World military Speed march and other records

Pathfinder

As usual the Parachute Regiment lead the way.

http://www.worldsfittestathlete.co.uk/

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=659

Paddy Doyle ex PT in the Parachute Regiment, also holds many of the P coy records.
BACK PACK RUNNING

• 1 mile (40 lb weight): 6:56 min, 14 Sep 1991, BBC Record Breakers, London WR
  5:35 min, 7 Mar 1993, Bally-Cotton (Ireland) WR
• 5 km (40 lb weight): 25:15 min, 22 Apr 1995, Guinness Brewery Road Race Dublin WR
• 5 km (58 lb weight): 32:15 min, 10 Aug 1994, Rostellan Co,. Cork, Ireland WR
• 5 miles (56 lb weight): 36:49 min., 9 May 1999, Stoneheigh Park Coventry WR
• 6 miles (56 lb weight): 53:45 min., 9 May 1999, Stoneheigh Park Coventry WR
• 10 miles (40 lb weight): 1:24 hrs, 7 Mar 1993, Bally-Cotton (Ireland) WR
• Half Marathon (43 lb weight): 1:59 hrs, 1 May 1988, Walsall Half Marathon WR
• Half Marathon (40 lb weight): 1:58:24 hrs. 20 Sep 1998, Wembley, London WR
• Marathon (44 lb weight): 4:42 hrs, 21 Apr 1991, London Marathon WR
• Marathon (50 lb weight): 5:04 hrs, 12 Apr 1992, London Marathon WR
• 50 miles (40 lb weight): 11:56:22 hrs, 4. Sep 1993, Bally-Cotton, Ireland WR
• 1/2 mile (indoor treadmill, 40 lb weight): 2:58 min, Radio Buss FM, Birmingham WR
• 1 mile (indoor treadmill, 40 lb weight): 6:08 min, 7 Dec 1991, The World Gym, Birmingham WR
• 5 mile (indoor treadmill, 40 lb weight): 37:45 min, 7 Dec 1991, The World Gym, Birmingham WR
• Course records for 13 miles Droitwich (West Milands), 42 miles Bally-Cotton (Ireland), 65 miles Bally-Cotton (Ireland), Worcester 2 miles, 4 1/2 mi Guinness Brewery Road Race Dublin, 15, 25 and 30 miles Drovers Walk (multi terrain course), Llanertd Wells (Wales), 25 miles Radnor Ramble Challenge Walk Walk (multi terrain course), 28 miles Cloud 7 Circuit, North Staffs (multi terrain course), Snowdia Mountain Challenge (from the bottom of the mountain to the summit and down again carrying a 45 lb back pack), Cotsworld Hill Challenge (25 mi, carrying a 40 lb backpack), Special Forces Speed March (60 km over the Brecon Beacons with a 55 lb back pack), Six Dales Circuit Hill Peak Cross Country Challenge (42 km with a 45 lb back pack), Arden Challenge (26 miles, rough terrain, with a 45lb backp

BRICK CARRYING

• 124.25 km [77 mi 350 yd] (in >28 hours), 10/11 Feb 1998 Birmingham-Lower Shuckburgh-Birmingham WR

COAL-BAG CARRYING

• one hour: 149 times on a 25 m shuttle course (weight: 110 lb), 9 Nov 1990, Fox Hollies Leisure Centre Birmingham
  (The coal bag can be lifted for as long as possible and put down when the athlete is tired.) WR

PUSH-UPS

(see also our record list for press-up records)

