History

It came up as a "wild" thought, but it was a golden idea: organizing a running race through the IJtunnel between the "Dammen" of Zaandam and Amsterdam. Creator: Cees Lansbergen of Le Champion in 1981.

Dam to Dam race
The idea did not come completely out of the blue, as the first Dam to Dam race was already held on August 27, 1959, as part of a tunnel lobby. After World War II, the North Sea Canal was a major obstacle from Amsterdam to the north, and vice versa. The Zaan region, particularly Zaandam, therefore noticed this first hand. For crossing, the Hempont was the most important connection. In 1959, 5,800 cars were transported daily, with waiting times as long as three quarters of an hour. Not surprisingly, action was taken for a better, faster connection. That would have to be a tunnel under the North Sea Canal.

Thus the Dam to Dam race was organized: from the Zaanse Dam to the Amsterdam Dam. It did not matter how one moved between start and finish, as long as it was fast. Above all, it was a playful action. In the race and its preparation, spectators could enjoy such strange apparitions as cossacks and camels. Mayor Francken of Zaandam walked in a diving suit across the bottom of the North Sea Canal from Amsterdam to Zaandam. A host of famous Dutch people also participated, such as poet Simon Vinkenoog and illustrator Opland. Winner was 32-year-old Wout Bruynzeel with a time of 10.25 min. He used a speedboat. The tunnel came. On June 21, 1966, then Queen Juliana opened the Coentunnel. Meanwhile, this connection has too limited a capacity and the Second Coentunnel was opened in 2013.

Cees Lansbergen was so impressed with the race that he decided to make it an event. It took several years to get all the authorities in line, but finally in the summer of 1985 the green light came from the City of Amsterdam. On Sunday, November 3 of that year, 4,300 enthusiasts reported to the start of the event, which was more than the organizers had ever expected. Even greater was the interest along the course. Tens of thousands of people stood "along the line" to cheer on family, friends and acquaintances as they completed the 10 English Mile between the Dam of Amsterdam and the Dam of Zaandam.

First edition
As mentioned, Le Champion tried to put the run on the program as early as 1981. A conversation with B. and W. of Zaanstad was positive. The initial plan to start in Zaandam and finish in Amsterdam was abandoned by turning things around. By 'shooting away' the crowd in the capital at a short distance from the IJtunnel, they could keep the blockage of this important traffic artery as short as possible. The City of Amsterdam did not budge after all. The then mayor W. Polak foresaw traffic problems as a result of the temporary closure of the IJtunnel and the metropolitan police -already overstaffed- were not waiting for an extra busy Sunday. So all plans had to be shelved for the time being. However, Le Champion stuck to the idea. In 1982 B. and W. of Amsterdam again reacted negatively. Because Le Champion continued to insist, the capital started to investigate the matter more thoroughly.

The Amsterdam branch of the Royal Dutch Athletics Union was not immediately in favor of the run, and for a while then things threatened to go definitively wrong. But in 1985 the tide turned and the flag could finally be symbolically raised at Le Champion: Amsterdam granted permission for the run for once. Le Champion then decided to put the run on the program that same year. In order to arrange everything before November 3, a working group was immediately set up. It was decided not to hold a race. It would be a real performance run. Despite the competition element, which was to be introduced afterwards, the achievement is still the main goal of the 55,000 runners, who take action in front of more than 250,000 people.

But it wasn't that far back then. It was both a necessity and a matter of honor for Le Champion to make the organization run smoothly. A matter of honor because of the association's reputation in the organizational field, a necessity because of the desire to give the event a permanent place on the athletics calendar. Now, the first Dam tot Damloop went almost entirely according to plan. The "dreaded" passage of the IJtunnel presented no problems at all and was a fascinating event for both participants and spectators. Only at the finish in Zaandam did things get a little bogged down because of the large crowds, but that did not change the atmosphere: it was magnificent.

After that it did not take much effort to get the required permissions every year. By slightly shifting the start and finish -the distance, of course, had to remain exactly 16.1 km (or 10 English Mile)- there were more possibilities for a good reception of the athletes at entry. By seeking cooperation with the athletics associations Atos (Amsterdam-Noord) and Zaanland (Zaandam), Le Champion was able to make the run a competition recognized by the Athletics Union.

