| Run for Charlotte - Dartmoor 30-miler | ||
| Date | 18-07-2009 | |
| Description | The Dartmoor 30-miler is the final challenge that Royal Marine recruits must complete in order to wear the coveted Green Beret. So when Rupert Hague-Holmes (whose daughter Charlotte has recently undergone treatment at the Wessex) and three of his colleagues from Close Bank in Guernsey chose to tackle this fearsome test they certainly weren't taking the easy option! The course is tough at the best of times, but days of torrential rain in the lead up to the event had turned much of the route into knee-deep mud and water-logged moorland. Rupert takes up the story. "The distance of 30 miles was broken up into 5 legs with 4 checkpoints scattered at various points across Dartmoor. We were lucky to have a strong and dedicated support team of colleagues who met us at every checkpoint with bananas and juice (with diarolyte in it), despite the fact that their GPS guidance and map reading skills left a lot to be desired! After a weather check the night before confirmed overcast conditions, we set off from Okehampton camp in the north of Dartmoor at about 0900 in good overhead conditions (overcast and cool) but underfoot it was very wet which made the going very tough and slow. We certainly underestimated just how tough Dartmoor would be and there was very little easy terrain, most of the day we were battling with steep hills, bogs, stream crossings, mud, gorse or loose rocky ground. The soreness in our legs, chaffing from the bergens and webbing and blisters on our feet are testament to the difficulty of the 30 miles. Thank goodness we were not required to carry weapons as well! At Checkpoint 2, we had the added bonus of being made to eat a Cornish pasty - we were told that this was Royal Marines tradition that could not be broken! The day was very long but the Marines were excellent in motivating us along and ensuring that we kept fed and hydrated. Despite this, it still felt lonely at times on Dartmoor and there was an ebb and flow of morale over the course of the day. When we approached the final bridge the six of us lined up in two by two formation and we 'double timed' across the finish line. This was an emotional moment as we saw our support crew wearing their 'Run for Charlotte' T-shirts and each of felt a huge sense of achievement and pride in what we had completed. We were also able to take a moment to reflect and think of the charity and our own reasons for joining the challenge as each of us has been affected by neurological illnesses within our families and the money we raise will help people in situations similar to those our families have experienced." Our picture shows the team arriving at the finish, exhausted but elated at their achievement, with Rupert (Front Centre), Nigel Govett, James Tracey, Ian Smith, Rupert's son, William (who joined them to run a 3-mile section of the route) and the two Marines who accompanied the team. Despite the gruelling conditions, they completed the 30-miler in 9hrs 28mins, just 88 minutes outside the Royal Marine Commando qualifying time, and their efforts have raised an incredible £16,000 for Smile4Rich. |
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