Royal Marines Take On The 'Mud Run'

Britain’s Royal Marine Recruits Show They Have What It Takes To Become Part Of The Elite Fighting Forces In Gruelling Mud Run -- Daily Mail

* Notorious run is part of gruelling 32-week Royal Marine training course that 'turns civilians into commandos'
* It's held 'when necessary' in the foul-smelling mud of the Exe estuary near their Lympstone training base in Devon
* Run designed to improve recruits' stamina, strength, and team-spirit - and to weed out those who aren't up to it

It is designed to turn the merely tough into the super-tough.

The Royal Marines' much-feared Mud Run is the toughest part of the 32-week training course said to turn 'civilians into commandos', and looking at these astonishing photographs, you can see why even the strongest recruits dread it.

Exhausted, demoralised, and covered in foul-smelling sludge from head to toe, these Royal Marine recruits hope one day to wear the coveted Green Beret marking them out as the elite of Britain's fighting forces.

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My Comment: I guess this is the Royal Marines version of "hell week".

Am I Man Enough For The Marines?

Iain Hollingshead is pushed to the limit trying out the Royal Marines' training camp in Lympstone, Devon

From The Telegraph:

Does our reporter Iain Hollingshead have what it takes to wear the Marines’ green beret? There’s only one way to find out...

If you want to visit the Royal Marines at their training camp in Devon, and prefer not to mount an amphibious assault from the River Exe or a fast-rope descent from an Apache helicopter, you have to take the train.

It chugs south from Exeter along the coast towards Exmouth, via Lympstone Commando, the Marines’ own railway station. Lympstone is a request stop, which means you have to pluck up the courage to inform the conductor of your destination in front of a packed carriage.

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My Comment: I would love to see our politicians go through this program (or some lesser version) .... but I know that they will not because they are (fill in the blank).

As for those who are curious about me, in my 20s and 30s I was addicted to fitness training, putting myself through an exercise program that occupied 4 - 5 hours a day, 6 days a week .... and I did it for almost 10 years. I even met (and have a picture which I will post when I have the time) with Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Schwarzenegger Classic in 1992 who complimented me on my shape. I studied (and used) different training programs and found the UK Marines to be the hardest. Russia's program for special forces is also daunting.

Sighhh .... sadly .... at 50 my body is not the same anymore. So .... am I man enough for the marines? Mentally I am there, but I must confess that my present body betrays me.