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Paras' 10 (September 2011)

On Sunday 11th September 2011 Welbeck's Paras' 10 team arose at the early time of 05:45 ready to face the challenge ahead - Paras' 10 and our particular race, the P Company Challenge. P Company Challenge consists of a 10 mile arduous course carrying 16 kg plus water in a Bergen whilst wearing boots and combat trousers, and is held yearly at Vimy Barracks, Catterick. It's silly to say that we weren't feeling anxious or nervous of what was to come as we all knew it was going to be a severely tough challenge, one which would test us both mentally and physically to the extreme.

The team consisted of 34 members, 2 of which were QMSI Pyburn and Flying Officer Lang, 28 boys and 4 girls. After eating what our stomachs could handle over early breakfast at 0600hrs we boarded the coach and anxious discussions began about what was to come. I know that some of us thought it was ridiculous to get up so early and to put our bodies through such a strenuous challenge, but the knowledge of feeling such achievement and pride once it was over was what kept us motivated. After sleeping and hydrating for the 2 ½ hour journey we all felt fully rested, and upon our arrival we went to our registration point for 0930hrs where we began our race preparation. Pinning on race numbers, filling up water bottles, camel backs, taping shoulders and backs was just the beginning. Maybe a little light reading of ‘The SAS and Other Elite Forces' would do the job of mentally preparing ourselves? We would have to wait and see. After capturing a few group and team photos we were off to get our Bergens weighed.

Approximately 3000 people had entered the P Company Challenge and 4000 had entered the Paras' 10 which is a 10 mile run without weight and boots. The whole occasion is a very popular event which meant there was a long wait in the queue to have our Bergens weighed which allowed time for the nerves to build and kick in, which was daunting. At 1100hrs the Paras' 10 race started - signified by the firing of a light gun by Matt Baker, presenter of BBC's ‘The One Show' and former Blue Peter favourite who had completed P Company in 2004. Ten minutes later P Company had finally started, and the nerves we had all been feeling immediately vanished as we began our 10 mile mission. Running with 16 kg in weight is completely different to running without any weight at all - strides shorten, legs have more weight to carry so therefore fatigue quicker and you have to put in a lot more effort to keep running, (basically it's a lot harder), however running the whole 10 miles is near enough impossible, so a tactic most people used was to tab the hills and run the flats and down hills, but doing this over a 10 mile course still requires a huge amount of hard work, grit and determination.

The course we ran was multi terrain with 2 significant hills towards the 8 and 9 mile marks which were the steepest of the bunch. These were agonising to climb after completing the majority of the route but were the final test of our strength. Running the final mile was the most difficult, but also the most rewarding, as we knew we were to complete the challenge if we kept working just until the finish. During the course sportsmanship was very apparent as everyone running in the event was cheering each other on and even giving each other energy gels and tablets so we could all keep tackling the course head on. An observation made was that people of all sizes, ages and gender were participating showing how a large portion of tackling the challenge is pure determination and drive in yourself to accomplish the course.

The Para pass time of P Company Challenge is a time of 1 hour 50 minutes and below, and this was an aim of many of the guys from the Welbeck team. Special mentions should go to Pete Hamlin, Reece Statham-Quilty, Tristan Trehan, Jordan Gask, Steve Wyndham-Smith, Simon Marr, Liam Griffin, Ian Rainford, Quinn Sorabjee, Jamie Pratt, James Conn, Leon Debnath and Sam Jellard for passing Paras' time and unlucky to Jon Jellis who was just one minute out - better luck next time!

After finishing the course a lot of us agreed that it was the hardest thing we had ever done but completing it is what made us feel a great sense of achievement and pride. At 17 or 18 years old we have overcome and achieved this test, and it will certainly be an experience we will remember and take with us into the future, hopefully tackling more challenges like this in our future careers. The P Company Challenge tested us both physically and mentally to the extreme and is a day we will remember for a long time to come where we will look back and feel proud of what we accomplished, both individually and as members of the Welbeck Para team.

Holly Kirkham, Portland 10E

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