Soldier runs African marathon carrying 50kg stretcher for bereaved military children
“I think Scotty’s is a charity that everyone in the Forces can relate to, as we all either know someone who has died or we know someone who knows someone. I just wanted to help in whatever way I could.”
When 31-year-old Sgt David Mathieson of the Royal Regiment of Scotland came up with the idea to run a marathon in the African heat whilst carrying a 50kg stretcher, he hadn’t expected so many people to join him. But, when word of his idea spread, the challenge exploded.
“This is my fifth operational tour and the second charity event that I've organised. The plan was originally just for me to raise some money for Scotty’s on my own, but when people got wind of it, I had loads of colleagues asking to get involved. It turned into a much bigger event than I ever expected! In the end, 56 of us got involved and everyone was really into it.”
Soldiers from the Royal Regiment of Scotland carrying the 50kg stretcher
Why carry a 50kg stretcher?
As a serving soldier in the British Armed Forces, David is no stranger to high-pressure environments and needs to be ready to jump into action at a moment’s notice. This is where his idea to carry a 50kg stretcher along the route came from.
“We chose to do it with a stretcher weighing 50kg to simulate us carrying a casualty, a soldier injured in battle. In the event of that situation ever occurring, we all want to be the best we can be. That was my thinking behind it.”
Dealing with extreme heat
David and his colleagues are currently serving in Africa, where temperatures can range anywhere from 25 to 40 degrees. For most of us, carrying a 50kg stretcher the distance of a marathon already sounds impossible, but doing it in the African heat adds yet another layer to an already extreme challenge.
“We brought lots of water, electrolyte juice, Haribo, nuts and stuff like that to keep us going. We made sure to stay well fuelled and trained for the challenge beforehand. We already do personal PT obviously, but we also built up the number of miles we completed during training and focussed on strengthening our legs from around mid-December until the challenge, which was in February. So around two months of preparation.”
Sgt David Mathieson mid-marathon
“We wanted to test ourselves.”
David’s preparation paid off, as all 56 of them finished the mammoth challenge. And they did it in an astonishing five hours and three minutes.
“It was really good. Everyone was super fit and we all completed it. Because so many people got involved, we ended up splitting into two group of 28 and taking turns to carry the stretcher. One group would carry it for about four kilometres, then the next would take over. We did that for the whole length of the marathon.
“Carrying the stretcher definitely made a massive difference. People's arms were growing tired and their hands were getting sore towards the end. It made it much more challenging, but that was always the point. We wanted to test ourselves.”
Raising money for Scotty’s
As a result of their efforts, David and his colleagues raised over £2500 for Scotty’s Little Soldiers, every penny of which will help us continue to offer the very best support for bereaved military children and young people.
“I honestly wasn’t expecting to raise as much as we did. I basically just tried to promote it as much as I could, spread the word as far as I could and reshared it online whenever I felt people might have forgotten.”
David and his colleagues showing their support for Scotty's Little Soldiers
Scotty’s founder, Nikki:
"What an incredible achievement! I can’t even begin to imagine the level of fitness needed to do what David and his colleagues have done. Hearing how many people wanted to get involved and support Scotty’s means the world and I can’t thank everyone who took part enough. Every single donation helps us continue supporting bereaved military children and young people and offer them the best support available.”
Supporting bereaved military children
Scotty’s Little Soldiers is a charity dedicated to supporting children and young people (0 to 25 years) who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces.
Inspired by the experience of Army widow Nikki Scott, following the death of her husband Corporal Lee Scott in Afghanistan in 2009, the charity, which was set up in 2010, provides support and guidance to hundreds of bereaved military children and young people throughout their childhood.
Services offered to Scotty’s members include access to child bereavement support, guidance to parents and carers, personal education and learning assistance (including grants), and fun activities such as holiday respite breaks and group events. These are all designed to remind the children and young people supported by Scotty’s that they are not alone.
