THE 496KM CHALLENGE

On 1 Jan 2023, 3 intrepid members of RAF Leeming Logistics Support Squadron looked to start the “New Year, New Me” fad with a quest that would surely test them but also raise some money for charity. The 2 i/c, Flt Lt Nowicki, had seen a challenge that he had wanted to complete the previous year, but with so much going on he decided to wait till the bells tolled for 2023. And thus began “The 496km Challenge”.

Having previously seen this in Jan 21, dreamed up by Sean Conway (who some people may know from epic swim and triathlon challenges) he wanted a challenge to help improve his running prowess whilst trying to rekindle enjoyment of cardio fitness again.

For those unaware of what this is gruelling trial consists of, let us enlighten you. This entails running, walking, jogging (or even crawling!!) and you start the challenge on day 1, completing 1km. Each day you add 1km, so on the last day of the month you will complete 31 km. At the end you will eventually have travelled 496 Kms. Not one to keep the fun to himself he also roped in 2 other Logs Spt Sqn members - Sgt Grant Paterson and Sgt William Goodway. This challenge proved not only physically gruelling but also mentally demanding. Weekday runs for some started at 0430hrs. Running around the Airfield and Tech site in the complete darkness and the typical January weather really pushed us. In the early days, we enjoyed the shorter distances and fell into the trap of becoming slightly over-confident with the pace we had set. Then day 15 hit, and the challenge started to take its toll. Sgt P ended up showing his age and hurt his Achilles tendon whilst out running at home. This meant that he had to revert to cross trainer sessions until such time as it started to heal.

After 15 days we had only covered 120 Kms of the challenge so hardly a dent was made, which to the less resilient would have been demoralising! Day 27 soon dawned though, and for one SNCO his Mess Burns Night was indeed a revelation! Fuelled and hydrated by whisky, this also helped cure his injury, meaning he was able to run the final few days of the challenge again. Thankfully for Nowicki a “cultural weekend” in Newcastle helped inspire his venture, and a run along the Quayside was achieved in good time. Sgt G decided to further display his youthfulness by adding boxing training into the routine! All agreed the last 5 days were the hardest and in total those days covered 145 Kms of the 496. On the last day, some members of LSS joined in to run alongside the 2 i/c and provided some much-needed motivation and distraction from the last few painful kms. A huge thank you to all that supported us over this campaign, it is very much appreciated.

On a slightly more serious note, all funds raised (£410 so far) will be donated to Bedale & RAF Leeming Royal Air Force Association (RAFA) Branch. This is your local branch, and it caters for all serving and ex-serving RAF members in the area that need welfare or financial assistance. If you’d like to volunteer your time to assist us, please contact either the Chairperson, FS Kat Harries in Ops, or deputy Chairperson Sgt Grant Paterson in Logs Sqn. Meetings are held on the last Wednesday of each month in the White Bear pub, Bedale, at 1930 hours. There is still time to donate for this challenge if you wish to. Our Justgiving page closes soon, but a link is provided below for your convenience. Thanks for reading!

Grant Paterson is fundraising for The RAF Association (RAFA) (justgiving.com)