DAY OF...
BLUE TUESDAY
‘The walkers’ energy and excitement is palpable, moments before the start 'from blue Tuesday to orange Friday'
In photo: Sabrina (Bien) Koudijs
Sabrina (Bien) Koudijs will be walking her third 4Days Marches. For her, Blue Tuesday is a magical day. ‘Especially moments before the start, that’s when the walkers’ energy and excitement is palpable.’ Bien has been a keen walker for several years now. It has become her salvation. She was severely overweight and had high blood pressure, so something had to change. ‘I started out with a five-minute walk around the block three times a week. This slowly turned into five-kilometre laps. Initially, I was a very reluctant walker, but later I started to enjoy it and even took up running. The fog in my head cleared and combined with a change to my diet, I lost 60kg in two years.’
When a friend told her back in 2022 that she was going to walk the 4Days Marches that year, Bien also got excited to take part. However, since she was already running the Rotterdam marathon that year, the 2023 edition became her first 4Days Marches.
Bien Koudijs
Aged 38, Bien lives in Zeist with her boyfriend Jan. She coaches others to build up their mental and physical strength. https://bienvitality.com/ For Bien herself, walking is very important. ‘To me, walking means freedom, peace in my head and strength in my body.’
Bien will take you on a tour of the highlights of Blue Tuesday: Elst, Lent, Bemmel, the land of water and bridges.
1. The bridge across the river Waal
The majestic bridge across the river Waal is one of the 4Days Marches’ icons. Bien: ‘Seeing the crowd walk ahead of you on the bridge over the river Waal and a throng of walkers following behind you is just a phenomenal sensation! But that’s also when it hits you that you still have 200km to go.’
2. The dike between Lent and Oosterhout
Bien does not live near Nijmegen, but she does go to places near water to train for the 4Days Marches. ‘Water has a soothing effect when you walk alongside it, giving you a sense of calm. On Blue Tuesday, the tranquillity of walking by the water contrasts starkly with the walkers’ energy. And with the music pouring out of the back gardens of people living along the dike from 4.30 in the morning. Those people exude such great pride from the mere fact that we’re walking there, past their back garden! What else walking along the water means for me? It helps me pace myself, because we still have several days to go.’
3. Elst
If there is one town that, according to Bien, sums up Blue Tuesday, it’s Elst. Bien: ‘Elst is quite genteel, and I mean that in a positive way. It feels charming, healthy and gives you the stamina to keep going for a while. In Elst, someone might hand you an apple, while in Cuijk they’re more likely to give you a sausage. And that’s a good thing, because Tuesday is only the beginning of the 4Days Marches.’
Bien loves to experience how the mood and atmosphere builds up from day to day in sync with each of the phases of the 4Days Marches. ‘Perhaps it also has something to do with the cultural differences between the provinces of Gelderland and Brabant. You’ll see that things get more festive, crazier, busier and unhealthier every day.’
‘It’s so important to stay hydrated! The volunteers at the water stations are really fantastic!’
4. Bridges and flyovers
It’s not just the bridges over the water that Bien finds a joy to walk across, she also enjoys the flyovers crossing various roads and the motorway on the route. ‘People honking at us as we cross the motorway, it’s just fantastic! It really makes me feel seen as a walker. I think that’s an important aspect of taking part in the 4Days Marches, the sensation of being seen. After all, you're putting in a massive performance.’
5. Where 50km and 40km meet
Like in previous years, Bien again looks forward to the point where the 40km and 50km routes meet in the direction of Nijmegen. ‘That’s such a magical moment. The 50km walkers who primarily want to keep up a stiff pace, focused as they are on putting in a good time, rejoin the 40km walkers who have more of a party mindset for four days.’ When the 30km walkers also rejoin a few kilometres later, everyone is reunited.
Bien’s tip for the introverted walker
‘Tap into what energises you, such as walking by the water. Try to do that as much as possible. There’s no need to talk, you can also just listen. Listen to the stories, the footsteps, the music, or put on a podcast. The 4Days Marches can be very overwhelming. I, too, just wanted to be alone for a bit sometimes. So when others would stop to eat, I’d keep walking on my own and I loved that.’