The finish line of the 100-kilometre Dodentocht in Bornem opened at 7:00 on Saturday, allowing the first walkers to cross after at least 640 participants had already dropped out overnight.
Of the 13,000 people registered, 12,759 actually started the march on Friday evening, according to the organisers. They said that figure was in line with previous editions despite the warm weather.
Because the event began at 21:00, the temperatures during the night were largely favourable for participants. Organisers warned, however, that it is expected to turn hot again later on Saturday, with a chance of thunderstorms.
The organisers also highlighted that 2,200 tickets were resold through the official resale platform. That allowed many people who had missed out on the sold-out event to take part in place of someone who eventually withdrew.
By early Saturday morning, about 25 participants had already completed the route on foot and were waiting near the finish. The line is only officially opened at 7:00 because the Dodentocht is explicitly not intended to be a race.
That means there is no benefit in pushing to arrive first or trying to set a record time. The event is organised as an endurance march rather than a competition.
During the night, 640 participants officially scanned out somewhere along the route. Spokesperson Ilse Robyn said the true number of withdrawals may be higher, as some people who stopped may not yet have scanned out.
She said the final figure would become clearer once the numbers from the checkpoints had been reviewed. For now, she added, the number of dropouts is also in line with previous years.
Participants have a total of 24 hours to complete the course. In principle, the last walkers should cross the finish line at around 21:00 on Saturday.
