Page 21 - The Wish Stream Year of 2020 Crest

As the crest of the road came into view, the wooden log that sat in the lead soon veered off to the right and onto the next challenge. A complex downhill segment on broken, unlevel ground covered in loose stones presented itself, and the tight column of OCdts closed in by the high mud banks rolled with intense momentum towards the bottom. The Platoon had all run the route in their own time and knew that gravity was a gift that needed to be harnessed, especially before what was next: ‘Heroes Hill’.
It was named this for good reason. The gruel- ling uphill struggle had bad footing and was steeper than anything the team had experienced before. The words: “Stride into it, stride into it!” were shouted out. You couldn’t
With Churchill Hall and the tank drawing back into view, the pace quickened further, and the log pulled away in a ferocious attempt to prove their worth. This was it, the final sprint – what- ever was left needed to come out now. Being the last to run, all eyes were on them as they stamped onto and across the polo pitch, and veracious encouragement sounded out. It was 15 Platoon’s chance to show Sandhurst who they were. The proud team broke into a sprint, the finishing flags lay ahead, the seconds counted down and adrenaline coursed through the veins for the final back breaking lunges to the finish line.
They had done it. Burdens crashed to the floor and OCdts dropped to their knees,
stop: if you stopped you would lose all momentum, and the race with it. A swarm of bodies closed in together, forcing each other up the obnoxiously steep chal- lenge. Legs buckled, and lungs wheezed, begging for a respite.
A sense of relief washed over as
they stumbled into the pen that
noted the halfway point. Every-
one took a knee as instructed,
gasped desperately for breath
next to their burdens, took on
water and gathered themselves.
A few of the OCdts were redistributed onto dif- ferent logs or burdens before the 30-second call was made and everyone prepared themselves for the second phase – a downhill gallop to the finish line. The clock counted down and again everyone erupted into action with unwavering determination to win. It was said the race would be won in the first half; now it was just a mat- ter of clinging on until the end. The changes on the logs became more frequent as the OCdts became ever more fatigued. Their bodies would crumble away from the log as someone took over and they switched sides to re-join the fray; the wooden log jerked ever more violently as it bounced around in tired hands.
Determination took over the feelings of pain, and the pace picked up once again as Beagles gate closed in from the distance and the team rumbled through the final gate onto the home stretch. It was time to dig deep and find that spark along the shambles of a path towards the assault course, especially with the New College Commander joining 15 Platoon to the finish line.
desperately gasping to get air back into their lungs. Sweat poured from their faces, they were all too worn down to celebrate just yet. Every- thing had been left on the course. It took a moment to compose themselves before picking up the burdens one last time and walking them back to where it had started. It was over, they had done it, and it felt good. Members of the Pla- toon congratulated each other, and smiles began to beam across faces as they realised what they had achieved. It would later be revealed
that 15 Platoon had won the event with a time of 30 minutes and 40 seconds, a worthy time and a proud achievement for both the Platoon and the Somme Company, who held the top three spots in the event. The OCdts would now be able to look back on the event, and proudly say what it was like ‘back in their day’; in a year without many rites of passage, this one was complete.
The final drive for the line, leaving nothing on the course
The Platoon had all run the route in their own time and knew that gravity was a
gift that needed to be harnessed, especially before what was next: ‘Heroes Hill’
SANDHURST 19