Slachtemarathon

Highlights

From the Wadden Sea in the north of Fryslân until in the heart of Fryslân winds a dream of a dyke, from Easterbierrum to Raerd. Every two years there is a special event around that dyke: de Slachtemarathon. For
the participants every Slachtemarathon is a special tour. No only because the marathon can be walked or ran only every four years, but especially because around the route there is a huge variety of cultural program. That program is being made by the 'mienskip': de villages along the route are the thinkers, makers, programmers ánd ambassadors of the ideas. They are teamed up wit professional artists and together they make a special program. Because of the fact that Leeuwarden en Fryslân are cultural capital of Europe in 2018 there is an extra Slachtemarathon in 2018. That is why it it is extra special. Participants do no walk the usual route over the Slachtedyk, but a route trough all of those villages. That makes the distance double as long en therefore a sleep over is included in the 2018 edition. 

History

The Slachtedyk is a so-called sleepy dike of the old Friese Middle Ages. As a continuous dike, the Slachtedyk has a small 500 years, but pieces of the dike have been built much earlier. The oldest dating dates back
to almost 1000 years. The youngest parts were built around 1200. An old part lies around the west and south side of the Easterin polder, one of the first covered areas of Fryslân.

Slinging through history

The Slachtedyk is a lively and winding dike. On the one hand, this has to do with the fact that in the Middle Ages the area was a landscape of heights and lows, of slopes and primals. On the other hand, landowners also had influence over that time. The dike builders searched for high levels of land or, preferably, high-rise sidewalks to begin the dike with a base height. The landowners had to allow this.

The Slaughter tells

The Slachtedyk is rich in history. Dijkhuizen with wooden logs along the route tell about the maintenance and use of the bermren. In addition, the sideways (sluice bridges whose openings could be sealed with bars) tell the stories about floods

Walking and running on history

The Slaughter Marathon is walking and running over history. From the sea dike at Oosterbierum to the heart of Fryslân in Raerd, the old Slachtedyk measures the distance of a marathon: more than 42 kilometers. In
July 2000, in the context of Simmer 2000, a marathon was held for the first time on the old dike: the Slaughter Marathon. And with that a tradition was born. Once in four years there is a slaughter marathon. In 2018 there is an additional Slaughter Marathon, because Leeuwarden Fryslân is then Europe's cultural capital. By 2020 there will be a regular slaughter marathon.

Overview

A regular Slachtemarathon leads us over the Slachtdyke. This special edition has a one time new route: we walk trough all the villages that are involved in the Slachtemarathon. That akes de route twice as long en we don’t do it in one day, but in two days. Because of the distance – about 91 km in 2 days.