Vilvoorde Marathon (42,2km)

This Vilvoorde Marathon is 42.2km long (26Mi) and is drawn in loop form (clockwork clockwise) along the available rural roads and green domains in Vilvoorde.
You can do the loop both on foot and by bike.

This loop is 99% developed within the municipal boundary of Vilvoorde. Taking into account the densely built-up Vilvoorde that seamlessly merges into Machelen in the south, Brussels City (Haren, Buda, Neder-over-Heembeek, Laeken) and Grimbergen (Strombeek-Bever), and knowing that the road network there is extremely dense and busy, makes this loop unique. Rural and even various traffic-free roads form the most important connections between all still existing forest areas, park zones, meadows and still available fields in vilvoordse. New infrastructure (bicycle bridges, new urban development between Zeekanaal and Zenne) and the remediation of old industrial areas (Forges-de-Clabecq, Buda) have certainly helped to make it very pleasant for the athlete.

It has been decided to keep the asphalted roads and paths to a minimum. Paved (park paths) and a few unpaved roads (farm roads, slow paths) are used in the loop; and in the wet season it can sometimes be quite difficult to digest, for example, the oldest road of Vilvoorde - the Roman Stone Road (cobblestone strip of this hollow road then runs under a sticky loamy soil). This gives the loop a varied trail with a lot of beautiful nature experience and viewpoints.
However, it is impossible to avoid all buildings. The borough of Peutie and districts Faubourg, Mutsaard and het Voor are on the menu, but in a way that is pleasant and safe for the athlete. It was possible to short-circuit the Mutsaardwijk. This has not been done because three municipalities also meet here at one crossroads, which is fairly unique in the area (see also below). This three-municipality point is also the highest point in the loop: https://www.routeyou.com/location/view/47554613/drie-gemeentenpunt-op-de-kruising-de-wandstraat-met-romeinse-steenweg-360-panorama.nl

The departure and arrival point of the drawn loop is at the stone stage at the bottom of the tree avenue in the Domain Three Fountains (just south of the French Garden at the Brasserie Drie Fonteinen). At the Brasserie there is a parking lot and you can also eat / drink afterwards. On departure and arrival you will notice that the loop is inclined. The northern and eastern part of the loop is flat. You can of course start (and finish) your Vilvoordse Marathon at your own preferred location on this loop. For example, at the ponds in the Borght so that the slopes only come after 20km and you have the last kilometers downhill.

You will encounter a wide variety of sights along the way. In order of the drawn loop these are (enlarge the map and click on the POIs and their photos):

Nature:
Domain Three Fountains; agricultural zone between Aardebergstraat (Neder-over-Heembeek) and the Roman Stone Road; Tangebeek forest and Tange valley; Domain of Borght on the Fazantenstraat (Borght, Grimbergen); rehabilitated domain of Forges-de-Clabecq east of the Senne near Vilvoorde center, (a short view of the Dorent Nelebroek domain with the last old Zennemeanders between Vilvoorde and Eppegem); the Bomputten west of Houtem, Bos van het Steen (Rubens castle) and Roosbroeken, Houtembos with Witte Kinderbos, Floordambos, Hanssenspark, Oude Zenne (north, in, and south of Vilvoorde center).

Roads (infrastructure) -single-:
Brussels Outer Ring; the three-municipality point on the Mutsaard (Brussels, Grimbergen and Vilvoorde are located at the intersection of the Roman chaussée de Roman and the Wandstraat against each other); Keelstraat to the Voor; Albert-I-Avenue; Vaartdijk (Borght, Grimbergen); Zeekanaal (above, in and below Vilvoorde centre); Woluwelaan; Old Leuvensesteenweg; Perksestraat; Keerdok Zeekanaal - where all northern Zennemeanders at Cargovil and Dorent-Nelebroek were filled in or closed (Tangebeek and Maalbeek used to flow into the Senne after their siphon under the Zeekanaal just at the location of the current tilting bridge over the Keerdok)-.

Works of art civil engineering:
Brussels Outer Ring viewed at the bottom; Vilvoorde Peace Bridge; E19 between which the Diabolo train connection Mechelen-Zaventem; Longest bicycle bridge in Flanders Vilvoorde Melsbroek; Bicycle bridge Vilvoorde-Perk; Elevated railway line Mechelen-Brussels.

Historic Sites:
Domain Three Fountains with various park buildings; Blaesenberg Hollow Road, Old Roman Stone Road; Albert-I-Laan -formerly a hollow road-; intersection Poststraat-Breemputstraat-Bruinstraat on the Tangebeek; Motte in the Borght; beginning and end of the roofing of the Senne in the 70s; Bomb pits near Houten; Steenhoeve of the Rubens Castle; Two castles on the Floordambos (Huynehoven and Ravaart Castle); the Tuchthuis (redesigned as a fire station).

Typical neighbourhood zones:
Europawijk; Kingslo; Hatsaart; the For; the Borght and Cobblestone; Houtem; Huinhoven; Peutie; Faubourg; Kanaalpark (between the Tuchthuis on the old Zennemeander and the covered Senne and the Zeekanaal).

Technical context for marathon runners:
The lowest point is 6 m and is on the Steenbos between Houtem (Steenhoeve) and the Steen (Rubens Castle). The route in this West-North-East area is flat, and in the wet season you have to take into account marshy sections through some unpaved slopes in the rehabilitated domain Forges-de-Clabecq on the right bank of the Senne, to the left of the Slachthuisstraat -Rooseveldplein-; at the Bomb Pits; Steenbos (at the Steenhoeve above Houten en het Steen (Rubens Castle) and Houtembos; and a few small strips in the Tangebeek valley (See the POIs).
The highest point is 70m and is at the three-municipality point Vilvoorde-Brussel_stad-Grimbergen at the intersection of the Mutsaardplein and the Roman Steenweg.
Between the Buda bridge on the Zeekanaal and this three-municipality point you have the most climbing of the entire loop (climbing with descents). Also in this South-Eastern part there are some places that can be soggy in the wet season (At the domain Drie Fonteinen -Verlengde Woelmontstraat along the Ring, and the Brugweg to the sports fields-; Roman Stone Road between Ring and Koningslo -rising cobblestone road regularly flooded-; field road between Roman Stone Road Koningslo and Schapenweg -border Neder-over-Heembeek Mutsaard-).
The total ascent/descent in the entire loop is approximately 230 m.