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In the running

A record 29,615 people took part in last weekend’s Antwerp 10 Miles, a series of runs through the streets of the port city. The 10-mile (16 km) course attracted more than 20,000 participants, with others opting for the marathon, short-run, Ladies’ Run and Kids’ Run. First aid staff took care of 87 participants along the way, and traffic was disrupted by the closure of three of the city’s tunnels.

Among those taking part in the 16k were Flemish minister-president Kris Peeters and around 100 of his government’s civil servants in aid of Handicap International. Flemish mobility minister Hilde Crevits took part in the Ladies’ Run, and welfare minister Jo Vandeurzen ran the short course.

Also in the running, in more ways than one, was N-VA party leader Bart De Wever, who had just announced that he will lead his party’s list at the municipal elections in October, in the hope of becoming the city’s mayor. De Wever’s participation in the run amply showed off his 45kg slimmer physique. His final time was 2.06.

The competition to be mayor of Flanders’ largest city now becomes a race between three heavyweights: De Wever, until recently polled as Flanders’ most popular politician; socialist sitting mayor Patrick Janssens; and Vlaams Belang’s Filip De Winter, who at the weekend announced he was stepping aside as his party’s leader in the Flemish parliament to concentrate on the mayoral race.

Registration for next year’s Antwerp 10 Miles start in September.

www.antwerp10miles.be

(April 25, 2024)