• with a 50 lb [22.68 kg] plate weight on his back: 4,100, 28 May 1987, Calthorpe Old Boys Birmingham WR
• non-stop: 7,860, 25 Feb 1996, Le Pub, Birmingham ER
• one year: 1,500,230, 21 Oct 1988-01 Oct 1989, Holiday Inn Hotel Birmingham WR
• 24 hours: 37,350, 1-2 May 1989, Holiday Inn Hotel Birmingham WR
• one hour: 1,705, 22 June 1993, Irish Centre, Birmingham WR, nowER
• one-armed, one week: 16,723, Feb 1996, Irish Centre, Birmingham WR
• one-armed, 5 hours: 5,260, 6 May 1990, NEC, Birmingham WR
  7,643, 31 July 1990, Albany Hotel Birmingham WR
  8,794, 12 Feb 1996, Holly Lane Sports Centre, Birmingham WR
• one-armed, one hour: 1,886, 27 Nov 1993, Munster Arms Hotel Birmingham WR
  2,478, 31 July 1990, Albany Hotel, Birmingham WR
  2,521, 12 Feb 1996, Holly Lane Sports Centre, Birmingham WR
• one-armed, 30 minutes: 1,328, 31 July 1990 in Birmingham WR
• one-armed, 10 minutes: 400, 6 May 1990, NEC Birmingham WR
• on back of hands, 15 minutes: 400, 11 March 2001, Birmingham City Centre Digbeth WR RECORD HISTORY
• on back of hands, 30 minutes: 425, 8 July 2001 Flensburg VIDEO (AVI, 1.5 MB) WR
  689, 11 March 2001, Birmingham City Centre Digbeth WR
  700, 20 March 2001, Staminas Boxing-Martial Arts Centre Erdington WR RECORD HISTORY
• on back of hands, 1 hour: 660, 5 March 2000 WR
  1,303, 20 March 2001, Staminas Boxing-Martial Arts Centre Erdington WR RECORD HISTORY

minidazzler

Feckin Troll.

We have admitted already P coy are good but you have a Hard on for them.

eroo

:rolleyes:

Cato

8000 pushups non stop? holy ****!!!!!!!!:eek:

Pathfinder

" I remember, towards the end of my six months training, just before I got my red beret and wings, I made a mistake during the drill for the passing out parade.For that, a corporal punched me in the back, I reacted and was sent to the guard room to be beasted".

"They put me in a cell and then made me do non-stop physical exercises without a break for the time I was there. Non-stop press ups, non stop circuit training exercises, and I did them without stopping until the RMP got sick of looking at me".

"Haven't you had enough ?" they asked........"No", " I'm loving it I responded".

But the RMPs had had enough of watching me, they knew they couldn't beast me.


On SAS selection.

As I got to the next checkpoint Corporal Petrie saw I only had one boot on, this was due to my blisters, he gave me my next grid reference, weighed my pack and found it to be overweight. As he emptied some rocks out he commented that I wasn't all there adding extra rocks to my load like that. But it didn't bother me.


On Parachute training



Everyday I was making mistakes and being criticised by training staff. My confidence was at an all time low. There was an officer there a Royal Marine doing parachute training, he'd make a remark about me. "You Irish are thick he'd say", And, "you Paras are the thickist".

I'd had enough, after a couple of weeks there, there was a boxing ring, I said to him, "lets go down to the boxing ring and sort it out". The Lt followed me down there, second round I hit him hard and broke his nose and cracked his cheekbone.

Next day I was in the hanger when the Lt marched up to me, shook my hand and said, "best of luck to you Doyle", He was off the course due to his injury.

He came up to me like a man and Royal marine commando and apologised.

"Why'd he shake your hand Doyle", asked the selection staff ?

I told them how we had gone down to the ring to sort our differences out, "fair enough" they replied.

Come to the day of passing out, who should get the award for best recruit ? Private Doyle.

I was sure they had made a mistake, "You've got this for effort and perseverance", said my OC, "well done".



Extracts from Record breaker by Paddy Doyle......a good read.

Riddle101

Pathfinder wrote: »

" I remember, towards the end of my six months training, just before I got my red beret and wings, I made a mistake during the drill for the passing out parade.For that, a corporal punched me in the back, I reacted and was sent to the guard room to be beasted".

"They put me in a cell and then made me do non-stop physical exercises without a break for the time I was there. Non-stop press ups, non stop circuit training exercises, and I did them without stopping until the RMP got sick of looking at me".

"Haven't you had enough ?" they asked........"No", " I'm loving it I responded".

But the RMPs had had enough of watching me, they knew they couldn't beast me.


On SAS selection.

As I got to the next checkpoint Corporal Petrie saw I only had one boot on, this was due to my blisters, he gave me my next grid reference, weighed my pack and found it to be overweight. As he emptied some rocks out he commented that I wasn't all there adding extra rocks to my load like that. But it didn't bother me.


On Parachute training



Everyday I was making mistakes and being criticised by training staff. My confidence was at an all time low. There was an officer there a Royal Marine doing parachute training, he'd make a remark about me. "You Irish are thick he'd say", And, "you Paras are the thickist".

I'd had enough, after a couple of weeks there, there was a boxing ring, I said to him, "lets go down to the boxing ring and sort it out". The Lt followed me down there, second round I hit him hard and broke his nose and cracked his cheekbone.

