Elfstedentocht facts for kids
Statue in Leeuwarden of an Elfstedentocht competitor. The eleven cities and all the winners are listed on the plinth
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| Sport | Tour skating and speed skating |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1909 |
| Countries | World |
The Elfstedentocht (which means Eleven Cities Tour in English) is a super long ice skating event in the Netherlands. It's almost 200 kilometers (125 miles) long! Skaters race on natural ice, like frozen canals, rivers, and lakes.
This amazing tour happens in the province of Friesland, in the northern part of the Netherlands. It goes through all eleven historic cities of Friesland. The Elfstedentocht is only held when the natural ice is thick enough, at least 15 centimeters (6 inches) everywhere. This means it doesn't happen every year. Sometimes it's held a few years in a row, but other times there are gaps of more than 20 years!
When the ice is ready, the tour is announced very quickly, and it starts within 48 hours. Because of climate change, the Elfstedentocht is happening less often. The last time it took place was in 1997.
Contents
What is the Elfstedentocht?
The Elfstedentocht is the biggest ice-skating tour in the world. It has two main parts:
- A speed skating competition for about 300 professional skaters. They race to finish first.
- A leisure tour for about 16,000 amateur skaters. They skate for fun and to complete the challenge.
The Route and Rules of the Elfstedentocht
The tour is nearly 200 kilometers (125 miles) long. It follows a circular path along frozen canals, rivers, and lakes. Skaters visit eleven historic cities in Friesland. These cities are: Leeuwarden, Sneek, IJlst, Sloten, Stavoren, Hindeloopen, Workum, Bolsward, Harlingen, Franeker, and Dokkum. The tour then returns to Leeuwarden.
The tour can only happen if the ice is at least 15 centimeters (6 inches) thick along the whole route. This is very important for safety, especially with so many skaters. The last tours were in 1985, 1986, and 1997.
To join, skaters must be members of the Association of the Eleven Frisian Towns. They also need a special starting permit and a bib. Skaters must collect a stamp in each of the eleven cities. They also get stamps at three secret checkpoints along the way. All skaters must finish the course before midnight.
Sometimes, the ice is too thin in certain spots. These places are called "kluning points." "Kluning" comes from a Frisian word meaning to run on skates over a carpet. At these points, skaters have to walk on their skates to reach the next section of good ice. In 1997, a special technique called "ice-transplantation" was used. This helped make weak spots, like under bridges, stronger.
The Elfstedentocht finishes on a canal near Leeuwarden called the "Bonkevaart." It's close to a famous windmill, De Bullemolen.
Cities on the Elfstedentocht Route
Here are the cities and how far they are from the start:
| City | Frisian Name | Distance from Start (km) |
|---|---|---|
| Leeuwarden (start) | Ljouwert | 0 |
| Sneek | Snits | 22 |
| IJlst | Drylts | 26 |
| Sloten | Sleat | 40 |
| Stavoren | Starum | 66 |
| Hindeloopen | Hylpen | 77 |
| Workum | Warkum | 86 |
| Bolsward | Boalsert | 99 |
| Harlingen | Harns | 116 |
| Franeker | Frjentsjer | 129 |
| Dokkum | Dokkum | 174 |
| Leeuwarden (finish) | Ljouwert | 199 |
Excitement for the Elfstedentocht
Since the Elfstedentocht happens so rarely, when it's announced, the whole country gets incredibly excited! The Dutch Prime Minister once said that when the tour is on, the country is "not governed from The Hague but by twenty-two district heads in Friesland." This shows how important it is.
As soon as temperatures drop below freezing for a few days, the news starts talking about whether the Elfstedentocht will happen. The longer it stays cold, the more intense this "Elfstedenkoorts" (eleven cities fever) becomes. It turns into a national frenzy when the tour is finally announced!
The night before the tour, many Dutch people travel to Leeuwarden. They enjoy a huge street party called the "Nacht van Leeuwarden" (Night of Leeuwarden). It's a time of great celebration.
On the day of the tour, many people either stay home to watch it on TV (millions tune in!) or find a spot along the route to cheer on the skaters. Hotels in Friesland get fully booked, with millions of visitors expected.
History of the Elfstedentocht
People have been skating to all eleven cities in Friesland in one day since at least 1760. In 1890, a man named Pim Mulier had the idea to organize it as a proper tour. The first organized Elfstedentocht was held in 1909, with 22 men competing. After this first race, the Association of the Eleven Frisian Towns was created to organize future tours.
In 1912, Jikke Gaastra was the first woman to finish part of the Elfstedentocht. The ice wasn't good enough for her to complete the whole tour. In 1917, Janna van der Weg became the first woman to finish the entire tour.
The winters of 1939-1942 were very cold, and the race was held each year. The 1940 race, just before World War II, had over 3,000 competitors start at 5:00 AM!
The Elfstedentocht of 1963 is famous as "The hell of '63." Only 69 out of 10,000 participants finished the race. The weather was terrible, with temperatures as low as -18°C (0°F), lots of snow, and strong winds. The winner, Reinier Paping, became a national hero because of how tough the conditions were. Many skaters suffered from frostbite and injuries.
The next Elfstedentocht after 1963 wasn't until 1985, 22 years later! By then, skating gear and training had improved a lot. In 1986, the current Dutch King, Willem-Alexander, even completed the tour using a secret name!
In 1997, Piet Kleine, an Olympic gold medalist, was disqualified. He missed getting a stamp at one city, even though video showed he was there.
