He reckons the race can be organized within 48 hours of its announcement, at a cost of 1.5 million guilders, which is covered by a 100-guilder entry fee. Still, Mother Nature needs help. Ducks are a problem. They seek sanctuary in gaps in the ice called wakken, or blow-holes, and their body heat and flapping make it harder for the holes to freeze over. The ducks also get in the way of the ijstransplantatie, or ice transplantation, in which dump trucks gather ice from disused canals and haul it to holes along the race route.
Volunteers deploy ribbons and balloons near the holes to try to scare off the birds.
Hope that the race would come off began to melt away last weekend. Surveys of the ice and reports from local committees turned up 160 holes. The skaters themselves argue over the reasons for the holes. Mr. Witsen Elias blames the wildlife. Finally, the race committee decided to make it official, and gathered for a nationally televised news conference last Sunday afternoon to quell speculation.