Numbers have risen in recent years, with over 40,000 taking part annually, including about 5,000 military,[1] and is the world's largest walking event.

This happened in 2007 when the walkers went along the Waalkade, beside the River Waal, on Wednesday for the first time due to congestion on the original route.

[5] On Fridays of the event, as participants near the finish, the public presents walkers with gladioli, a symbol of victory since Roman times, when gladiators were likewise showered with these flowers.

As far as a week ahead of that Friday, people will reserve spaces alongside the Via Gladiola by placing chairs and even couches.

The marching event has three different types of awards: In April 1908 the Dutch League for Physical Education, (Nederlandsche Bond Voor Lichamelijke Opvoeding, or NBVLO) was established to promote participation in physical activities across the Netherlands, including organising sports events.

[6] From 1910 the Vierdaagse became an annual event, based in a different town each year, although mobilisation during World War I meant that no marches took place in 1914 or 1915.

[7] With Amsterdam hosting the Olympic Games, in 1928 the Four Days Marches became international, with teams taking part from Germany, Great Britain and Norway.

[10] After a successful trial event in 1935, four-day marches were held annually at various locations across the Dutch East Indies between 1936 and 1939.

[11] The 1940 Vierdaagse was cancelled after the German invasion, with a local Nijmegen walking club organising an emergency (nood in Dutch) Four-Days March in August 1940.

The participation in 1967 of Prince Claus, husband of Queen Beatrix, helped to boost the event's popularity yet further, with over 20,000 taking part in 1982 and 30,000 by 1988.

[17] In 2006, the event was again affected by extreme heat, when it was cancelled after the first day after two participants died and many others required medical attention.

The 100th Four Days Marches took place in July 2016, celebrated by numerous side events, including an optional daily 55 km (34 mi) route—the maximum official distance until 1967.

[5] In both years, an Alternatieve Vierdaagse was organised, with walkers completing the four days in their local area, thereby avoiding large groups.

Originally primarily a military training event for the Dutch infantry, since 1928 the Vierdaagse has attracted armed forces personnel from other countries, when Germany and Norway sent army teams.

The U.S. Army first took part in 1947, the United Kingdom in 1950 and Canada in 1952, with service contingents now also regularly travelling from Germany, Scandinavia, Switzerland and others.

In recent years military participants, including Dutch personnel, have numbered approximately five thousand, most marching in teams of between eleven and thirty members.