Next day I was in the hanger when the Lt marched up to me, shook my hand and said, "best of luck to you Doyle", He was off the course due to his injury.

He came up to me like a man and Royal marine commando and apologised.

"Why'd he shake your hand Doyle", asked the selection staff ?

I told them how we had gone down to the ring to sort our differences out, "fair enough" they replied.

Come to the day of passing out, who should get the award for best recruit ? Private Doyle.

I was sure they had made a mistake, "You've got this for effort and perseverance", said my OC, "well done".



Extracts from Record breaker by Paddy Doyle......a good read.

So you got your red baret and wings even after showing your superior lack of disipline. I'm pretty sure you would have gotten stripped of those if you did that, not to mention giving them cheek while they were punishing you.

Tell me something where you ever deployed anywhere or seen any action?

Pathfinder

I am not Paddy Doyle.

Its all in Paddy Doyles book and I doubt he is lying.

The whole point of beasting is that it does not leave a stain on your record.

And yes I have seen military service.

Yourself ?

You have experience of Browning barracks or ITC Catterick to know how recruits are/were beasted, I take it ?


Heres an extract from when he was beasted in Colchester glasshouse.

Oneday I was I was in real trouble I left a bit of dust in my locker, an RPO called me out to beast me. I was given a 60 pound WWII shell and told to do step ups with it, they expected me to last about 5 minutes, 60 minutes later I was still at it.

"Are you finished Doyle ?"

"No, staff I replied".

Manic Moran

All very impressive, if utterly pointless feats. I can't say I've ever sat down and thought to myself that it was important to be able to lift a bag of coal great distances. Unless you're the coal man, that is, of course.

Perhaps more importantly, what was Paddy Doyle's score on the rifle range?

I mean, perhaps there's a military task which involves doing 8,000 pushups, but I doubt it comes up on the battlefield quite as often as the requirement for shooting people.

NTM

Pathfinder

Manic Moran wrote: »

All very impressive, if utterly pointless feats. I can't say I've ever sat down and thought to myself that it was important to be able to lift a bag of coal great distances. Unless you're the coal man, that is, of course.

Perhaps more importantly, what was Paddy Doyle's score on the rifle range?

I mean, perhaps there's a military task which involves doing 8,000 pushups, but I doubt it comes up on the battlefield quite as often as shooting people.

NTM

Well as Doyle passed both P coy served in 2 Paras patrol company and passed SAS selection his military ability must have been capable.

It all about ethos, the belief is fitter soldiers are more switched on, hardier, motivated and efficient, the ethos carries through into other aspects of the infantry.

Its no coincidence the best units have the fittest soldiers, in any country. High fitness level encourage competitiveness and the will to win as does beasting.

Obviously PD has carried this to its ultimate extreme.

There was an NCO in the Paras in the 80s who used to hold world walking records, I can't remember his name now, but he held the world record for non stop walking without sleep, I think it was over 200 miles in 4 days/nights.

Heres another ex member, its no coincidence so many go on to do these types of things, it comes from the unit ethos.


Karl Bushby was born in 1969, served with the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment for 11 years. He decided to leave the British Army in 1998 to walk round the world.


It will cover over 36,000 Miles across four continents, 25 countries, crossing a frozen sea, six deserts, seven mountain ranges in one non-stop journey.


He set off on 1st November 1998, he has completed over 17000 miles. With over 19000 more miles to walk, maintaining his current speed, he should return home to Hull in 2009. All the adventures, trials, tribulations and magical moments are illustrated in his personal journals. Karl has already walked through South and Central and North America.


This ex-corporal from 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment has had to think his own way out of a scrape or two. Since leaving Punta Arenas at the tip of Chile in 1997, he has been attacked by a mob in Arequipa in Peru, caught amoebic dysentery in Medellin in Colombia, been robbed in Quito, Ecuador, and been locked up for 18 days as an illegal alien in Panama. He has endured excruciating conditions in the Panamanian jungles and Patagonian deserts, and has had close encounters with snakes and crocodiles.

In an unsupported walk that defies logic, he is still 2,100 miles short of the world record set in the Americas by a walker who took a meandering detour. To date, he has adhered to strict rules: he never accepts lifts on or in anything; and if he has to stop to renew a visa, he resumes his walk in the exact place he left off.

