Both our Ten tors teams had a very successful weekend on Dartmoor in the annual Ten Tors Challenge.
The 35 mile team – which consisted of Will C, Leo B, Eddie and Cam G, Tilly S and the only year 9, Luka R – were amazing and led the groups round compared to other schools on the same route. They walked for 12 hours on Saturday and then another 7 on Sunday and arrived at 1pm back at the finish at Okehampton army camp. We had a bit of a scare right at the end when they took 40 minutes longer to arrive from the last checkpoint than we’d expected but we later found out they knew they were going to finish on time so they spent 30 minutes quizzing the army guys on the welfare of their colleagues in year 11.
The 45 mile team – consisting of Lottie R, Laura C, Ezra B, Toby W-W, Millie K and Jess M – were successful and if anything even more amazing than their 35 mile colleagues. The weekend started for them with the knowledge that one of the team was unwell. The rules state they had to start with 6 members for the team to continue, so a plan was drawn up to get to the start line and then the ill member could withdraw and the team continue from checkpoint 1.
The team valiantly awoke at 5am to the sound of Chariots of Fire and with encouragement they all made it to the start. Phew! The team departed with the cannon blast, and I just waited for the inevitable summons by loudspeaker to the drop out point. All Saturday morning, I waited, nothing. All afternoon I waited, nothing. The checkpoints ticked by 1, 2, 3 ,4, 5 – still no call. Had there been an admin error?
After checkpoint 5 we knew the team had about 3 hours to walk to get to checkpoint 6 so we had to wait until Sunday morning to see if they’d made it. Then the website crashed so it wasn’t until 9am Sunday that we were given an update. The team had gone through checkpoint 6 at 6am and then checkpoint 7 by 8. Amazing…. still no embarrassing summons to collect a wounded soldier.
Sunday was more routine with the team notching up checkpoints 8, 9 and 10, but what had become of the student who was sick? We learnt the answer at 3.30pm when 6 weary bodies marched towards the finish. They were all there and very much alive. Relief. Amazement. Pride. Respect. These were only some of the emotions all the adult contingent felt.
We subsequently learnt the team had nursed their sick member all Saturday; walked for 15 hours until gone 11pm; got up at 4.30am and walked another 11 hours to complete the distance. At the end they said: ‘Sir, we are a team, there was no way we were going to finish without six of us’. Credit to them all for their efforts, but particularly Lottie who led the group round.
Ian Blundell
THS Ten Tors team manager.