The Elfstedentocht of 2012 – The Race That Didn't Happen
In early 2012, there was a ten-day cold spell. Everyone hoped for an Elfstedentocht! Temperatures dropped very low, and the ice was getting thicker. People thought the race might happen on Saturday, February 11th.
Officials adjusted water flow in canals to help the ice grow thicker. Weather forecasts predicted the ice would be thick enough. The organizing committee even met for the first time in fifteen years!
However, on February 6th, they announced that some areas, especially near Stavoren, still had very thin ice (only 2 cm or 1 inch thick). Even though the cold weather continued, the committee decided on February 8th that the race was off. Safety was the main concern. A ten-day cold spell just wasn't enough for the ice to be safe everywhere. The 1997 event had happened after a 12-day cold spell.
Winners of the Elfstedentocht
Here are the winners and their times. The distance and average speed varied slightly depending on the exact route and conditions.
| Date | Temperature | Winner | Time | Distance | Average speed |
Years since previous tour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 January 1909 | n/a | Minne Hoekstra | 13:50 | 189 km | 13.7 km/h | — |
| 7 February 1912 | +3.8 °C | Coen de Koning | 11:40 | 189 km | 16.2 km/h | 3 |
| 27 January 1917 | -1.8 °C | Coen de Koning | 9:53 | 189 km | 19.1 km/h | 5 |
| 12 February 1929 | -10.1 °C | Karst Leemburg | 11:09 | 191 km | 17.1 km/h | 12 |
| 16 December 1933 | -2.0 °C | Abe de Vries and Sipke Castelein |
9:05 | 195 km | 19.7 km/h | 5 |
| 30 January 1940 | -6.1 °C | Piet Keijzer, Auke Adema, Cor Jongert, Durk van der Duim and Sjouke Westra |
11:34 | 198.5 km | 17.3 km/h | 6 |
| 7 February 1941 | 0.0 °C | Auke Adema | 9:19 | 198.5 km | 21.3 km/h | 1 |
| 22 January 1942 | -11.7 °C | Sietze de Groot | 8:44 | 198 km | 22.7 km/h | 1 |
| 8 February 1947 | -8.5 °C | Jan van der Hoorn | 10:51 | 191 km | 17.6 km/h | 5 |
| 3 February 1954 | -5.4 °C | Jeen van den Berg | 7:35 | 198.5 km | 26.2 km/h | 7 |
| 14 February 1956 | -4.9 °C | no winner declared | — | 190.5 km | — | 2 |
| 18 January 1963 | -7.7 °C | Reinier Paping | 10:59 | 196.5 km | 17.9 km/h | 7 |
| 21 February 1985 | +0.3 °C | Evert van Benthem | 6:47 | 196.8 km | 29.0 km/h | 22 |
| 26 February 1986 | -6.9 °C | Evert van Benthem | 6:55 | 199.3 km | 28.8 km/h | 1 |
| 4 January 1997 | -3.6 °C | Henk Angenent | 6:49 | 199.6 km | 29.3 km/h | 11 |
| Present | — | — | — | — | — | 28 |
Women were officially allowed to compete in the main tour starting in 1985. Before that, they skated with the amateur group and didn't receive awards. Here are the first women to cross the finish line in their respective years:
- 1940 – Sjoerdtsje Faber
- 1941 – Wopkje Kooistra
- 1942 – Antje Schaap
- 1985 – Lenie van der Hoorn
- 1986 – Tineke Dijkshoorn
- 1997 – Klasina Seinstra (7:49.11)
Other Elfstedentocht Events
The Elfstedentocht is so popular that other similar events have been created!
Alternative Elfstedentocht
Since 1989, an "alternative Elfstedentocht" has been held every January. It takes place on the Weissensee lake in Austria. This lake is 12 kilometers (7 miles) long. Around 3,000 speed skaters participate in 50, 100, or 200-kilometer (30, 60, or 125-mile) races. It's one of the biggest ice sport events in the world!
Fietselfstedentocht (Eleven Towns by Bicycle)
This cycling tour started in 1912, similar to the skating event. But unlike the skating race, it happens almost every year! It takes place on Whit Monday. The event is very popular, with a limit of 15,000 riders.
The cycling tour starts and ends in Bolsward, not Leeuwarden. Riders leave in groups between 5:00 AM and 8:00 AM. Those who complete the 235-kilometer (146-mile) course before midnight receive medals. In 2013, organizers decided to only allow two-wheeled bicycles powered by people.
Zwemelfstedentocht (Eleven Towns by Swimming)
In 2018, Dutch long-distance swimmer Maarten van der Weijden tried to swim the entire eleven-city route. He had to stop due to poor conditions and illness. However, the next summer, in 2019, he successfully completed the swim! His amazing effort raised over €6.1 million for cancer research.
Elfstedentriathlon (Eleven Towns Triathlon)
The Eleven Cities Triathlon was first completed by Frisian athlete Stefan van der Pal in 2020. He swam 200 kilometers, then cycled the route, and finally ran the route. He raised €96,000 for children's brain stem cancer research.
Between June 18th and 25th, 2023, Maarten van der Weijden (the swimmer) also completed the Eleven Cities Triathlon. He raised over 3 million euros for cancer research! He walked the last part instead of running.
Images for kids
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The course of the 1997 Elfstedentocht
See also
In Spanish: Elfstedentocht para niños
