RUN TO THE SOMME
                                    #run2thesomme

For the British Military, July 1st is a particularly sombre day: The Battle of the Somme saw the worst casualty count ever on this day in 1916, of over 50,000, and to pay tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of all those involved and who suffered during and after the First World War, we will be marking the 100th Anniversary of this battle with an endurance race to raise funds for the servicemen of today who are facing their own challenges as an aftermath of war.

In June 2016, presented under the umbrella of new military themed challenge company Intrepid Events, our passionate team of four will be undergoing a multi-discipline endurance event to raise the profile of the plight of our ex-military personnel who are struggling with issues post-service including homelessness, unemployment and health. 

We will be running in the best spirit of the British Military and we want to inspire people to share our journey and raise as much money as possible for two fantastic charities who are working to combat homelessness, retrain and re-skill ex-soldiers and to provide support and encouragement in practical ways: Walking with the Wounded and Spear.

The Challenge
With the centenary of WWI’s Battle of the Somme just around the corner (July 1st), and with so many veterans struggling to cope after recent conflicts, I devised a particularly cheeky challenge to highlight the plight of veterans and raise some cash along the way.
Run to the Somme is a 200 mile cycle, row and run that promises to be adventurous, exhilarating and guaranteed to test us as individuals and as a team. From the home of British remembrance at the Cenotaph on Whitehall, London via a 200 mile test involving cycling, rowing the Channel and running, to the Somme memorial at Thiepval, France.

The Stages
Stage 1. From the Cenotaph to the shore of the English Channel an 80 mile cycle ride – come and show your support!
Stage 2. We’re crossing the English Channel in a small craft, straight into a 20 mile row. 
Stage 3. From the French coast to the Somme itself, the final push is a 100 mile run.

The Team
We each have our own reasons for undertaking this challenge and we’re looking forward to sharing these stories with you via updates on this page and via our social media channels very soon. 

Remembrance 
As our start is in London we will collect a wreath from the London Cenotaph on July 1st with the intention of delivering it to the Somme Memorial on July 3rd. To learn more about the somme click here;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Somme 

Going the Distance
In order to achieve this carrying of the wreath we will cycle from London for 80 miles until we hit the English channel, once at the channel we’ll jump into a boat and row 20 miles across one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world avoiding large freighters, dastardly pirates and sea monsters until we reach French coast.

Once our Intrepid team reach French we’ll grab a bit of sleep before starting the real tester, a 100 mile run to the British memorial at Somme in Thievpal. 

We are starting the planning phase for this daring challenge now and looking forward to our first team meeting in January. I’ll keep this post updated with our planning and training plus interesting stories we intend to collect along the way.