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The All-Marine running team traveled to Dartmouth, England June 23-27, 2016, to run in the Torbay Half Marathon, which is part of the Warriors of the Sea challenge, against the British Royal Navy and Royal Marines.
The 13.1-mile race took place at Torbay, a 30-minute drive from the Britannia Royal Naval College where the team was staying.
The course ran along the coastline and through portions of the town. The most challenging piece of the race was a two-mile hill with an 80-foot climb in elevation. This hill was conquered four separate times due to the course layout.
Despite the hills and a stiff competition from the Royal Naval Team, some of the Marine runners found the race to be a second chance.
“This was kind of a redemption for me I needed to show myself that I can own the race, that I can control it at my pace and I can do my race and not succumb to whatever mental or physical challenges there are,” said Capt. Danielle Pozun, assistant operations officer, 1st Intelligence Battalion, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, “I come away with this happy because the last race I did not finish and that was the first time I didn’t finish a race.”
In the end, the All-Marine running team finished the race with times of 1:13 to 1:30. With these speeds the U.S. Marines were able to secure a victory over the Royal Naval team.
Not only did the Marines run the race, but immersed themselves in a new culture. During their visit, the team visited several memorial sites and training facilities in the Dartmouth area.
They first visited the Commando Training Centre Lympstone Devon, England for the Royal Marines to see how their British counterparts indoctrinate their service members. During their visit, the team visited the Millennial Wall that is dedicated to all of the Royal Marines lost in combat from January 1, 2000. The wall had many small diamond plates, with the names of Royal Marines adorned on seven massive columns. The eighth column, symbolizing the one Royal Marine out of the eight in their “squad”, was left out to signify those who did not return.
Their second tour was the memorial of Operation Tiger on Slapton Beach, in Devon, England. This site was chosen to be the practice area for the invasion of Normandy. However, the vessels used in the exercise were ambushed by German E-boats and, subsequently 946 American service members lost their lives that day.
The team also devoted time to prepare and condition for the race, waking up every morning to run three to six miles and paying attention to their nutrition throughout to trip. The team’s training is largely based on individual effort because the team does not have a central location, and primarily meet up before races.
The team reconnected with friends and competitors from previous years during the visit.
“Over the years, friendships are built up and hopefully they will continue for a long time,” said Warrant Officer 1 Andrew Marshall, Royal Navy, assistant Marine engineering officer, HMS Tireless, Plymouth, England. “In the longer term we get some great friendships.”
For some of the Royal Naval Team, it was their first time to compete against the Americans and a great opportunity to do so.
“One of the things I wanted to do was represent the Royal Navy competitively,” said AB1 Rebecca Stansfield, writer, Her Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde, Fastlane, Scotland, “It’s a great honor and privilege to be apart of it.”
Despite the loss, the Royal Naval team is looking forward to the next race in this series, which is the Marine Corps marathon that will be held in Washington D.C. Oct. 30, 2016.
| Date Taken: | 06.28.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 06.28.2016 17:47 |
| Story ID: | 202683 |
| Location: | DARTMOUTH, GB |
| Web Views: | 37 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Warriors of the Sea Challenge: More than just a race, by SSgt Timothy Smithers, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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