Leading up to this year, we have thought a lot about how we could train to avoid the previous problems we have encountered. For example, we have had those who trained too much, consequently incurring injuries and being forced to cancel just before the Nijmegen March itself. As frustrating as it feels, it is a reality that one risks injury, especially when middle age has set in or even passed. Another problem we have had is having people who haven’t truly trained but have only made a few sporadic efforts, meaning they suffered to complete a 40 km round. And then they ran into problems in Nijmegen, which is not optimal. There is also the variation of not training at all; I have tried that myself and cannot recommend it. Fortunately, I have enough hiking experience that it wasn’t a major issue, only that the going was heavy.

So, how have we planned for this summer? We have decided that the most important thing is to get the participants to move at all, rather than blindly following a rigid schedule. If the MPK side had training requirements, one could follow those, but with the current setup, anyone can still register, and we cannot prevent anyone from participating. We simply have to work with the conditions we have.

We started in the late autumn with light training of 12–15 km every other week and will increase the distance towards the New Year to about 20 km. The shorter distances don’t feel impossible for anyone, and you get the marching habit into the body. Better this way than forcing people through 40 km immediately; they won’t participate again. The shorter distances are well suited up here in the far north, where we have a unique concern. The days are incredibly short; it is not realistic to walk for 10 hours when it is dark, both for safety reasons and for motivation. As soon as spring starts warming up the days, we will increase the distances towards 30–35 km and also implement double training days. But that is still some way off; we have two months of winter cold ahead. We simply have to adapt according to Mother Nature; it’s completely unnecessary to hike for 10 hours when it’s $–25^{\circ}C$.

So, how do we compensate for the dark and cold winter months? Well, there are other things one can do. Running and swimming are perfect when it’s cold outside (naturally performed indoors). The main thing is to stay active. Personally, I find it a bit tricky to fit in much more training than our bi-weekly hikes, but hopefully, I will find more time and opportunity after the New Year.

When the sun starts warming and the last snow disappears, we will start with the longer distances to integrate them into the body as well. This is where MPK’s Kesäyön marssit (Summer Night Marches) are usually good. A couple are organized in May and early June, which are excellent for checking that the equipment works and feeling that the body is in shape. But it is important to stop the march training in time. Absolutely no later than the end of June should one reduce it to avoid the risk of injury. An injury at that point usually means not traveling down to Holland but having to try to get the money back on the travel insurance.

To summarize all this, you should start gently and not overtrain. But that doesn’t mean lying on the sofa; you should keep your body active in other ways. Aim for approximately 300 km in distances over 20 km before Nijmegen, and you will be well prepared.