On Saturday 11th May, Dane Davies took on the World’s Largest Assault Course in memory of Gregg Shoults, his friend’s brother who sadly passed away. He completed the course and raised a wonderful £800 for CRY.
As soon as I saw that Burghley House was putting on the World’s Largest Assault Course, in association with Rat Race and Men’s Health, I wanted to get involved. The course was to last 20 miles with 200 assaults. The fact it was such a massive challenge had real appeal.
I’ve completed a few endurance events in the past, so I had an idea of what to expect. However, I was fully aware that I’d never covered such a large distance before, let alone contended with that amount of obstacles along the way. So, in the weeks leading up to the event, I increased my training and focused on running longer distances.
There were a total of six in my group intending to take part, though in reality only myself and a friend turned up to attempt it. I think my other friends, who hadn’t trained very much, were too anxious about the scale of the event and the prospect of not being able to complete it. It’s a real shame – they missed out!
Our entry slot was at 11:30am, which meant in the morning we had the opportunity to watch the other entrants and get a hint of the excitement that was in store for us. However, our excitement was replaced with fear when we heard the constant ambulance sirens rushing to help those injured along the way. We lost count of how many sirens we heard.
All things considered, we did pretty well. On mile 8, my friend became injured and his right leg was giving him real grief. At mile 13 there was a drop-out point, which I think the majority of entrants took. However, we were determined to get to mile 20 and do the whole course. However, by mile 16 my friend’s leg gave up and he could no longer walk. Cue one ambulance…
This meant six was down to one. I was completely oblivious to the blisters and cuts on my feet and actually really enjoyed the last four miles running solo. Throughout the day I always had at the back of my mind that so many people had pledged so generously to sponsor me and support CRY. This undoubtedly spurred me on to finish.
In total I raised just over £800, which is going to be boosted with a further £500 from Lloyds. I’m really proud of how much I’ve raised for such an amazing cause and people have been so incredibly generous. My fundraising efforts were in aid of the Greggstival Fund for CRY, in memory of my friend’s brother. It’s part of a range of fundraising efforts which will include the main event of Greggstival, in Kent, on 29 June, which is shaping up to be a fantastic event.
Dane Davies
