Page 110 - RSDG Year of 2021 CREST

116 EAGLE AND CARBINE
Spean Bridge Commando Speed March
SSgt (SSI) L Baldwin RAPTC
The Commando Speed March follows the route former Commandos took to reach the original training cen- tre at Achnacarry Estate, leading from Spean Bridge Railway Station to Achnacarry Castle. The route con- sists of 7 miles of extremely undulating roads, with par- ticipants carrying 16Kgs, attempting to reach the gates of the Castle within 60 minutes, with failure resulting in an immediate RTU. Today, the gates stay open with no threat of RTU, but the route and the weight of kit stays the same, replicating the task undertaken by the aspiring commandos. The charity event is organised by our own SSgt Baldwin RAPTC, who gathered a group of six willing volunteers to partake in what is a very gruelling 60 minutes of pain and mental battles!
The pre-training to the most anticipated tabbing com- petition of the year was, unfortunately, cut short by our busy regimental life, however, the team put in a monumental effort on the day to achieve a great result!
This year 150 participants had entered into the Commando Speed March resulting, in a mass start to rival the London marathon as we got on our way from the Spean Bridge Railway Station straight into the 1.8 mile hill. The 6 SCOTS DG individuals fought their way to the front on the long hill and put in an incred- ible effort, climbing the field throughout the following 5.2 miles, to take 7th position in a competitive field of 24 teams. Special mention goes to SSgt Jarett who placed 16th, with a time of 56:04.
LCpl Foley succinctly sums it up; “The route starts flat, but before you know it you’re on the first hill that seems never-ending! My legs were in tatters from the start to the finish, but it was a great day and dinner night. I’ll definitely be back on the next event to go into the hurt locker again.”
Exercise Eagle’s Peleton: The North Coast 500
Attendees:
Maj Mike Houstoun
Capt Bruce Barclay
Capt Darren Stevenson
Capt Dan Taylor
Lt Sandy Snowball
WO1 Neil Dolan
WO2 Jim Allan
SSgt David Steel
SSgt Joe Entwistle
SSgt Liam Baldwin
Sgt Callum Christie
Cpl Richard Maule (support)
Cpl Daniel Kennedy (support) Cpl Charlie Dance
Cpl Seoirse Gaughan
Cpl Stephen Daly (support)
LCpl Atunaisa Druavesi (support) LCpl Steven King
As Summer leave came to an end, following a frenetic period on Ex WESSEX STORM, SCOTS DG’s team of cyclists assembled in Inverness to take part in Ex EAGLE’s PELOTON, completing the North Coast 500 by road bike to mark the 50th Anniversary of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. Successful assembly was a considerable relief for SSgt Steel, who had worked
hard to bring everything together, whilst somehow simultaneously preparing the Sqn for Ex WESSEX STORM!
The team were fuelled mentally and physically on the Sunday evening by a substantial pub dinner and a talk on Mental Resilience by record holding the Scottish Endurance Cyclist and Inverness local, Jenny Graham. Jenny holds the record for the fastest female solo ride around the world, completing the route in just over 4 months, self-supported, covering a total distance of 18,428 miles. Her training journey to completing this amazing feat and the experiences she had across the challenge were perfect inspiration - huge credit goes to SSgt Liam Baldwin for making this enthusing talk happen.