Hundreds of Soldiers 'Race the Sun'

Hundreds of soldiers from all over the UK raced around the city of York and North Yorkshire in a national sporting event.

Twenty-nine teams of men and women took part in the fifteen-stage ‘Race the Sun’ challenge including a team of Dutch Marines. From sunrise they ran, cycled, marched, swam and kayaked over 182 miles of North Yorkshire’s most scenic roads, forests, rivers and lakes completing the course before sunset.

The legs included a hill run up the steep Sutton Bank, a mountain bike ride through Cropton Forest up on to Levisham Moor, a Forced March with heavy pack to Rievaulx Moor and a swim across the Great Lake at Castle Howard. The day’s finale was an gruelling three kilometre stretcher race carrying a 40 kg load around Imphal Barracks, Fulford.  

A smiling Staff Sergeant Mel Burnham from Darlington completed the swim across the lake at Castle Howard.

“The swim was ok and not too cold. It was only the second time I have done something like this,” said Mel who is a Foreman of Signals for 243 Signal Squadron in Andover and is a member of the Army Bobsleigh team  

“I am competing in Race the Sun for the first time and you get to see familiar faces so it has been good to catch up with people as well as take part in the competition.”

Major Dave Prew, the Training Major from 4th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment took part in two legs of the relay race. “I did the kayaking along the River Ouse first thing this morning which was a great event and a good start to the day – I didn’t even get wet,” said Dave from Orchard Park in Hull.

“Now I am doing a 24 kilometre cycle and a six kilometer run from the lakeside at Castle Howard to the outskirts of York. The weather is a bit cool and drizzly – what we need is the sun!”

Lieutenant Colonel Ian Hargreaves, the Commanding Officer of 2 Signal Regiment based in York, which hosted and organised the event, said “Race the Sun is an arduous challenge that makes huge demands of our soldiers. Their physical stamina, their teamwork and their sheer determination is what gets them through. Soldiers deployed on operations both overseas and in the UK need these characteristics and therefore events such as ‘Race the Sun’ directly contribute to the Army’s operational effectiveness.”   

4th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment which is based in York won the Race the Sun minor units trophy and the major unit shield was presented to 30 Signal Regiment which is based in Bramcote near Nuneaton.