Soldier completes 152-mile charity march carrying 20kg Bergen

A soldier has marched 152 miles carrying a 20kg Bergen in 60 hours – all to raise funds for life-changing mental health treatment for veterans.

British Army soldier Jim Doyle received praise over social media as he reached his 60-hour mark.

TV personality and Honorary Royal Marines Colonel Bear Grylls praised the "huge effort" and called the effort an "incredible feat".

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Former Special Forces soldier Chris Ryan shared an image of the Rifles soldier, along with a message of praise for Jim.

He said: "152 miles in 60 hours carrying 20kgs. Sterling effort for a worthy cause by a genuine guy.

"Please retweet and donate where you can because it will mean an awful lot to all who benefit from the support of @CombatStress".

Combat Stress is a UK charity for veterans' mental health, which helps former servicemen and women deal with issues like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression and other complex mental health issues.

Jim's progress on the 'Peny to Park challenge' can be tracked via his Combat Stress fundraiser page where he posted Strava distance updates as well as messages and images of his efforts.

He thanked his "good friends Adam and Kev" for the amazing support and also gave a "sincere thank you" to everyone who had donated.

Posting on his fundraiser page after reaching the 60-hour mark, he said: "Dear all, after 60 hours of marching for Combat Stress, I have gone as far as I can go!

"I wish I could have carried on marching the last 25 miles to Regents Park but I have absolutely nothing left in the tank.

"A huge, sincere thank you for everyone who has donated – your generosity and support has made every mile worthwhile. Jim." 

Take two

Jim told Forces News that this was, in fact, his second attempt.

He said: "I actually tried to do the event five weeks ago but had to stop after 100 miles because of my feet, so I've actually put in 250 miles over that route!"

The original target was to march from Peny Fan in Wales to Regents Park in London – about 176 miles – with the 20kg Bergen in 60 hours.

More than 150 miles in 60 hours, and another 100 miles only five weeks ago, is an almighty effort and, so far, Jim has raised more than £1,800 for Combat Stress.

He is aiming to reach £5,000 and donations can be made on his fundraising page.