So why on earth is he doing it? He is not a fundraiser, campaigning eco-warrior or lemur-hugger. His walk is purely a selfish adventure, an epic being dragged out to torturous lengths as, bit by bit, he gets closer to home.

"After nine years I know I've reached the end of something, but there again I've a long way to go," he says. "From here I can see the Diomede Islands - two pimples two-and-a-half miles apart in the middle of the Straits - and can just make out the mountains of Russia. I'm used to seeing something in the distance and knowing I'm going to be there that same evening. This time, it isn't the case."

The last successful crossing on foot was in 1998. Two Russians - a father and son team - made it but no one has done so since. Although locals go out on the ice floes to hunt and fish, few have cause to venture beyond the central islands because it is extremely dangerous. Getting across could take up to a week but given that the ice is constantly moving, any time spent sleeping could see him drifting further from his goal… or being chomped by polar bears.

Manic Moran

I am reminded of the quote from the movie "Zulu"

Schiess: All right, how far can you rednecks march in a day?
Jones-716: Oh, fifteen, twenty miles, is it?
Schiess: A Zulu regiment can run - RUN - fifty miles, and fight a battle at the end of it!
Jones-593: Well, it's daft that is, then! I don't see no sense in running to fight a battle.

If a unit decides that its 'ethos' shall be manifested by feats of physical activity, good for them.

My unit's ethos is manifested by other skills. I'd put a squad of my reservists up against a squad of Paras on the rifle range any day of the week and expect to win. (Then again, we're from Nevada. Most of my guys have been shooting military calibres since before they left school.). I spend a lot of my free time learning weapons systems, not exercising muscles: I'm a cavalryman, my job emphasises different skills to Paras. Ergo, I am singularly unimpressed by such physical skills as a measure of a unit's worth. The Paras are a good unit, but the ability to do pushups has very little to do with this.

NTM

Pathfinder

Really ? Sounds abit arrogant to me and if true US units should win all of NATOs International Skill At Arms competitions..........they certainly don't.

Another significant factor is how a unit reacts when fire is coming "downrange".

.
The sniper ? who The Sun is not naming to prevent him becoming a target himself ? is a member of 3 Para.
Described by sources as “the best shot in the Army” he is responsible for over five per cent of the 700 insurgents killed by Paras since British forces returned to Afghanistan.



http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article58335.ece


Earlier this year it was revealed that the Army is creating an elite force of almost 700 snipers, with all 38 infantry battalions required to have an 18-man platoon of sharpshooters by 2008.

The decision follows the success of British and US sniper teams who have killed dozens of terrorists on recent operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Manic Moran

Again, I would put very little emphasis on those international competitions such as CATT or "Best Sniper". They're great for national pride, but prove very little. The nations involved will ordinarily send their very best, not representative samples of the average squaddie. By way of an analogy, the winner of the 2004 Olympics 50m 3P was a Chinese guy. 25m Pisol rapid fire was won by a German. It is unlikely, however, that average skill with firearms of the citizens of those nations is to the level of that of the US or the Swiss where firearms are a way of life, and in the Swiss case, pretty much the national sport.

Again, please note that I am not arguing against the concept of describing the Paras as an excellent light infantry unit. What I am arguing against is your (repeated) choice of a particular singular criterion to support this.

NTM

Pathfinder

Manic Moran wrote: »

Again, I would put very little emphasis on those international competitions such as CATT or "Best Sniper". They're great for national pride, but prove very little. The nations involved will ordinarily send their very best, not representative samples of the average squaddie. By way of an analogy, the winner of the 2004 Olympics 50m 3P was a Chinese guy. 25m Pisol rapid fire was won by a German. It is unlikely, however, that average skill with firearms of the citizens of those nations is to the level of that of the US or the Swiss where firearms are a way of life, and in the Swiss case, pretty much the national sport.

Again, please note that I am not arguing against the concept of describing the Paras as an excellent light infantry unit. What I am arguing against is your (repeated) choice of a particular singular criterion to support this.

NTM

I disagree, citizens in the middle East, Eastern Europe, Africa etc have access to assault weapons, but no one claims it makes them better markman then the average British infantryman or Para.

Shooting is all about co-ordination, like so many things, some people will only ever be an average shot, others within a short period can show a natural ability.

Some American units have superb sniper units, but thats different then American soldiers having more natural ability as snipers etc, due to firearms culture.

When you get a riflebutt in your face if your weapon is dirty you learn very fast.

