Defence News
Afghanistan soldiers run for a worthy cause
1 September 2010
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Life in the dust and heat of Afghanistan is a long way from being easy – but even more so when you have just lost three of your mates in tragic circumstances.
And so it was a welcome distraction when the men and women of the 1st Mentoring Task Force (MTF-1) were given the opportunity to raise money for a worthwhile charity, Autism Queensland's Kidstart program which has raised over $3.14 million for charities over the past 13 years.
One-hundred-and-fifteen entrants took on the 'Bridge to Brisbane' Charity Run at the Multi-National Base, Tarin Kot a world away from the event proper in the Queensland capital's CBD. The Tarin Kot run raised $3,500.
"We actually had two runs to coincide with the 'Bridge to Brisbane' event," said Lieutenant Emma Cameron, a physiotherapist with MTF-1.
"There was a 5km run for mere mortals and a 10km run for the more serious entrants. In the heat and the dust here, both these distances are testing runs."
Each contestant donated $25 to participate in the 5km run or $30 to take part in the 10km Tarin Kot Cup. And it was not just the Aussies contributing to the cause; they were also joined by a number of their Dutch, Singaporean and US coalition partners.
"The instigator for the involvement was physical training instructor Sergeant Bradley Whittaker who's always looking for different activities to keep people's spirits up," Lieutenant Cameron said.
"With MTF-1 mostly comprising of members from the Brisbane-based 6th Royal Australian Regiment, he thought it was a logical choice."
The 10km main event taken out by Captain Rob Arnold in a very respectable 38 minutes 43 seconds over a course that was predominantly sandy, rocky and very uneven. The women's 10km was won by Corporal Holly McBride in 43 minutes and one second.
In the 5km section Dutchman Mauritz De Jong won the men's event and a member of Australia's Special Operations Task Group won the women's run.