{"id":1639,"date":"2026-03-04T12:12:53","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T12:12:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/history\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T13:13:42","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T13:13:42","slug":"history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/history\/","title":{"rendered":"History"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"eye-block breadcrumbs-wrapper no-animation\">\r\n            <ul class=\"site-breadcrumbs\">\r\n            <li class=\"crumb\">\r\n                <a class=\"disable-line\" href=\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\">\r\n                    <i class=\"fa-regular fa-house\"><\/i>\r\n                <\/a>\r\n            <\/li>\r\n\r\n                            <div class=\"divider\"><\/div>\r\n                <li class=\"crumb\">\r\n                    <a class=\"disable-line\" href=\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/history\/\">\r\n                        History                    <\/a>\r\n                <\/li>\r\n                    <\/ul>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<div class=\"blink-block empty-space empty-space--medium \" ><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"eye-block timeline\">\r\n    <div class=\"timeline--intro\">\r\n        <div class=\"label bg--green\">\r\n            <span class=\"label--text\">History<\/span>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n        <div class=\"row\">\r\n            <div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\r\n                                    <h2 class=\"timeline--title\">The rich history of the Kennedy-Mars Sittard<\/h2>\r\n                            <\/div>\r\n            <div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\r\n                                    <p class=\"timeline--intro-text\">The Kennedy-Mars has a long and impressive history dating back to the early years of the event. What once started as a sporting challenge grew into an established tradition where perseverance, discipline, and togetherness are central.<\/p>\r\n                                            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"timeline--events\">\r\n        <div class=\"swiper-buttons\">\r\n            <div class=\"swiper-button-prev\">\r\n                <i class=\"fa-solid fa-arrow-left-long\"><\/i>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n            <div class=\"swiper-button-next\">\r\n                <i class=\"fa-solid fa-arrow-right-long\"><\/i>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n        <div class=\"swiper\">\r\n            <div class=\"swiper-wrapper\">\r\n                                                            <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\r\n                            <div class=\"timeline--event top\">\r\n                                                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/TR-at-Sagamore-Hill.jpg\"\r\n                                         alt=\"\" class=\"event-image\">\r\n                                                                <div class=\"event--content\">\r\n                                    <div class=\"event-year\">1908<\/div>\r\n                                    <div class=\"event-text\">Theodore Roosevelt decrees that officers must be able to walk 80 kilometers within 20 hours.<\/div>\r\n                                <\/div>\r\n                            <\/div>\r\n                        <\/div>\r\n                                            <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\r\n                            <div class=\"timeline--event bottom\">\r\n                                                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/gettyimages-97347150.avif\"\r\n                                         alt=\"\" class=\"event-image\">\r\n                                                                <div class=\"event--content\">\r\n                                    <div class=\"event-year\">1963<\/div>\r\n                                    <div class=\"event-text\">President John F. Kennedy asks whether this feat is still achievable in modern times.<\/div>\r\n                                <\/div>\r\n                            <\/div>\r\n                        <\/div>\r\n                                            <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\r\n                            <div class=\"timeline--event top\">\r\n                                                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Rectangle-67.png\"\r\n                                         alt=\"\" class=\"event-image\">\r\n                                                                <div class=\"event--content\">\r\n                                    <div class=\"event-year\">1963<\/div>\r\n                                    <div class=\"event-text\">Robert Kennedy completes the trek in 17 hours and 50 minutes, sparking a worldwide hype.<\/div>\r\n                                <\/div>\r\n                            <\/div>\r\n                        <\/div>\r\n                                            <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\r\n                            <div class=\"timeline--event bottom\">\r\n                                                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Rectangle-68.png\"\r\n                                         alt=\"\" class=\"event-image\">\r\n                                                                <div class=\"event--content\">\r\n                                    <div class=\"event-year\">1963<\/div>\r\n                                    <div class=\"event-text\">The first Kennedy-Mars is walked in Sittard by eleven young people<\/div>\r\n                                <\/div>\r\n                            <\/div>\r\n                        <\/div>\r\n                                            <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\r\n                            <div class=\"timeline--event