Infact I would be surprised if the US armies standard annual weapons test is above that of the BA's. Especially as females serve with US infantry units.


In terms of elite light infantry units in general the standard claim is fitter soldiers make more efficient, hardier and switched on soldiers and better operators in the field, such an ethos and motivation carries through to other infantry requirements.

If a soldier has been trained to carry out various infantry skills under physical duress, it makes him more efficient at performing them when the time comes.

Would the Parachute regiment and other elite light infantry units be such an effective fighting forces without the fitness standards they have.............obviously no.

For a start they would have lost in the Falklands.

Manic Moran

Pathfinder wrote: »

I disagree, citizens in the middle East, Eastern Europe, Africa etc have access to assault weapons, but no one claims it makes them better markman then the average British infantryman or Para.

It's as much a cultural thing for the MidEast to have a rifle than to be necessarily good at it. Shooting small rodents is not a skill often practised in Yemen or wherever.

Some American units have superb sniper units, but thats different then American soldiers having more natural ability as snipers etc, due to firearms culture.

The Army disagrees, which is why it developed the Civilian Marksmanship Programme in WWI which continues to this day.

Consider this filing in the current US Supreme Court case by various military types.

http://www.gurapossessky.com/news/parker/documents/07-290bsacretiredmilitary.pdf

Military recruits with training and experience with firearms in civilian life generally make better marksmen and therefore better service members than those who have not had such experience. As Secretary of War Elihu Root once explained:
"I know of nothing more important in the way of preparation for war than teaching the young men of the country to shoot straight. . . It is of no use to pay, equipe, subsis and transport a soldier to the battlefield unless he can hit an enemy when he shoots at him:
Secretary Roots Farewell Report, NY Times, Dec. 7 1903

<snip>

The Arthur D. Little Report analyzed data from over 12,880 Army trainees at four Army Training Centres, and found that trainees who had previous experience with firearms in civilian life are generally better marksmen, are more likely to use their weapon effectively in combat, and are less likely to be wounded or killed in combat

<snip>

While only 15.4% of trainees overall achieves "Expert" marksmanship scores (The highest possible category), 68.8% of trainees who were members of a DCM affiliated civilian shooting club achieved an "expert" score.

<snip>

The more marksmanship instruction, practice, competition and shooting experience individuals get before entering service, and the greater the density of such prior experience in the population of young men entering service, the more effective rifle units will be in combat and the fewer casualties they will suffer"

Infact I would be surprised if the US armies standard annual weapons test is above that of the BA's. Especially as females serve with US infantry units.

Despite the fact that I have found women generally to be better shots (on average) than men, (usually because they don't have an attitude) and thus this shouldn't affect the marksmanship requirements, I'm curious as to what makes you think women are eligible to become infantry in the US military.

In terms of elite light infantry units in general the standard claim is fitter soldiers make more efficient, hardier and switched on soldiers and better operators in the field, such an ethos and motivation carries through to other infantry requirements.

Bully for light infantry. I'm at the other end of the scale. I acknowledge the benefits to physical fitness particularly for light infantry, but I do not believe that they should be the primary, and certainly should not be the exclusive, determinant of capability.

NTM

Pathfinder

None the less the fact many other cultures also have a firearms culture and their troops are nothing special blows a hole in the claim Americans are better at skill at arms due to their firearms culture.

As does the fact US units don't dominate NATO skill at arms comps.



The BAs JSTE sniper training 'school' is actually more or less the same syllabus as that of the US marine corps sniper school and the USMC is regarded as the US militaries elite in terms of skill at arms, sniping etc.

JSTE Wales :

"It maintains close liaison with UK Special Forces and is responsible for the maintenance of links with foreign centers of excellence such as the USMC Scout Sniper Instructor School at Quantico. Lastly personnel from JSTE are on secondment with Britain's colonial militaries. JSTE is run by a Major of the Royal Marines with an equally ranked IWC deputy."

Manic Moran

None the less the fact many other cultures also have a firearms culture and their troops are nothing special blows a hole in the claim Americans are better at skill at arms due to their firearms culture.

I believe you'll find that the reason many of these armies lose is little to do with their marksmanship with a rifle. I ran across a couple of crack Iraqi shots in my time. It's an issue of much more than any one criterion, which is the very basic point I'm trying to get across to you: Skills at any one thing do not necessarily translate into overall capability even though the individual skill of itself can be of import.

NTM