International fame Moreover, it became a race, which gained international fame due to an always strong field of participants. From the second year in 1986, the aim was to have some world-class competitors at the start, and with names like Mamede, Rousseau and Kristiansen, this succeeded immediately. The list of winners now includes impressive names, attracted thanks to the support of a number of sponsors. Moreover, the organizers have succeeded in making the run increasingly well known by introducing innovations. In 1988, on its fourth edition, they introduced the business run for corporate teams. That was a hit: 56 teams entered. This number would only increase until the 25th anniversary edition in 2009 saw a record number of 3,961 business teams enter the race!

Introduction Mini Dam tot Damloop To keep the public at the finish line in Zaandam entertained and to give young people a chance to get in on the action, Le Champion introduced mini runs over 2.2 and 3.2 km in the second Dam tot Dam year. Again, immediately several thousand little participants, passionately encouraged by fathers, mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers. The Dam tot Damloop became more and more of a family event.

In 1991, the number of Dam tot Damlopers could be written in five figures: 11,100. The public was also more closely involved in the run by linking a competition to many banners hung and held up. There was also a photo contest and people along the route (including schools and clubs) were asked to decorate parts of the course.

25 years Dam tot Damloop The Dam tot Dam Businessloop reached its absolute peak in 2009 during its 25th anniversary with 3,961 teams, making the Businessloop the largest of its kind in the world. Regarding the number of participants, in the same edition, thanks to the one-time expansion of the program with the Dam tot Dam by night on Saturday night, the gigantic number of participants of 60,000 was counted. This made the Dam tot Damloop not only by far the largest running event in the Netherlands, but also one of the larger running events worldwide. Numbers that Cees Lansbergen did not even dare to dream of in 1981.

New location VIP Business Village During the Dam tot Damloop, a large VIP Business Village is traditionally built in Zaandam near the finish line for the more than 1,000 companies participating in the Businessloop. Le Champion made the next step in the further professionalization and development of this village in 2013. The Burgemeester in 't Veldpark in Zaandam was selected as the new location of the village in close consultation with the Municipality of Zaanstad. This beautiful park is located at an attractive distance from the finish line and access roads and offered plenty of opportunities to take the next step in the development of the Dam tot Damloop. In just a few years, the Dam tot Dam Park grew to become the place where participants and spectators meet during the event. A location that includes live music performances by appealing artists, contemporary catering and attractive hospitality opportunities for companies.

Damloop by night
To mark the 30th anniversary of the Dam tot Damloop, the 4 English Mile Damloop was moved to the Saturday night in 2014. And with that, a new, successful event was born: the Damloop by night. Moving the short distance to Saturday allowed an additional 10,000 participants to participate. Thanks to all the acts and lights along the course, the atmosphere and entourage at this evening edition was completely different than during the traditional 10 English Mile. After the successful first edition, it was decided to definitively add the Damloop by night to the program of the Dam tot Dam Weekend. One year later, the distance was changed to 5 English Mile (8 km), to link the start and finish more closely to the party in the Dam tot Dam Park.

Folk festival
Because of all this, the Dam tot Damloop has become a popular festival. The flower vendors do good business on the day, because whoever completes the run -and that includes the mini runners- is "entitled" to flowers. After all, a feat has been accomplished! Most spectators do not come for the race, but to encourage acquaintances and enjoy the unique Dam tot Dam atmosphere. Still, the race run remains an essential part of the event. A number of sponsors make it possible to attract top athletes and this always results in a television report.

Dam tot Damloop Home Edition
Unfortunately, due to the corona measures in 2020, the Dam tot Damloop and Damloop by night had to be cancelled in the summer. Nevertheless, Le Champion got participants moving, through the special Home Edition. Some 5,000 runners participated in this edition from their own front door, where they could register their time via the special app. Afterwards, of course, everyone received the well-deserved medal. Unfortunately, the same thing happened in 2021 and the Dam tot Damloop was cancelled due to the corona virus. A Home Edition was unfortunately not possible that year.

After two years of corona, the Dam tot Damloop finally took place again in 2022. A total of 40,000 runners participate in the 10 English Mile and 9,000 in the Damloop by night. Unfortunately, the weather gods were not with us on this Sept. 16 and 17, an edition with rain from start to finish. However, the two best world-year times were run. The 29-year-old Magaret Kipkemboi crossed the finish line solo with his hands in the air in 50.43, and among the men, Charles Langat won in 45.14. In 2023, the race was won by Kenyans Kimeli and Keino. Also in this edition, 40,000 runners participated in the 10 English Mile, on Saturday night 1,000 runners took off in the Damloop by night.