Page 77 - Wish Stream Year of 2017

Every week at Sandhurst begins with its own surprises, and this week was no exception. Having spent last week conducting offen-
sive ops on Ex Allenby’s Advance in the chilly and challenging Brecon Beacons, I certainly did not expect to be picking up the medal for being the first female under 23 at the Inter-Services Cross Country championships this week!
I have always enjoyed running, particularly cross-country: the raw grit and determination required to run around arduous and muddy courses, with the additional element of compe- tition, always makes it thrilling. So for me, the selection of cross-country as my sport in Junior Term was an obvious choice. I have been lucky enough to compete on a few occasions for the Academy, and was fortunate to be among the athletes from across the Army to be selected for this prestigious annual fixture from the previous Army Championships held at RMAS. On 14th February the selected Army team joined their Navy and RAF counterparts at HMS Raleigh in Plymouth.
Several days of West Country rain in the days leading up to the race ensured prime cross- country conditions and, as the sun broke
OCdt Karas
through, we were stacked on the start line, rar- ing to go and hoping that a good race was to be had by all. The distances were 9 kilometres for the Men’s race and 5 kilometres for the Jun- iors’ and Ladies’ events, with each different race being staggered. The competition was tough, and every athlete had someone chasing them, with the slippery conditions making overtaking (and not falling flat on one’s face) even more diffi- cult. The Army team collected best Junior Men’s team and Ladies’ team, with several members selected for the combined services team.
Apart from the racing, the day also provided an excellent opportunity to speak to various ranks from numerous cap badges about their experi- ences; perfect timing before Regimental Selec- tion Boards in a few weeks. We are told that “Sport is critically important to morale, welfare, and operational effectiveness of Army Person- nel”. The team cohesion, and hard physical and mental robustness shown in this event empha- sised all of this to me, and I hope that when I commission I will be given another opportunity to get stuck back in to the Army Athletics team. I will certainly encourage keen runners amongst my soldiers to do so!
Inter-Services Cross Country
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