THE DREADNOUGHT
by Coach Ben
Undoubtedly the toughest thing I have ever done along with my team mates Charlie and Ben (two other coaches from The Commando Temple)
What is the Dreadnought? It’s quite simple really.
In a team of three, each with a 10kg backpack, you pick up an 80kg Railway sleeper (one at the front, one at the back, one off) and march for 20 minutes. The person off the sleeper takes the back, the back takes the front and the front gets ‘a break’.
Repeat for 10+ hours per day - for three days. We crossed the entire Peak District in sun, wind and rain. Climbing hills, footpaths, woodland, fields.
This was an event way out of my comfort zone. I hadn’t done anything along the lines of endurance, but the training for this had me rucking marathons, half marathons and hours upon hours of stepping, carrying, rowing, sweating and mind numbing repetition.
One 20 minute stint was the hardest 20 minutes of physical activity I have ever done. Its day 3 - Im exhausted, my feet blistered, back in pieces and a throbbing tension headache from the weight of the log going up my neck. Im at the front, with Ben on the back. We begin a steep ascent through woodland. Charlie is off the log infront. Im holding his backpack as he navigates up the slippery, muddy path. He’s pointing out any trip hazards and i’m focusing on not slipping and finding footholds WITHOUT twisting my knee out of the joint (bear in mind there’s a lot of weight bearing down) If I commit to a step, I pull Ben forwards unexpectedly, and likewise - if he commits to a step, he pushes me forward. Adrenaline is pumping - but not as hard as the legs. They went beyond burning. Constant climbing with weight led to a brutal build up of lactic acid. Sweat is pouring into my eyes, but my hands aren’t available to wipe it away - it feels like i’m underwater. Im dry heaving, but movement has to be constant. The quicker its done, the quicker we get the goddamn log off.
We got to the top of the hill and switch - the relief was unreal. I can’t express it.
There were many moments that hurt - but that one stands out the most.
It was brutal, but worth it for the £14,000 we raised for the Military Charity - The Not Forgotten.
Check out the video below to get a sample of what we got up to.