Page 42 - The Wish Stream Year of 2022

gather momentum as we entered the final hours of the challenge. As we ended the 23rd hour, we totalled our distance and discovered that we had reached the 4800km target and realised that we had reached El Alamein, the place that seemed so far away not long before. Regardless
of reaching the target, we still had one more hour to maximise our total distance. With 80s hits in the background and the Academy Adjutant join- ing for the final hour, we flew through and ended our challenge to the Countdown theme tune. On completion, we totalled 5309km and, at the time of writing, raised a massive £3561 in donations, taking the total to £4153.24 once gift aid had been included.
There was immense pride within the platoon for setting out and completing an extremely difficult challenge. We are now a much better unit with much tighter bonds as a group. The event was an unequivocal success and something we will look back on fondly in later life.
Burma 1000
On Wednesday 9th November 2022, 89 cadets and staff from Burma Company participated in the Burma 1000 charity
sports event.
The participants set out to collectively run 1000 one-mile laps within the grounds of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Wattbikes were made available to allow those with inju- ries to also contribute to the lap tally, with three miles cycled being equal to one mile run. The distance was chosen in homage to the 1000-mile withdrawal of British Forces in Burma from 1941 to 1942, led by Field Mar- shall Slim, during the Company’s namesake WWII campaign. It was the longest with- drawal in British Army history and took place over incredibly arduous terrain, resulting in more than 10,000 British casualties over a five-and-a-half-month period.
Donned in their blue Burma Company shirts, the participants also wore a unique num- ber on their hand which allowed their laps to be logged by event assistants as they ran past the Start-Finish point by the library. The Wattbikes were set up here too, allow- ing the cyclists to soak up the atmosphere of the Burma 1000 with good music and a view of the runners as they passed through. A well-stocked food and hydration station was provided to allow participants to refuel when desired.
With a goal of completing 1000 miles within four hours, Burma Company managed to finish in just two and a half. Some stand- out performances included 20 miles run by OCdt Lane-Fox, and 19 miles by both OCdts McMahon and Hughes. The average distance run by participants was 11.2 miles each; this was a notable achievement, leaving many with stiff legs in the subsequent days leading up to Ex DYNAMIC VICTORY.
The Burma 1000 was organised to raise money for SSAFA, the Army Benevolent Fund and the Sandhurst Trust; three charities carry- ing out important work for our Armed Forces community. Between them, they provide wel- fare support for the UK military’s serving per- sonnel, veterans, and their families, and work to preserve the heritage of RMAS itself.
Thanks to the generosity of our families and friends, the Burma 1000 raised over £2200 for these well-deserving charities.
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