Some sailors chose to complete 37km in every discipline – that’s 1,480 lengths of a pool, before running the best part of a marathon, then rowing five-and-a-half Oxford-Cambridge boat races and doing a good hour of cycling to round things off.
‘From the start, every member of the ship’s company stepped up to the challenge, updating their distances every day on the progress board – the “small ship” close team spirit defined the week,’ said marine engineer officer Warrant Officer 1st Class Lee ‘Pat’ Paterson.
Chiddingfold sailors in the outdoor pool at the US Base in Bahrain. Photo: Royal Navy
‘For people who maintain a high level of fitness, 37km in a week is an easy target; but as the entire ship’s company were involved the idea was to allow each person to set their own goals.’