The Nijmegen March medal: every cross at a glance

The Nijmegen March medal: what it is

The Nijmegen March medal is a Dutch decoration laid down in the Royal Decree of 6 October 1909. Its name is the “Cross for Proven Marching Skill”. The organiser explains on 4daagse.nl that Dutch military personnel may wear it on their uniforms.

Complete the Four Days Marches successfully for the first time and you receive a bronze cross. Every later successful completion brings a number or another variant of the cross.

Every cross: which completion earns which medal?

The cross moves from bronze through silver to gold as your completions add up, with crowns, laurel wreaths and numbers on top. The overview below is our own layout, based on 4daagse.nl:

What counts as a successful completion?

The level you receive depends on how often you have completed the marches. What matters is your regulation distance: it depends on your age and gender. 4daagse.nl says you may not walk less, but you may walk more. Taking part as an accompanying walker or on a diploma distance does not count as a successful completion, according to 4daagse.nl. Everything about it is on our page about the Nijmegen March distances, and the four days themselves are covered in the Nijmegen March routes.

It is an achievable goal: according to 4daagse.nl (accessed October 2026), 90% of last year’s debutants walked off the Wedren on Friday wearing a cross. How to prepare is covered in the Nijmegen March training plan.

How to wear the medal

There is a prescribed way to wear it. The cross goes on the left side of the chest, approximately a hand’s width below the shoulder. Only one medal may be worn at a time, and only one number may be attached to the ribbon.

Worked example: your cross over the coming years

If you complete the marches successfully every year from 2027, you get bronze in 2027, bronze with a crown in 2028, silver in 2031 and gold in 2036. This is a worked example based on the levels in the table above, not a guarantee: cancellations like 2020 and 2021, when the pandemic stopped the marches, are possible.

Records and certificate

Thirteen walkers have completed the Four Days Marches 60 times or more. For many years Annie Berkhout held the record with 66 completions, her last in 2003. Currently Bert van der Lans holds it with 71, followed closely by Dick Koopman with 70.

Besides the cross you can order a certificate. It costs 22 euros printed and 6 euros digital, as stated on the organiser’s rewards page.

What you need to do

Walk all four days at your regulation distance or longer. According to 4daagse.nl, the 109th Four Days Marches take place from Tuesday 20 to Friday 23 July 2027. Dates, registration and the current status are on the Nijmegen March 2027 page, and 4daagse.nl publishes the details for 2027.

The cross and the history of the marches

The cross dates from 1909, the year of the first Four Days Marches. On Wednesday 1 September 1909 the starting shot was fired: 296 soldiers and 10 civilians set out from 10 barracks. Since 1925 Nijmegen has been the permanent start and finish location, and since 1932 there have been more civilian than military walkers. The details are in the history of the Four Days Marches.

Military walkers and the cross

According to 4daagse.nl, male military walkers starting individually have a regulation distance of 50 km. They may cover 40 km instead, in which case at least 10 kilograms of kit is mandatory, which can be spot-checked. The 2027 age table gives birth years 1978 to 2008, while a note on the same organiser page gives 1977 to 2010 (see the military distances).

How Etappe helps with the cross

If you choose the Four Days Marches as your goal, the app names which cross belongs to your nth participation: bronze, bronze with a crown, silver after five, gold after ten and the anniversary crosses at 25, 40, 50, 60 and 70. The app is free, needs no account and keeps all data on your iPhone. Coming soon to the App Store. Back to the Etappe home page.