Image Gallery 2010

10 March 2010
Inaugural Tarin Kot Survival Run

A soldier from Australia’s Special Operations Task Group (SOTG) took out the inaugural Tarin Kot Survival Run on 28 February.

Private R was the best of a strong field competing in the event, which was a new twist on the usual fortnightly fun run at the Multi-national military base in Tarin Kot.

The course consisted of 19 hair raising obstacles over a hilly 8 km course. These additions to the normal run didn’t deter the 200 plus competitors who were out to have a good time, grab a free t-shirt and compete for a place.

Dutch and Australian soldiers, along with a few brave contractors, Americans and Slovaks, lined up to have their turn at the course set up by the Physical Training Instructor (PTI) of Australia’s 1st Mentoring Task Force (MTF1) SGT Brady Whittaker and his Dutch counterpart.

MTF1 Personnel CAPT Hayden Pickering and WO2 Laurence Smith completed the course on their own, and then teamed up with others to do it again in the couple category. However a Dutch team, clad in their signature spandex outfits, were too strong for the rest of the field and won the pairs event.

The obstacles integrated anything and everything in and around Camp Holland- competitors scaled shipping containers, climbed ropes, scrambled up cargo nets, dove into skips full of icy water, and lugged ammunition boxes around pillars and through concrete pipes.

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Sergeant Wijnand Venn the Dutch Physical Training Instructor lays out rules for the survival run at Camp Holland.

(Date taken: 28 February 2010)
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Off to a flying start, Warrant Officer Class Two Laurence Smith from the First Mentoring Task Force, begins the 8km Survival Run at Camp Holland.

(Date taken: 28 February 2010)
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High rope monkey climbs, typical of the barriers encountered by competitors such as Lieutenant Piotr Gajewski from the Force Communications Unit, during the survival run at Camp Holland.

(Date taken: 28 February 2010)
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Cargo nets featured prominantly in the survival run at Camp Holland with Lieutenant Andrew Laing from Force Support Team showing how it's done.

(Date taken: 28 February 2010)
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The strain of competition shows as Captain Hayden Pickering from the First Mentoring Task Force, pushes the limit at the under over obstacle during the base survival run.

(Date taken: 28 February 2010)
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Making it look easy, Captain Henry Stimson bounds over a six foot high concrete barrier during the base survival run at Camp Holland.

(Date taken: 28 February 2010)
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Doing it with a smile, Wing Commander Chris Pozzi carried a heavy sandbag up and down a 50m hill during the base survival run at Camp Holland.

(Date taken: 28 February 2010)
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(L-R) Sergeant John Craig and Captain Morgan Allen from the First Mentoring Task Force, pump out the horsepower and stride the hill climb during the base survival run at Camp Holland.

(Date taken: 28 February 2010)
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In standard spandex attire, Dutch soldiers Niels and Hielke competing in the base survival run jog past Australian Forces heading out on patrol from Multinational Base Tarin Kot.

(Date taken: 28 February 2010)
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When the going gets tough! Privates Cindy and Yuette from the Royal Netherlands Army scale a hill-climb obstacle during the base survival run at Camp Holland.

(Date taken: 28 February 2010)
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Sergeant Brady Whittaker and (rear) Captain Hayden Pickering from the First Mentoring Task Force, didn't faulter during the base survival run at Camp Holland.

(Date taken: 28 February 2010)
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Smashing through the pain barrier, Sergeant Brady Whittaker from the First Mentoring Task Force, during the base survival run at Camp Holland.

(Date taken: 28 February 2010)
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Up and over, Captain Hayden Pickering from the First Mentoring Task Force, scales the concrete barriers during the base survival run at Camp Holland.

(Date taken: 28 February 2010)
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(L-R) Touch and go, Captain Hayden Pickering and Sergeant Brady Whittaker from the First Mentoring Task Force scale the ropes in quick time during the base survival run at Camp Holland.

(Date taken: 28 February 2010)
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Cold muddy water featured heavily during the base survival run at Camp Holland.

(Date taken: 28 February 2010)
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Cargo net come spider web, an MTF competitor considers his options during the final obstacle of the base survival run at Camp Holland.

(Date taken: 28 February 2010)
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Lieutenant Piotr Gajewski from the Force Communications Unit, considers his options during the final obstacle of the base survival run at Camp Holland.

(Date taken: 28 February 2010)
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Endurance and strength were essential for completion of the base survival run at Camp Holland.

(Date taken: 28 February 2010)
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