The first of the 39,128 people taking part in this year’s four-day Nijmegen walk (Viersdaagse) started out at 4am this morning, news agency ANP reports.

The walkers will follow a 30, 40 or 50 km route through the Betuwe healthland region every day for four days.
‘The start was without problems. The weather forecast is good so we are expected a fantastic first day,’ André Sonneville from the organising committee told ANP.
This is the 92nd time the event has been held. This year 7,500 walkers are carrying a chip so their progress to be followed. And 100 people have swallowed a chip allowing their body temperature to be monitored, ANP said.
The first Nijmegen Vierdaagse took place in 1909 as a way of keeping the army fit following the widespread use of motor vehicles. Many other cities have since copied the tradition.