The annual Road to Twickenham event is a charity event which encourages Royal Navy and Royal Marine units to cover the distance from their location to Twickenham on the day of the Army vs Navy annual rugby fixture.
The eagerly anticipated clash between the two Services has remained an extremely popular event in the Tri-Service sporting calendar and is gaining popularity outside the military community with live coverage broadcast on Sky Sports 2.
HMS Iron Duke Ship’s Company accepted the challenge of rowing, running and cycling the distance from their last UK port of call in Leith, Scotland to Twickenham, where the match is held.
The total distance to cover was 415 miles and 71 of the Ship’s Company took part in the event which lasted from 1200 until 1900 and saw a steady stream of personnel chip away at the distance.
HMS Iron Duke ended the day having covered 515 miles, which was 100 miles more than required, which is testament to their spirit and work ethic.
Their reward was a Flight Deck barbeque organised by the Petty Officers’ Mess to enjoy after the match which was projected on to a makeshift cinema screen in the Ship’s Hangar.
The weather could not have been better for running on the Upper Deck, however it made for quite humid conditions in the winch well for rowers and cyclists.
There were some notable achievements over the course of the afternoon; AB Trow ran 15 miles, AB Gleed ran 13 miles, Surg Lt Walters recorded a personal best by running 10 miles and AB Snell ran 12 miles.
Undaunted by the conditions below decks, WO Patton, the Ship’s Executive Warrant Officer cycled 24 miles and LH Worley combined all three disciplines to record a massive 25 miles in total!
Collections for charity took place throughout the afternoon and during the Rugby match, and 10p from every drink sold during the event was donated to charity.
All proceeds have been donated to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity.
The event was seen as a resounding success and all of the Ship’s Company enjoyed the ‘free phys,’ and also the fantastic result for the Royal Navy Rugby Team.
It just shows that it is possible to find opportunities to build team spirit through sporting activities during a busy operational programme as part of a NATO Task Group even when at sea!
