The Cateran Yomp is the biggest, toughest event of its kind. Taking place in the midst of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations (4 and 5 June) it covered a route of 54 miles in the foothills of the Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland. The teams battled to cover the route in 24 hours for a gold medal across the rugged terrain of the Scottish wilderness.
The event is run by and raises funds for the Army Benevolent Fund (ABF), The Soldiers Charity and proceeds go towards helping wounded soldiers adapt to life after service and assisting elderly veterans maintain their independence.
The Allied Forces Foundation (AFF) is an American charity whose mission is “To unite wounded, ill, and injured service people and Veterans as well as caregivers from US, UK, and allied nations forces in wellness and healing.”
This makes the ABF Cateran Yomp (a military term for a long-distance march) a perfect event for the AFF and this year they have brought a team of approx. 80 wounded recovering soldiers and veterans from all over the world to take part.
This is obviously a major undertaking and requires considerable support to get the team members to the start line. 7 SCOTS, the local Army Reserve Infantry Battalion have been providing the “real life support” to the AFF team to make this worthy undertaking possible, providing accommodation, food and transport for the competitors and support staff.
Although the Yomp is the main event it is not all work and the AFF team also had the chance to take in some of Scotland’s rich culture with visits to Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, various distilleries and a Highland Games amongst other things.
This support is reciprocated at other events, notably the “Marine Corps Marathon” in Arlington and Washington in the USA. Regarded as “The Peoples Marathon” it is one of the largest marathons in the US and is the largest in the world that does not offer prize money. 7 SCOTS will be entering a team in the Marathon when it takes place in October.