SCOTLAND's role in Commando training during the Second World War is to be marked by an extraordinary feat of endurance by a serving Royal Marine.
Sixty years after the last recruits marched up the hills around Achnacarry Commando training station near Fort William, Sergeant Billy Rodgers will recreate their feats in authentic 1940s dress.
Sgt Rodgers, 34, will don a 36-pound pack, and make the legendary seven-mile speed march from nearby Spean Bridge station to Achnacarry, the route unsuspecting Commando recruits were ordered to take during the Second World War.
Then he will run up Ben Nevis and spend the next two weeks cycling to the present-day Commando Training Centre at Lympstone in Devon, stopping to run to the highest peaks in England and Wales along the way. The expedition is being undertaken to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the closing of the Achnacarry training station.
SCOTLAND's role in Commando training during the Second World War is to be marked by an extraordinary feat of endurance by a serving Royal Marine.
Sixty years after the last recruits marched up the hills around Achnacarry Commando training station near Fort William, Sergeant Billy Rodgers will recreate their feats in authentic 1940s dress.
Sgt Rodgers, 34, will don a 36-pound pack, and make the legendary seven-mile speed march from nearby Spean Bridge station to Achnacarry, the route unsuspecting Commando recruits were ordered to take during the Second World War.
Then he will run up Ben Nevis and spend the next two weeks cycling to the present-day Commando Training Centre at Lympstone in Devon, stopping to run to the highest peaks in England and Wales along the way. The expedition is being undertaken to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the closing of the Achnacarry training station.
[censored]!
-- Sara
iChat: sarakirk (AIM) So, what are you going to do? Sucker me to death?
Sgt Rodgers, 34, will don a 36-pound pack, and make the legendary seven-mile speed march from nearby Spean Bridge station to Achnacarry, the route unsuspecting Commando recruits were ordered to take during the Second World War.
Then he will run up Ben Nevis and spend the next two weeks cycling to the present-day Commando Training Centre at Lympstone in Devon, stopping to run to the highest peaks in England and Wales along the way. The expedition is being undertaken to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the closing of the Achnacarry training station.
Sounds like a wimp to me; he should be doing it with a 40 Kg pack and on a unicycle, going backwards of course. Seriously, sounds like one hell of a tough challenge, good luck to him.
Then he will run up Ben Nevis and spend the next two weeks cycling to the present-day Commando Training Centre at Lympstone in Devon, stopping to run to the highest peaks in England and Wales along the way. The expedition is being undertaken to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the closing of the Achnacarry training station.
Hmmm, two weeks.
Sounds like he's a very fit runner in the mountains, but only an averagely fit cyclist. Substitute walk for run on those three mountains, and it looks like a nice holiday. And I'm not one of those people who could ever contemplate a 'serious' audax!
Sounds like he's a very fit runner in the mountains, but only an averagely fit cyclist. Substitute walk for run on those three mountains, and it looks like a nice holiday. And I'm not one of those people who could ever contemplate a 'serious' audax!
Agreed. It,s a worthy cause but two weeks is an average time for moderately fit cyclists to do an end2end which is hundreds of miles longer. And the three peaks by the shortest routes are 12-16 hours up and down in total for averagely fit hillwalkers. Iain
Sounds like he's a very fit runner in the mountains, but only an averagely fit cyclist. Substitute walk for run on those three mountains, and it looks like a nice holiday. And I'm not one of those people who could ever contemplate a 'serious' audax!
Agreed. It,s a worthy cause but two weeks is an average time for moderately fit cyclists to do an end2end which is hundreds of miles longer.
Hundreds of miles? 3 peaks is about 500 miles, then 300 to get to Lympstone, that gets him up to 800 miles, so not that much less, but sure he's not doing anything absolutely amazing - why should we expect him too?
