Soldiers Run Four Marathons In Four Days

Four Colchester-based RAF Regiment gunners are set to run four marathons in four days to raise money for charity.

Flight Lieutenant Nathan Foster, Sergeant Steven Isherwood, Lance Corporal Ricky Lee and Lance Corporal Pete Lynegar, who make up 616 Tactical Air Control Party (616 TACP), are taking on the Great Barrow Challenge in aid of SSAFA Forces Help.

The team will start their first marathon today (Wednesday September 21st) with each of the four days' 26.5 miles route taking them through the countryside, both on and off-road.

616 TACP is aligned with 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery whose role is to co-ordinate all fast air and attack helicopter support to operations by 16 Air Assault Brigade.

Fl Lt Foster said: "We're a small team doing a very specialised job, who are very proud of the Airborne role and this is the perfect way to test us all, both physically and mentally, and bring us together.

"Whilst fitness is of course about strength and speed, for a challenge like this, it is also about recovery. We've obviously done a lot of running, but our training has also focused on stretching and diet to condition us to run a marathon and be able to get up the next day and do it again.

"The training has been hard work and it will be a tough event, but something we're all looking forward to completing now that all the training is over."

The team, who aim to complete each day's marathon in under five hours, hope to raise over £1,000 for SSAFA Forces Help.

Fl Lt Foster said: "SSAFA does a lot of work to help military families, and having a supportive family structure behind the military is key for us to be able to do its job. We all know people who've been helped through difficult situations by SSAFA and wanted to do our bit for the charity."

To sponsor the team, visit www.justgiving.com/616TACP