British soldiers beat hundreds in first Helmand Marathon
28 Oct 09
Two British soldiers have emerged victorious from the first ever Helmand Marathon, held on the desert roads of Camps Leatherneck and Bastion, after beating off tough competition from personnel from the United States, Denmark and Estonia.
ISAF and Afghan troops take part in the inaugural Helmand Marathon
[Picture: Corporal Steve Bain, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]
Captain Alex Lockett from 652 Squadron, a Lynx pilot from 1 Regiment Army Air Corps based at Gutersloh in Germany, won the race by crossing the finish line in a highly respectable 3 hours 8 minutes.
Lance Corporal Jon Rogers from 7 Signal Regiment, attached to 1st (UK) Armoured Division and Signal Regiment, completed the race just one minute after Capt Lockett and was first in the 18-22 age category.
The pair beat 300 fellow competitors who were representing the military forces based in Helmand as part of the International Security Assistant Force for southern Afghanistan.
Soldiers from the Afghan National Army, based in Camp Shorabak, adjacent to Camps Leatherneck and Bastion, also competed in the race.
The marathon was organised by the United States Marine Corps who have around 4,200 personnel based in the tented encampment of Leatherneck, next to the British base of Camp Bastion where 4,000 personnel are currently deployed.
Unbelievably, Capt Lockett has never attempted a marathon before and only began training one month ago.
He said:
"A group of five of us from the Lynx Squadron decided we wanted a challenge.
Captain Alex Lockett, Army Air Corps, crosses the finish line to win the inaugural Helmand Marathon
[Picture: Corporal Steve Bain, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]
"I have run the Plymouth Half Marathon three times but never attempted a full 26 miles before. We all trained together by running around Camp Bastion most days when we could fit it around our flying programme."
Despite the lack of a serious training regime, Capt Lockett still managed to smash his goal time of 3 hours 30 minutes:
"I had no idea what the competition would be like and certainly didn't expect to win," he said. "I realised at the 20-mile point that I was in the lead, felt strong, and just went for the finish. I was relieved to cross the line but it felt good to know I was the first."
Capt Lockett arrived in Helmand in September for a four-and-a-half month tour and works as a pilot on Lynx helicopters which are used in theatre to provide fire support to ground troops, convoys and other air assets as well as for reconnaissance missions and to move people and equipment around Helmand.
652 Squadron has around 40 personnel comprised of aircrew, ground crew and engineers working around the clock to keep the Lynx helicopters serviceable and flying in the harsh desert environment of southern Afghanistan.
Capt Lockett said:
"So far the deployment has been extremely busy but the Lynx is proving itself very capable in demanding conditions. I am working with a great bunch of people and we have all bonded as a team, so I am definitely enjoying the tour so far. Winning a marathon is the icing on the cake."
Lance Corporal Jon Rogers (left), who finished in second place, with the race winner, Captain Alex Lockett
[Picture: Corporal Steve Bain, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]
LCpl Rogers was taking part in his second marathon but admitted the only training he had done to prepare himself for the gruelling challenge was his usual physical training sessions.
He said:
"I decided four weeks ago to take part and just did my usual phys around Camp Bastion a couple of times a week.
"The marathon was hard work, especially the second lap around the airfield, so I was pretty surprised to find myself in second place. I think just finishing a marathon is an achievement, so to do so well is a real bonus."
LCpl Rogers is part way through a six-month tour which began in August. His job as an installation technician is to fit and maintain the miles of cables which make up the communications infrastructure in Camp Bastion.