Soldier to Make A World Record Attempt Plus 10 Marathons in 5 Days
31 Aug 10
Click here for full details of Jim and the teams route or alternatively you can view a map of Jim's Route. It would be great if you can join them along the way to show your support.
Check out pictures of the team along the route here.
Tweet Completing a marathon is a major achievement that takes physical and mental stamina. Completing two marathons a day over five days to cover a distance of 266 miles from Sheffield to Brighton takes it to a different league. Add an Army issue Bergen rucksack filled to weigh 40lbs to be worn throughout and it becomes a test of endurance that only the super fit could achieve.
It is a test of endurance 34 year old Staff Sergeant (SSgt) Jim Offord, 39 Engineer Regiment; Cambridge has set for himself and seven fellow soldiers. From 1 to 5 November, SSgt Jim Offord will lead a team of Royal Engineers to complete the physically punishing 10 Marathons in 5 Days, which he created to support St Dunstan’s Forces Challenge. They will push themselves to the brink of physical endurance to complete two marathons a day from St Dunstan’s Training & Rehabilitation Centre in Sheffield to finish at its Centre near Brighton in East Sussex.
It is a challenge they will undertake to raise awareness and money for St Dunstan’s, the charity that provides specialist rehabilitation and training to blind ex-Service personnel and soldiers who have been blinded in the current conflict in Afghanistan.
Wearing their Bergen rucksacks filled to weigh 40lbs, which is the weight of an average five year old child, they will tab, a quick march which is short for Tactical Advance to Battle, through the day and night in the middle of winter, completing a marathon every six hours, followed by six hours recovery.
Marathon Man Jim Offord has also set himself the further challenge to break the Guinness World Record for the Fastest 100km on a Treadmill carrying 40lbs. From 6.30am on 21 September he will attempt to break the current record of 15 hours and 26 minutes at Kingswood Health Club in Basildon. And it doesn’t stop, as he trains Jim will complete a series of treadmill marathons wearing his 40lb Bergen. On 9 October in Brighton he will aim to finish his latest treadmill marathon in less than 5 hours. Afterwards he will visit St Dunstan’s Centre to meet the blind veterans the charity works with.
While most people would take a few days to recover, or at least have a lie in the following day, Jim will be up early to take part in the Royal Parks Half Marathon in London. He will complete the course with his wife Ami and team member Lance Corporal Richard Holmes. For a vertical challenge on 14 October he will lead his team in St Dunstan’s Spinnaker Tower Challenge when, wearing their 40lb Bergen’s, they will climb the 560 stairs to the viewing deck set 100 metres above sea level at Portsmouth Harbour.
SSgt Jim Offord said: “I’m going for the Guinness World Record as it’s there to be broken and doing the treadmill marathons as they fit with the training schedule. I created the 10 Marathons in 5 Days Challenge to support St Dunstan’s as we want to give something back to a charity that helps our fellow soldiers in difficult times. I’ve picked a strong team as each person needs to have the mental and physical strength to complete a marathon day and night during the heart of winter. We will take six hours to complete each marathon, followed by six hours recovery. However during the recovery time we will only get about four hours to sleep as we’ll have to treat our feet, shower and eat.
“To prepare we’re following a 14 week training programme that includes running the local routes around Waterbeach Barracks and circuit training sessions, with mixed martial arts. Additionally we each complete individual training in the evening wearing our Bergen’s. I tab night on night off for 10 – 15 miles and the next stage for the team is to start tabbing through the night, initially for an hour, increasing it to two hours, then four, then to six hours overnight.
“I added the 40lb Bergen’s to keep it interesting and we will really push ourselves as we tab at a rate of 4.5 to 5 miles per hour, which exceeds the standard Army fitness levels to complete 8 miles in 2 hours. The Regiment is 100% behind us as they know the important work St Dunstan’s does to help ex-Service men and women who have lost their sight regain control to lead independent and fulfilling lives.”
Team members are: Jim Offord, Dean Howard, Dave Little, Darren Pallatina, Rich Holmes, Steve Bedford, Mark Cammock and Jo Miles. They will start their 10 Marathons in 5 Days from St Dunstan’s Centre in Sheffield at 9am on Monday 1 November. Beyond PR are kindly sponsoring the start providing a breakfast for the team and supporters. They will finish at 3pm on Friday 5 November at St Dunstan's Centre in Ovingdean, near Brighton.
The route will take them through Nottingham, Loughborough, Nuneaton, Daventry, Milton Keynes and Hemel Hempstead. They will arrive in London at 3pm on Thursday 4 November before heading off to tab to Crawley where they will make the final onslaught to finish at St Dunstan’s Centre at Ovingdean near Brighton at 3pm on Friday 5 November.
Denise Yeats, Community & Events Fundraising Manager said: “We’ve had some great ideas for St Dunstan’s Forces Challenge and this is one of the most inspired. The commitment the team are making is incredible and SSgt Jim Offord’s Treadmill Marathons and World Record attempt have really added something different that will help to raise awareness of our work. We are extremely grateful to them and wish them well. We’ll be there to support them every step of the way – in spirit if not physically.”
St Dunstan’s Forces Challenge is open to personnel serving with HM Armed Forces. One of the requirements is to complete a nocturnal or blindfold challenge to give a taste of what life is like for people who have lost their sight, whilst raising awareness and vital funds for the charity’s work.
To find out more, or make a donation to 10 Squaddies, 10 Marathons in 5 Days visit: www.justgiving.co.uk/10squaddies To find out more about St Dunstan’s and the Forces Challenge visit: http://www.st-dunstans.org.uk/
NOTES TO EDITORS
For further information, or to speak to SSgt Jim Offord or Denise Yeats, please contact: Catherine Goodier at St Dunstan’s press office on T: 020 7616 8367 M: 07872 840117 (24 hours) or email catherine.goodier@st-dunstans.org
• St Dunstan’s, established in 1915, is the national charity providing lifelong support and rehabilitation to blind Service and ex-Service personnel. The charity promotes and enables beneficiaries to regain their independence, meet new challenges and achieve a better quality of life
• St Dunstan’s supports anyone who has served in HM Armed Forces who has lost their sight due to war, age, accident or illness and the charity’s duty of care extends to all beneficiaries and their families for life
• St Dunstan’s is a centre of excellence for welfare support, rehabilitation, training, respite and nursing care for blind ex-Service men and women.
• St Dunstan’s supports ex-Service men and women and our definition of the word “blind” is those who are seriously vision impaired and meet St Dunstan’s ophthalmic criteria
August 2010
Catherine Goodier
- catherine.goodier@st-dunstans.org.uk
- Telephone
- T: 020 7616 8367 M: 07872 840117
SSgt Jim Offord
Thanks to www.beyondpr.co.uk for sponsoring the breakfast start in Sheffield