Page 59 - RADC Bulletin 2022
P. 59
Comments from
the teams...
“The day would not have been as fun without WO2 Beckett’s music morale. She had her music going the whole event (until her phone died), but we had the best singalong, we even listened to the Rocky theme tune to motivate us at the top of Pen Y Fan”
LCpl Fox
“I found it challenging but enjoyable, best thing for
me was the total team spirit from everyone. I got to meet new people and enjoyed the walk-up Pen Y Fan. Worst part was the severe wind and hail stones on the hill not to mention my poor bottom at the end”
Cpl Lockhart
“The best thing for me was being with all the teams.
It was brilliant knowing no matter your ability your teammates had your back. The sense of achievement was awesome having never rode that far before. The worst part was the HUGE hills!”
Capt Humphreys
“Everyone pulled together, nobody felt left behind. It was great to meet others from the Corps and lovely Katy. Downside for me was they had run out of hog roast!”
Cpl Smith RADC BULLETIN 2022 57
had made it. Team pictures and a quick refuel at the top before we headed down for the long decent. This gave our teams the opportunity to really get to know each other, enjoy the views and have a scenic toilet break or two. The trek took us a grand total of 3.5 hrs, where we had made it back to the bike marshals.
After a quick pit stop to recharge our batteries, we began the 40-mile bike ride following the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal, and out towards the small village of Gilwern. We approached this phase with tactics and lessons learnt for the previous cycle. As the teams approached the halfway point, we were met by ‘half time’ orange segments and a water refill. After a quick team regroup to check on morale, we were off again. We retraced our steps before taking a turn back towards the Brecon Showground, the finish line was only 10 miles away. With this in sight we ploughed through the remainder of the route before tackling one final mammoth incline which saw some teams plunge into a low gear and bring out the turbo legs to get them to the top, we were not going to stop! Cycling the last few metres across the finish line late afternoon was the best feeling, however this was not the end.
Our teams dropped the bikes off with
the marshals and it was now time to life jacket up and launch our kayaks ready for the 2-mile paddle down the canal. With x2
to a kayak we split down and worked out who was going to steer. With this being the final leg of the event, we were tired, hungry and in need of a glass of bubbles and a
cold beer. The route saw plenty of splashing and some ‘dodgy’ driving into bushes and trees, but we made it back in once piece. We walked over that finish line as a team and received our medals just in time for a hog roast dinner and celebratory beer.
What an achievement, we beat the
sun. We are all so proud of each other for completing this event. It would not have been possible without the support of family, friends and the RADC PRI fund. Thank you for funding our places in the event. A huge thank you to Cpl Laura Smith for organising this event, if it wasn’t for you, we would not have completed it.
So far, we have raised over £3000 for this incredible charity. That kind of money is going to make the biggest difference to so many families. It costs £300 to fund x1 pioneering research project for a day. So far we have funded over 10 days’ worth of research. Such an achievement.
To find out more please visit www.action.org.uk