The following essay first appeared on the Freewalkers.org website about ten years ago (April 2014). It is a slightly edited version describing my unique opportunity to walk in the Netherlands with 7,000 others in this well-established annual event – The Kennedy-Mars Sittard – on the 50th anniversary of the famous “50-Mile Hike.”

The Freewalkers.org walking organization was built upon the spirit of that challenge in 1963 presented by President John F. Kennedy. He challenged Americans to walk 50-miles for their physical fitness and to demonstrate the strength of our nation. Little did he realize that others around the world would also take up that unlikely challenge – and continue the legend – even to today. The Kennedy-Mars Sittard recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of this popular community event!

Paul Kiczek

The Journey (April 2014)

Traveling nearly 4,000 miles for a walk may seem like a long way to go for something that can be done anywhere. But the walks we have been doing as FreeWalkers are more than the walk itself. Mostly, they are about personal challenge and the power of community – things that John F. Kennedy stood for. Far away in Sittard, Netherlands we found a community that continues to honor his lasting legacy each year with a challenging event.

We took advantage of a unique opportunity to visit Holland and a participate in a great community challenge called the Kennedy-Mars Sittard, a 50-mile (80K) walk (aka, “march”) that took place on Saturday, April 19, 2014. Thanks to FreeWalker Ray Smith and event director Ad van der Loo we not only got to participate, but would be guests of several generous Dutch families.

If you are familiar with our FreeWalker events, you know our events tend to be similar long distance walks. In the five years we have been offering events, rarely do we draw over 100 participants. In this age of charity walks and marathons, that’s a fairly small number, but even those events started small when they began.

What we knew of the “Kennedymars Sittard” was that it was the oldest and largest 50-mile walk of its kind that originated with the JFK 50-Mile Hike phenomenon and continues to this day. The idea for a 50-mile hike originated with our President, John F. Kennedy, in 1963 as a challenge to his military to demonstrate their fitness. Part of the reason for issuing the challenge was to support his program on physical fitness and also to show that our troops were ready for action during the “Cold War” – two topics that are still seem particularly relevant today. 

Almost immediately, the public took up his military challenge, led by his brother, Attorney General, Robert F. Kennedy who demonstrated it could be done within days of the order. Soon, personal attempts were made throughout the country, and even globally, in such places as the Netherlands, England, and Ireland – even in some of the farther reaches of the old colonial empires. 

There was no plan or preparation behind this, just the spontaneous energy of a challenge, almost a dare, coming from a leader that the world respected. Some were motivated to test their limits and share that experience with others. But, why has this tradition continued for over 50 years after his tragic death? We were on a mission to find out.

The Kennedy-Mars Tradition is Born

In the spring of that year, four teenagers in Sittard decided to launch their own walk based on Kennedy’s words. Without diving deep into the history and motivation of the Dutch for walking, there seems to be tradition to walk, and certainly to bike. Remarkably, that’s still in stark evidence today.

Everywhere you go places and streets are designed for the pedestrian on two feet and the cyclist on two wheels. It is second nature to the entire nation. At least in this one place, cars and pedestrians seem to have found a way to co-exist comfortably together. It is said that the Dutch have an ability to differ in opinion yet settle and arrive at solutions that they can all can live with. It’s a mutual respect for each other.

Ad van der Loo, was one of the four teens that started the walk in 1963 and soon took responsibility for organizing the annual event that takes place each year on the Saturday before Easter. Ad had walked the event several times but put his energy into managing the expanding event for the past 43 years, instead of walking it. This year, he was turning control over to a new generation – but not before walking one more time.

Ad had honored us last year by allowing FreeWalker Ray Smith to say a few inspirational words at their 50th Anniversary.. Ray had been stationed in Germany for many years and had participated in the event before.) Ray took back an invitation for other FreeWalkers to come to Sittard and experience their unique event. This event seemed to set the gold standard for what FreeWalker events could become. 

So, with barely a plan we American FreeWalkers – Ray Smith, Hua Davis and I – decided on our own to head to the Netherlands. One thing that should be said about the country is that although their language is Dutch, nearly everyone speaks English. So, even a short stay there was easy. As far as we knew, we were the only Americans participating in the event this year. It is probably 95% a local/regional event. It was a unique opportunity for us and I think an honor for Ad Van der Loo and the Kennedy-Mars Sittard organization to know that we had ventured this far to participate.

