Posted
on January 24, 2014
The
challenge: can you skate over all the frozen canals that connect all
11 towns in the province—in just one day?
In
the 1700s, young men who lived in Friesland, a province of what was
then the Dutch Republic, began trying to accomplish this feat.
These
days, thousands of men and women take part in the “Eleven Cities
Race,” skating about 200 km (120 miles)!
This
race is not held every year. It is only held when the natural ice
along the entire course is at least 15 cm (6 inches) thick, and some
years that doesn't happen. (There have been gaps between races of 5,
10, even 20 or more years.) However, when the ice is
suitable—BAM!—the race is announced and is held within the next
48 hours!
Actually,
the race is accompanied by “the tour.” The first is a
speed-skating race, and about 300 contestants participate. The tour
is people skating the course at a more leisurely pace, not competing,
and around 16,000 skaters participate in this way.
Here
are the years that the Elfstedentocht has been held since I've been alive:
1956
1963
1985
1986
1997
There
hasn't been thick enough ice since 1997—that's 16 years! Because
the event is so rare, people get really excited when there are
several days of freezing temperatures; people begin to ask each other
if this will be the year; weathermen make predictions; news reporters
publish predictions and speculation; and officials begin to make
decisions that will help the ice thicken (such as not allowing use of
the canals). There was such a build-up of excitement in January and
early February in 2012, and it seemed obvious that the race – would
– finally – happen! But then the weather warmed, and everyone's
hopes were dashed!
Some
Dutch people want their 11-city-tour so badly that they travel to get
it! Since 1974 people have held an Alternative Eleven City Tour in
another country—meeting on particular days for 200-km races and
leisure tours in nations such as Norway, Finland, Poland, and even
the US/Canada. Since 1989 the race has been held on a gorgeous
mountain lake in Austria. Today is a recreational tour, with
distances up to 200 km, open for everyone. Tomorrow will be a
speed-skating race. Monday there will be team-pursuit racing for
pros. A variety of other recreational and professional tours and
races occur during the January 21 to February 1 event.
Also
on this date:
AND
Talk Like a Grizzled Prospector Day
Plan
ahead!
Check
out my Pinterest boards for:
And
here are my boards for:
