How Lo TRAIL makes 'Strength in Numbers' tangible
Lochristi's Lo TRAIL: A collective effort that connects sports, culture and international solidarity. Join us behind the scenes of this vibrant event and meet some of the driving forces and enthusiastic volunteers.
It is still early in the morning in Lochristi. The 11. flags are waving lonely in the air, there are no passers-by at the neon sign and the Lo TRAIL signs on the street seem unnoticed. But appearances are deceptive. Inside the school building, the starting point for the participants, there is a huge hustle and bustle. Eventually the driving forces behind all this are found, namely Dirk, benny, en Eric. "We want to emphasize the importance of the collective. This is the result of our joint efforts. There are so many of us who make this possible."
In short: Strength in Numbers, put into practice in a very tangible way.
volunteers inspire and encourage each other
How did you come up with this idea?
Bennie: In 2019 Dirk and my wife took part in the 11.trail in RoeselareI was there as a supporter and when we were able to experience the whole event, we thought: we should have that too, here in Lochristi.
What is the secret of your tried and tested recipe?
Nicolas (responsible for sponsorship): We are just very good friends: we travel together, our children know each other. We really instill this in us from childhood. Some volunteers have 3 generations working on this event.
Result of the collective
This event gets a lot of people moving. It connects a lot of worlds that would otherwise never come into contact with each other. For example, the cultural world and the sporting world. Without this event, the average participant of the Lo TRAIL, someone with a more sporty profile, would never get to know the youth department of our local harmony, which is one of the animation stops during this trail. And vice versa.
Working group 'Parcours'
On the Lo TRAIl route we meet the “route” working group in the Beervelde Park.
How did you ever get involved with this event?
Freddy: Actually, I was a “runner” at first, one of the participants in the 4-hour run when it was still organized on the grounds of youth center Lodejo. I had a few comments about the course and one thing led to another. I went to tell them to the organizer of the event, Dirk. He reacted very laconically: “well if you have those comments then do it yourself. Don't feel like being a staff member next year?” And so it happened: I became a volunteer and the 'Parcours' working group was founded.
Alex Dewardt: Dirk is also a former student of ours. We know him well, we were his gymnastics teachers. We have all been participants ourselves, not only in this event but also in others. So we have some experience with course layout, monitoring safety at such an event, etc.
Freddy: the nice thing about this Lo TRAIL, also for ourselves, and for all Lochristenaren, is that you will discover many unique, and even secret, locations.
International solidarity in Lochristi
Why are you raising funds for 11.11.11? Why do you think it is important to put international solidarity in the spotlight?
Eric: If I had been born 30 years earlier, I would probably have become a missionary. At home, we had a subscription to “worldwide”. Those images and reports triggered me. Later, I realized that you can do a lot from here. Some family members also worked in Africa. And I visited there later. Then I saw with my own eyes that you can really make a difference with those projects.
What is also important to us is that the participant goes home with a positive feeling. If the participant hears something on TV about 11.11.11 he will go back with a positive feeling 11.11.11 look.
What is also important to us is that the participant goes home with a positive feeling. If the participant hears something on TV about 11.11.11 he will go back with a positive feeling 11.11.11 look.
Tips and tricks
Do you have any tips for other groups who want to organize a similar event?
Eric: Well, it's our first edition. Now the biggest challenge is that we organize this event in the public space, and on a 13 km course. At one point, an entire street is even made traffic-free. Fortunately, the municipality reacted very enthusiastically when we presented our project to them. For example, they managed the registrations and the sports department takes on a lot of organizational tasks. And the police also cooperates.
We also went bussing in the Lobos district. With the question whether they want to help make “movement” for the participants: they can support or do something else fun to encourage the participants.