top\">\r\n                                                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Rectangle-69.png\"\r\n                                         alt=\"\" class=\"event-image\">\r\n                                                                <div class=\"event--content\">\r\n                                    <div class=\"event-year\">1964<\/div>\r\n                                    <div class=\"event-text\">Decision to organize the Kennedy-Mars annually<\/div>\r\n                                <\/div>\r\n                            <\/div>\r\n                        <\/div>\r\n                                                <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n        <div class=\"timeline-line\"><\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<script>\r\n    document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function () {\r\n\r\n        const timelineSwiper = new Swiper('.timeline .swiper', {\r\n            slidesPerView: 1,\r\n            spaceBetween: 100,\r\n            grabCursor: true,\r\n            touchEventsTarget: 'container',\r\n            breakpoints: {\r\n                768: {\r\n                    slidesPerView: 2,\r\n                    spaceBetween: 120,\r\n                },\r\n                992: {\r\n                    slidesPerView: 3,\r\n                    spaceBetween: 150,\r\n                },\r\n            },\r\n            navigation: {\r\n                nextEl: '.timeline .swiper-button-next',\r\n                prevEl: '.timeline .swiper-button-prev',\r\n            },\r\n        });\r\n\r\n        function addSwipeScaleEffect(swiperInstance) {\r\n\r\n            swiperInstance.on('touchStart', () => {\r\n                gsap.to(swiperInstance.slides, {\r\n                    scale: 0.93,\r\n                    duration: 0.2,\r\n                    ease: 'power2.out'\r\n                });\r\n            });\r\n\r\n            swiperInstance.on('touchEnd', () => {\r\n                gsap.to(swiperInstance.slides, {\r\n                    scale: 1,\r\n                    duration: 0.35,\r\n                    ease: 'power3.out'\r\n                });\r\n            });\r\n\r\n            swiperInstance.on('transitionEnd', () => {\r\n                gsap.to(swiperInstance.slides, {\r\n                    scale: 1,\r\n                    duration: 0.2,\r\n                    ease: 'power2.out'\r\n                });\r\n            });\r\n\r\n        }\r\n\r\n        addSwipeScaleEffect(timelineSwiper);\r\n\r\n    });\r\n<\/script>\r\n<div class=\"blink-block empty-space empty-space--large \" ><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1639","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>History - Kennedy-Mars Sittard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/history\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"History - Kennedy-Mars Sittard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/history\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kennedy-Mars Sittard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KennedyMarsSittard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-24T13:13:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/history\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/history\/\",\"name\":\"History - Kennedy-Mars Sittard\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-04T12:12:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-24T13:13:42+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/history\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/history\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/history\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"History\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/\",\"name\":\"Kennedy-Mars Sittard\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Kennedy-Mars Sittard\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/KMS-logo-color.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/KMS-logo-color.png\",\"width\":848,\"height\":254,\"caption\":\"Kennedy-Mars Sittard\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KennedyMarsSittard\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/kennedymarssittard1963\/\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"History - Kennedy-Mars Sittard","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/history\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"History - Kennedy-Mars Sittard","og_url":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/history\/","og_site_name":"Kennedy-Mars Sittard","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KennedyMarsSittard","article_modified_time":"2026-03-24T13:13:42+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/history\/","url":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/history\/","name":"History - Kennedy-Mars Sittard","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-03-04T12:12:53+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-24T13:13:42+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/history\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/history\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/history\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"History"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/","name":"Kennedy-Mars Sittard","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/#organization","name":"Kennedy-Mars Sittard","url":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/KMS-logo-color.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/KMS-logo-color.png","width":848,"height":254,"caption":"Kennedy-Mars Sittard"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KennedyMarsSittard","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/kennedymarssittard1963\/"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1639"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1639\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2281,"href":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1639\/revisions\/2281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennedymars.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}