MEET THE PARTICIPANTS
HÆRVEJSMARCHEN isn’t just about walking; it's just as much about the social aspect. Many of the participants therefore emphasise the fun and the atmosphere surrounding the march as something very special.
A big popular festival
In 2015, an extra exercise event was added to the running, cycling and walking activities in the area by the Parade Square and the stadium area in Viborg for the first time, on the last weekend in June.
A collaboration with Aller added yoga to the palette of activities and exercise opportunities. In order to coordinate the many activities, Aller brought one of their active and professional event operators: the professional speaker, Rikke Laursen.
Rikke Laursen’s list of experience includes having been race speaker at Cycling Planet and at the Østerbro race, having been race MC at Cph. Bike Show, Streetrace Cph., and both the Ole Ritter and the Rolf Sørensen Criterion.
"I myself am a cyclist, and have participated in a long list of races. I have cycled up Mount Etna, to an altitude of 3,300 metres. I am very excited about the fantastic exercise and event environment which gathers here in Viborg, and which has so many years of tradition, of hosting a major international event like HÆRVEJSMARCHEN. I hope to be participating in this popular festival again next year", says Rikke Laursen, full of energy, enthusiasm and expectation for the future.
A nice day in good company
Hanne and Jan Mølgaard from Klejtrup have been one of the companies which have gathered a team for HÆRVEJSMARCHEN for the last 15 years. Jan Mølgaard owns HEX Data ApS in Hobro, which provides companies with advice and production guidance about IT investment.
"Every year, we gather a team to go for a nice walk on the Saturday along HÆRVEJSMARCHEN’s Carnival March. We gather in Viborg, in good moods and ready to enjoy the scenic surroundings. Several of us only see each other once a year.
HEX Data ApS is a sponsor of the jerseys, hats and other carnival gear. This year there were 23 people on our team. We enjoy ourselves, have some exercise and some extra hops – hence the name"The Hops Guild".
You can count on us coming back next year," said Hanne and Jan Mølgaard.
Coming along for the 47th time
Søren Gissel is 83 years old, and has completed HÆRVEJSMARCHEN 47 times. "It's a nice tradition. I've always liked to walk in nature. In my early years, I used to go with my grandfather, who walked with his beloved oak walking stick, which he always took with him on the terrain. I have never considered missing the annual experience of nature and people along the routes around Viborg during HÆRVEJSMARCHEN.
I have also taken part in many other marches, including in the walking association Fodslaw. I completed the hike Hærvejsvandringen from Schleswig to Viborg a total of 11 times in July. I have also walked the four-day march in Nijmegen, in the Netherlands, several times," he says of his achievements in walking shoes.
Professionally, Søren Gissel was a furniture maker and produced Renaissance furniture, windows and doors. He also created furniture for pubs in Aarhus.
"During a long life, it has been a soothing balm for both body and soul to experience the world which you breathe in and are part of when you walk in the fresh air, in the great outdoors, with so many happy and active people from all over the world", Søren Gissel finished off at Kasernehallen (The Sports Hall) in Viborg during HÆRVEJSMARCHEN 2015, when we held a meeting for all the hikers who had taken part every year since the march’s inception in 1969.
Daughter's wedding had to be moved
Karl Lauridsen has walked HÆRVEJSMARCHEN every year since the beginning in 1969. He was just 22 years the first time, so he expects to be able to look forward to walking the historic and scenic routes in and around Viborg for many years to come.
"The tradition of going to Viborg and walking with thousands of other people who love walking outdoors, and being part of a large international community, has been the most important event of my life, to my mind. When our daughter wanted to get married on this Saturday, she got a clear message: It’ll be without your father's involvement," he says with an honest heart after having walked the first day in 2015.
Karl's wife Elly was has also taken part from the beginning, but she was forced to stop for several years. "When our children left home, it was natural that I would walk HÆRVEJSMARCHEN again with Karl. We’re coming to Viborg again in 2016, and hopefully for years to come. We got started at an early age, and would like to keep fit well into the third period of our life. The experiences on the last weekend in June in Viborg help towards that very much," said Elly and Karl Lauridsen expectantly.