Page 45 - The Bugle Issue 12 Autumn 2016

The Copenhagen Marathon
As part of our pre training for the Army Marathon Championships in October I decided to enter a marathon early in the season to give some of the Ri emen a taste of what 26.2 miles is about while at the same time adding some culture and fun. Copen- hagen seemed like a great choice with its connec- tions to The Ri es and the city’s rich atmosphere and culture.
The team started strong with six members of the Battalion. However as the race got closer the team cut to just three runners, Cpl Clint Vale, Pte David Brown and me. The weather report for race day suggested we were in for the perfect British runner’s weather of rain and wind. However to our surprise, the Danish weather man was wrong and we arrived to gorgeous sunshine and temperatures in the mid 20s.
Race day was even hotter with not a cloud in the sky and as we walked to the start locals were already swimming in the purpose built swimming areas of the canal. Once at the start we parted ways and slotted into the 10000 person strong line according to where we wanted to nish. The course weaved through the cobbled streets and parks of Copenhagen making the initial 10-12 miles very pleasant; however the sun soon changed that and all members of the team started to suffer. Both myself and Pte Brown slowed signi cantly to come in over our predicted times, 3:18 and 4:53 respec- tively while Cpl Vale unfortunately pulled out due to injury after being caught in an incident at the 15 mile point.
Post-race we met up and exchanged stories of the dark times we had experienced and then like old stick men we wondered back to our accom- modation for some much needed rest and food. Once recharged we set about exploring the sites of Copenhagen for the rest of the day, visiting many of the areas we had run past earlier but this time in a more relaxed manner. Running a marathon is a great way to see a city but perhaps the sightseeing should be done rst. The weekend had been a success, despite not achieving the times we wanted and Pte Brown vouching he would ‘never do that again, ever’ upon crossing the nish line. We all left feeling positive and discussing the next race we could do, bring on October!
Captain Gareth Crossley, Operations Of cer
RUNNING A MARATHON IS A GREAT WAY TO SEE A CITY BUT PERHAPS THE SIGHTSEEING SHOULD BE DONE FIRST
THE RIFLES
FIRST BATTALION 43
Capt Crossley and
Pte Brown after the Copenhagen Marathon