Getting Settled in Sittard

On Thursday, Ray and I arrived together by train in Sittard, having met in Amsterdam that morning. We were met by our hosts, the Hermans (my host family) and de Beurs (Ray’s hosts). We pre-registered for the event and went off to our homes for dinner and a good night’s sleep. Hua’s plan was to fly in on Friday, stay just one night with her host family and take off on a train immediately after completing the 50 mile walk. That was an aggressive plan that most would not try. But if you knew Hua, you would not be surprised nor doubtful that she could do it.

My stay with the Hermans family is worth detailing. I will write more about that great experience in another post. It made the trip at least twice as entertaining and rewarding for me. I know that Ray and Hua felt similarly about their experience and we thank those families for their generosity and time which we all cherished.

Pre-Event Day

We met Hua Friday afternoon at the train station and headed to see the Statssportshall (large indoor sports hall/gym), where preparations were being made for the event with Ad Van der Loo. Having been the director of the event for so many years, Ad invited us to join him and his volunteers in a light lunch. Ad’s dedication to the event earned him the devotion of every worker there.

At the de Beurs place, we were interviewed by a reporter for the regional newspaper, de Limburger. It was a lengthy interview that signaled to me that they were sincerely interested in the motivation of three Americans coming this far for their regional event. Inevitably, the conversation came to the differences between Americans and the Dutch.

I think they see Americans as creative and impatient and often chasing the wrong goals but they admire us for our positive thinking and ability to take action. The Dutch give more weight to creating a fair society and certainly one that encourages physical activity in a natural way. I think the question that remained is could we tell our story about the Kennedy Sittard and change American attitudes? What if we could get President Obama to march 50 miles? Could that rejuvenate an interest in long distance walking in America? Could we build a bridge to the Netherlands? 

Ray, Hua and I borrowed bikes and went out on our own to see the area around Sittard. It was an interesting first-hand experience to see how the roads and traffic signals accommodated bikes and pedestrians. Bike paths and dedicated signals were everywhere. We were back before dinner and each of us went off to our respective host’s home to get an early night’s sleep, as we were due to meet at the start of the event at 4:30 a.m. at the Sportshall.

It’s Time to March

After an early breakfast at my host’s home, Nico drove me to the Sportshall. Before long the hall was packed, bands began to play and announcements were made in Dutch. All we needed to do was follow the crowd. Ray, Hua and I decided to walk together for a while but had no particular strategy. At 5:00 a sea of thousands of people began moving out of the hall and stringing out in the dark along the streets of Sittard. Within an hour we were heading outside of the town into the countryside.

The route for the walk is a loop with 90% in the Netherlands and 10% in Belgium. This year the walk avoided Germany due to security concerns. It is essentially a counterclockwise route heading toward the countryside near Germany and ending through Belgium before returning to Sittard.

As in our FreeWalker events, some groups charge ahead in hopes of finishing at a fast time. This event does have an option for a competitive timed class. Many others, like us, plod along at our normal average of about 3 mph speed. All must walk and running is not allowed.

We were walking somewhere in the middle of the starting 80K group of 2,818 participants. Another 1,758 registered for 40K were scheduled to leave later and 2,871 for a 10K even later in the day. The total was estimated to be about 6,947 participants! 80% crossed the finish line!

We walked in the dark until sunrise as we left Sittard and headed to open farmland areas. At this time of the year, the ground had been freshly tilled or small vegetables were sprouting up. What is striking is the size and view of the fertile areas. Since the Netherlands was largely built on land reclaimed from the sea, nearly the entire area we walked was flat consisting of dark sandy soil. This makes farmlands appear as vast as an ocean, broken only by a canal, a road or a line of trees here and there. This unique landscape generates an abundance of food for the country and much of Europe.

The skies were constantly changing over the day. At this time of the year, the weather can be unpredicatable. It is just as likely to rain as not. For most of the day, the puffy clouds passed over us with patches of sun shining through and temperatures from the 40s(F) to low 60s. Perfect weather for walking anywhere.

And, what a day for a walk it would be. The vast farmlands seemed never-ending. Much as in the U.S., many farmers have sold their smaller farms to larger companies and moved into the towns. It’s a new generation favoring a different lifestyle.

