March For Charity Silverstone Adidas Half Marathon
- 14th March 2010
The day was finally here and the previous nights nerves had ebbed away slightly; all that was left to do was march 13.1 miles in full American Civil War uniform including musket (what was I thinking when I agreed to take part in this). There were two very good reasons for wanting to be a part of the team; firstly it sounded like an
excellent way to promote SoSkan and secondly we can raise money for ABF the soldiers’ charity. When you spend your spare time portraying a soldier albeit in the past it was our chance to give something back to those who stand for us today.
There was a complete mixture of emotions as we crossed the starting line,
determination to see it through, and anxiousness about what might happen in the next few hours being right up there. Spirits were high with the thousands of spectators and runners all cheering us onwards. The first couple of miles went well until a couple of people started struggling with the pace. The seed had been sown with the thought of team mates and myself dropping out. I didn’t realise at the time but by 10 miles we had lost some of our team; when I did find out I dug in more determined than ever.
With the pain etched on all our faces the finishing line was getting ever nearer and now exhaustion was knocking me around; almost tripping over my own feet we passed miles 11 and 12. This is it now the final push to drag aching limbs across the line…. and there it was the welcoming sight of the finish line; gone are the previous thousands but our supporters are still there to see us make our heroic crossing of the line.
At this point I was close to tears as the realisation of what we had done started to sink in. I could barely lift the finishers bag as I hobbled back to the meeting point where we were greeted by our supporters and brave fallen.
Upon arrival back at the armouries my smile couldn’t contain the feeling of immense pleasure of having been involved in something this special. It was truly a team effort to pull this off and everyone involved should be enormously proud to have been a part of it.
From this experience I have made new friends and new memories which I hope last for many years to come and the knowledge that we’ve raised not only the profile of SoSkan and the best part of £7000 for ABF the soldiers’ charity is something I never expected to achieve in my life.
In closing I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who supported us in our adventure…. Here’s to the next one!
Matt Bell 17th Virginia Co. H. Old Dominion Rifles
