Tens of thousands of sports enthusiasts walk through The Hague every year. Together they are strong, together they feel the pain and together they are the heroes of The Hague. Sunday 12 March 2023 the annual NN CPC run will take place again. Today we look back at the rich history of the running event.
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Funny is that. In the weeks before the City-Pier-City, the whole of The Hague is suddenly running. The CPC is therefore the running event of our city in which every resident has participated at least once. The primary school children run 1 or 2.5 kilometers while the older sports enthusiasts go for the longer challenges.
The beginning
On 12 April 1931 was the first edition of the City-Pier- City walked. The match was then 15 kilometers long. The course started at the Lange Voorhout and the finish was in the Prinsestraat. A lot has changed with time. Then the winners were mainly Dutch athletes, only in the years ‘150 it was the Kenyans who won the marathons.
The first winner of the CPC was Henk Kalf. The athlete ran the 15 kilometers in 42 minutes and 42 seconds, although afterwards the course turned out to be 500 meters shorter. Henk received a portable TV for winning the race. That was a popular price then, just like a mobile phone is now.
On the first race, from 13,5 kilometers, did such 150 athletes and 500 recreationists. Later the course was extended to the half marathon.
Women
Nowadays it is quite normal for women to participate in a half or full marathon. But that was not so common three decades ago. In the years ’60, for example, many women secretly walked along, they wrote register under a false name. In the years ’60 women were admitted for the first time in America at the marathon and in ’72 was written for the first time at the Olympic Games the 782 meters for women on the program. The NK marathon running for women was only held in 1981.
One year earlier, women were allowed already participate in the CPC. Marja Wokke was the first woman to register. She was then one of the best marathon runners in the Netherlands. In The Hague she ran a time of 1.13.42. This made her, at that time, the fastest woman in the world.
And since the CPC run 2021 the road is also free for people with a limit.
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