you follow a procession of 2 coffins down the high street, remembering the deaths of POW from the death camps during the 2nd World War, hence the name 'Death March',and then you head out of town into the countryside, following a march route that said prisoners would have taken to one of the death camps.

The route takes you through fields and woods and along dykes and riverbanks...and being at night it was pitch black dark....very few walkers had torches.  I had a head torch...and it was amazing, when I turned mine on through a particularly dark patch ie the woods, I'd suddenly have 20 other people crammed behind me to see where they were going!! Every so many kilometres you would come across a little village and the locals would be sitting in their gardens (even at 2am!!) waving you on and clapping, shouting at you in Flemish (no idea!!) the village children ran alongside wanting to 'high five' everyone - it was awesome! The village churchbells start ringing as the first participant goes through, and continue until the last one leaves, again as a mark of respect to the dead...utterly amazing.

And then there are the check points where your chip is electronically scanned so they can see exactly where you are at all times, or if you have fallen at the way side!
These check points were incredible! Other races I've done...you get given water, or squash, Mr Kipling cake, dry biscuits and a cup of tea if you're lucky! These were every 5-7 km - Duvel and Palm lager were offered at every one (and boy were they chugging it down!!), tea and coffee, water, coke, at the first point it was sponsored by a sports drink company so you get a bottle of that, with the lid ready taken off for you, and a custard tartlet - in a napkin...a napkin!! The next checkpoints offered hot soup (in bowls!!), salami rolls, I could of had spaghetti bolognese at 50km,  danish pastries, lemon cake, the breakfast stop was hard boiled eggs and tomatoes with salt.....and the last checkpoint at 94km had a party atmosphere going on, a disco had been set up, complete with the beer tent, the food tables, and again the locals were clapping and cheering everyone who passed through!

The last 6km were hard, it was along the riverbank, back into Bornem, on concrete, which isn't very forgiving on your feet, and it was scorching hot..no shade at all...but what made it special was that the route was lined with people clapping and cheering you on - I have no idea what they were saying but they were smiling so surely that's a good sign??!!

And then, the sign that said 500km...Chris was waiting for me so I handed him my rucksack (boy was I glad to get rid of that!!) and then it was a walk up the high street with hundreds of people either side behind bollards clapping and cheering (embarassing, I thought I'd trip up or something!!), and then a  hug from the organisor in the tent to say 'good ya?', and give me my medal (really cool medal!!), a certificate, and a huge wrapped cake...and she asked if I was going to do it next year.........!

Next year...9th August if anyone is interested?!!  It is something I would do again, it's tough, this morning my hip aches, but my feet are absolutely fine, no blisters and toe nails present and correct!
But, it's hard doing it on your own, particularly when you don't speak the local language. All of the signs were in Flemish (French I would have been fine, but Flemish??) and the map was in Flemish.
I found 2 English runners, both blokes, who told me that this was their 4th time...that it was tough but apparently easier than childbirth...I found them curled up on the floor at 75 km and came in before them...and the only other English people were 3 soldiers from the British Army (what is it with soldiers I felt old enough to be their mom?!) They were moaning how tough it was, and were thinking of quitting at the half way point - which an awful lot of the participants did - I blame the beer!!

So, if anyone wants to join me??

On a serious note though (because I can be!) it did make me think of those poor prisoners of war. I was doing this for pleasure (?!) under controlled conditions, with a full belly and a decent pair of asics trail shoes - to be half starved, scared witlesss and at someone elses mercy doesn't bear thinking about - but at least they are remembered here, if only for 24 hours.