Towns we pass through seem to be small and quiet residential communities. Houses are clean, orderly and of modest simple design. Care is taken to keep plants trim and neat with a tendency to prune older plants like topiary in a way I have never seen before.

While the Dutch are said to be somewhat private, I found that they were very friendly and open. A woman I met was walking with her husband and another couple for their 23rd Kennedymars. She said, “We started by thinking ‘Why not?’. Now, it’s like a disease. We just can’t stop.”

Then, there was the incredible walking waiter. He was dressed in a tuxedo and held a serving ray with a full glass of beer and an Easter egg. Why is he doing this? He started with a dare and a bet. That was 18 years ago. Today, he still enjoys the challenge each year and the obvious attention and conversations he draws.

A van with big speakers followed us and played pop music to liven the walk, which made me feel at home. We also we walked by many traditional um-pah bands. That, gave us the feeling that we were somewhere special.

Breaks on a long walk are spaced here between 7 to 15 miles. Bathrooms along the way were not easy to find. But, everyone seemed to work it out and no one was complaining. Food support consisted mostly of some fruit along with soft raisin rolls and raisin cookies and hard-boiled colored Easter eggs.

There were no power bars, no sports drinks and no bottled water – things we take for granted in the U.S. Arriving at a support stop usually meant finding a faucet and filling your bottles. Each of the major stops were places where you could also buy food and drink if you wanted. Perhaps that’s a good way to get support from the local businesses and friendly neighbors as we passed.

About half-way on our march the landscape changed. Larger rivers of water appear that probably lead out to the sea. We crossed a large bridge which provided a high view of the land and the waterway.

We were well passed the half-way point, getting tired and anxious to keep going when we came upon a lively party. They were cheering us on when a woman grabbed me and we started to twirl around. Wow! Suddenly, I had a burst of energy as we danced to a cheering crowd. Fantastic. And, just what I needed to find that spirit again we were seaching for.

We were in Belgium, although it was not easy to know. We went through some older historic towns and the area became more populated. Cafes suddenly started to appear. I sensed that the mood of the march had changed to a celebration even though we had more than 10 miles to go. Then unexpected treats appeared from the local residents – free Belgium waffles! The best Hua and I had ever had – or at least we thought so at that moment.

At the last rest stop, we met Ad van der Loo again. He was in a great mood after his final massage and ready to make it to the finish. Hua and I stayed together throughout the walk and we decided that it would be great and fortunate to finish with Ad, on this special occasion.  For over 40 years he had to manage the event and could not actually walk it. This would be a triumphant occasion for him and us. Nothing could stop us now.

As we saw the city sign for Sittard we picked up the pace and soon we were at the Sportshall with lines of people cheering us on in a European fashion. Granted, I was tired but I had this flash like I had just finished a stage of the Tour de France!

We followed the crowd into the hall and stayed with Ad as he received special awards and recognition not only for finishing but for all his work in building and maintaining the event for over 50 years.

Hua and I had finished the 80K, 50-mile walk at around 9:20 p.m. Saturday evening. My feet were achy and tender. I thought I developed a blister but just avoided one. Ray had finished about an hour ahead of us and was waiting with my new friend and host, Nico Hermans. We sat for a while talking about the day over that beer I had been dreaming about in Belgium 15 miles and 5 hours ago.

What We Found

The Kennedy Legend lives on in the Netherlands! If you look back on films, recordings, writings, and witnesses to the time its easy to see that one man did make a difference. Although he didn’t invent the idea of a long walk or maybe even anticipate that it would spawn global community events, his words had meaning and continue to change our lives. It’s better to give, better to participate, better to try and better to reach out to others than to accept less than we are capable of. And, Ad van der Loo is still a living example of those principles of JFK.

We had learned that memories of Kennedy and what he stood for are still alive in Sittard. And, so it must be in other places that host similar events. It gives us incentive to continue our FreeWalkers journey to build similar events that offer others the challenge and enjoyment of a community experience that challenges our physical and mental endurance. Our hope is that our new friends in the Netherlands will join us at one of our events in the future. We “Walked the Walk” and we were glad we did.

Learn More >>

1. FreeWalkers Photos of the Event and near Sittard
2. FreeWalkers.org website
3. Kennedy-Mars Sittard website (Home-Dutch)
4. Kennedy-Mars Sittard Photo Album
5. 50-Mile Hike Phenomenon Essay