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A Kennedy march is a long-distance march of 50 miles (80 km), named after former American president John F. Kennedy.

Origin

John F. Kennedy came into the Presidential office with a goal of improving the health of the nation as part of his New Frontier. As President-elect, he wrote and had published an article in Sports Illustrated, December 26, 1960, called The Soft American which warned against the negative aspects becoming unfit in a changing world where automation and increased leisure time replaced the benefits of exercise and hard work.

President Kennedy addressed the issue of physical fitness frequently in his public pronouncements and assigned new projects to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, an organization established by Kennedy's predecessor Eisenhower on July 16, 1956. Perhaps Kennedy's most famous intervention in the area of fitness, and an indicator of the extent to which the Council became identified with him, was the fifty-mile march. The idea of the march developed from Kennedy's discovery in late 1962 of an executive order from Theodore Roosevelt challenging U.S. Marine officers to finish 50 miles (80 km) in twenty hours. Kennedy passed the document on to his own Marine commandant, General David M. Shoup, and suggested that Shoup bring it up to him as his, Shoup's, own discovery, with the proposal that modern day Marines should duplicate this feat. Shoup, of course, responded speedily, and the President went on to say that:

Should your report to me indicate that the strength and stamina of the modern Marine is at least equivalent to that of his antecedents, I will then ask Mr. Salinger to look into the matter personally and give me a report on the fitness of the White House Staff.

In his conversations with his press secretary, Pierre Salinger, Kennedy left no doubt that "look[ing] into the matter personally" would involve Salinger walking fifty miles himself. A well-padded individual with a sense of humor about himself, Salinger turned his efforts to avoid the march into an open joke, finally releasing a statement on February 12, 1963, in which he publicly declined the honor. As justification, Salinger pointed to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy's completion of the march as proof of the fitness of the administration. The President's brother had undertaken the march on an impulse, and although clad in leather oxford shoes, had slogged the distance through snow and slush.

But the real impact of the fifty mile march was with the public at large, which took it as a personal request and a challenge from their President. Furthermore, responsibility for the President's challenge was presumed to lie with the President's Council. This put the council in a tricky position. To disavow the marches would undermine its declared purposes. On the other hand, the council wanted no part of having the marches thrust on it as a program by an overenthusiastic public. As a compromise, the council sent out a cautious press release recommending a moderate, gradual program of walking for exercise. For the more persistent, the council prepared a background letter explaining the origin of the march, again suggesting a sensible walking regimen, and stating emphatically that government agencies were not sponsoring or rewarding hikes.

However the Amos Alonzo Stagg Foundation did present Bronze medals [1] to those who completed the 50-mile (80 km) hike in less than 12 hours during the initial 30 days of the challenge.

Kennedy March Sittard

The Kennedy-Mars Sittard is the oldest Kennedy March of the Netherlands.

History

The Kennedy march became a fad in the UK shortly after American people took up Kennedy's challenge. After Dutch television showed images of the Kennedy march craze, some Dutch people decided to make an attempt at finishing the 80 kilometers within 20 hours.

In the city of Sittard, situated in the most southern province of the Netherlands, four young people decided to walk the march during their Easter holidays. April 20, 1963, they began their route with 7 friends, beginning and ending in Sittard and covering pieces of Germany and Belgium. One girl took a bus in the German town of Heinsberg, but the other 3 girls and 7 boys persisted and finished in 19 hours' time. They decided immediately to try to do the march one year after and thus a tradition was born.

Statistics

The number of participants grew over the years, with a peak in 1989 when 7090 people enrolled. Having 3062 participants in 2009, the Kennedy March of Sittard is still the biggest long-distance hike (that is, a hike of more than 59 kilometers) of the Netherlands. Due to the risk of spreading foot-and-mouth disease, the march was cancelled in 2001, so including 2012 the march has been organised 49 times.

Organisation

The Kennedy March of Sittard has been, and still is, organised largely by members of the Van der Loo family, one of whom was in the four men who initiated the idea in 1963.

References

External links

[2] JFK Fitness programme

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 The ''Kennedy-Mars Sittard'' is the oldest Kennedy March of the [[Netherlands]].
-==Thomas More College Long Walk==
-HISTORY OF THE THOMAS MORE COLLEGE LONG WALK
-In 1962, President Kennedy challenged Americans to walk 50 miles (80 km.) in an attempt to improve the nation’s health. Unfortunately they do not seem to have heeded this call!  But a teacher at a brand new school in South Africa did listen, decided it would be a good idea, and took up the challenge (1963). Mike Leffler, together with a couple of other teachers and a dozen or so boys, set out to walk from somewhere in the Greytown (KZN, SOUTH AFRICA) area to finish at Cato Ridge. Only two people finished the full 50 miles, but a tradition had begun. Numbers grew. Organisation (slowly!) improved. The course varied. One memorably wet year they slogged 3 times round Midmar Dam, in the mud! Various road options were tried and eventually a 'circular' course, beginning and ending at THOMAS MORE COLLEGE was settled on. Recently, increasing congestion on the roads, as well as increasing numbers, has made it necessary to avoid busy roads, and the finish has moved to Summerveld in KZN.  When the Primary School opened in 1993, and rapid growth in the High School began, some changes were made. Shorter walks for the small children were introduced (7-55km walks).
-WHY DO WE DO IT?
-It began as a response to a challenge. It grew into a chance for everyone at Thomas More College to set themselves a personal challenge. It hurts but it also brings great satisfaction, pride, comradeship, and later a feeling of being part of the history of things. Now in its 54th year, it is the oldest tradition at Thomas More College.  The Long Walk plays a huge role at Thomas More College.  It unifies the school like no other event could.   Walkers who achieve even the 25km mark, gain so much in confidence and self-esteem.  After the walk, a difficult sports practice or match pales in significance.  They learn how obstacles can be overcome and become less intimidated by challenges.  This event gives our pupils a wonderful opportunity to show what they are capable of.  There are no ‘winners’, and yet all who take part are winners!  http://www.thomasmore.co.za/index.php?page=PCLongWalk
 ===History===