Elfstedentocht Timeline

Elfstedentocht 15

1909 1st Elfstedentocht Winner: Minne Hoekstra — 13h 50m The first official Elfstedentocht started at 5:20 AM on 2 January 1909 in Leeuwarden with 22 participants. Minne Hoekstra won in a time of 13 hours and 50 minutes. The event covered 189 km of natural Frisian ice. The Koninklijke Vereniging De Friesche Elf Steden was founded shortly after to organise future editions.
1912 2nd Elfstedentocht Winner: Coen de Koning — 11h 40m The second official Elfstedentocht was held on 7 February 1912 with over 150 participants. Coen de Koning won in 11 hours and 40 minutes. Temperature was -3.8°C. De Koning was already a world-class speed skater and former world champion.
1917 3rd Elfstedentocht Winner: Coen de Koning — 9h 53m The third Elfstedentocht was held on 27 January 1917 during World War I, in which the Netherlands remained neutral. Coen de Koning won his second title in 9 hours and 53 minutes at -1.8°C. Janna van der Weg became the first woman to complete the entire tour.
1929 4th Elfstedentocht Winner: Karst Leemburg — 11h 09m After twelve years without sufficient ice, the Elfstedentocht returned on 12 February 1929 with over 300 skaters facing brutal conditions — a biting east wind and temperatures between -18°C and -10°C. Karst Leemburg won in 11 hours and 9 minutes.
1933 5th Elfstedentocht Shared victory — the only December edition The 1933 edition on 16 December is the only official Elfstedentocht ever held in December. Five skaters crossed the finish line together in a shared victory. After this edition, shared wins were officially banned by the organisation.
1940 6th Elfstedentocht — Pact of Dokkum Shared victory: Adema, Van der Duim, Jongert, Keijzer, Westra Held on 30 January 1940 with over 3,000 competitors. Five skaters — Auke Adema, Durk van der Duim, Cor Jongert, Piet Keijzer and Sjouke Westra — conspired in Dokkum to cross the finish line together. This Pact of Dokkum caused such controversy that shared finishes were again strictly forbidden. The race took place just months before the German invasion of the Netherlands.
1941 7th Elfstedentocht Winner: Auke Adema — 9h 19m Held on 6 February 1941 under German occupation. Auke Adema, who had shared the 1940 victory, won convincingly on his own in 9 hours and 19 minutes. An enormous crowd watched despite wartime conditions. Adema later stopped for a sausage in Workum but still won by three minutes.
1942 8th Elfstedentocht Winner: Durk van der Duim The 1942 edition was again held under Nazi occupation on 22 January. Durk van der Duim, one of the five Pact of Dokkum skaters, won the solo title. Three participants died during the race. The event drew enormous public attention as a moment of Dutch identity during dark times.
1947 9th Elfstedentocht Winner: Piet Keijzer The first post-war Elfstedentocht was held on 8 February 1947 and symbolised Dutch national recovery. Piet Keijzer won the race. The harsh east wind during this edition earned the stretch between Franeker and Bartlehiem the nickname "de Weg der Martelaren" — the Road of the Martyrs.
1954 10th Elfstedentocht Winner: Jeen van den Berg The tenth edition was held on 3 February 1954. Jeen van den Berg won the race and became one of the most celebrated figures in Elfstedentocht history. The post-war editions saw rapidly growing public interest and media coverage.
1956 11th Elfstedentocht — no winner declared Five skaters disqualified for finishing hand in hand The 1956 edition on 14 February became infamous: Jan van der Hoorn, Aad de Koning, Jeen Nauta, Maus Wijnhout and Anton Verhoeven crossed the finish line hand in hand — violating the post-1940 rules against shared finishes. All five were disqualified. No winner was officially declared.
1963 12th Elfstedentocht — De Hel van '63 Winner: Reinier Paping — national hero The most brutal Elfstedentocht ever held. On 18 January 1963, temperatures dropped to -18°C with a devastating east wind and snowstorms. Of 9,292 starters, only 69 finished the race — less than 1%. Reinier Paping won and became an instant national hero. The race is remembered as "De Hel van '63" — The Hell of '63.
1985 13th Elfstedentocht Winner: Evert van Benthem — 6h 47m (record) After 22 years without sufficient ice, the Elfstedentocht returned on 21 February 1985 to national celebration. Evert van Benthem won in a record time of 6 hours and 47 minutes. It was the first edition broadcast live on television. Lenie van der Hoorn was the first woman to finish.
1986 14th Elfstedentocht Winner: Evert van Benthem — 6h 55m Remarkably, another harsh winter allowed the Elfstedentocht to be held again just one year later on 26 February 1986. Over 17,000 participants started. Evert van Benthem retained his title in 6 hours and 55 minutes. Crown Prince Willem-Alexander completed the race under the alias W.A. van Buren.
1997 15th Elfstedentocht — most recent edition Winner: Henk Angenent — 6h 49m The most recent official Elfstedentocht was held on 4 January 1997 with 16,731 participants. Henk Angenent won in 6 hours and 49 minutes in a dramatic final sprint. Klasina Seinstra was the first woman to finish. Climate change has since prevented another edition. The Dutch remain hopeful and watchful every cold winter.