On Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th April, our students Holly, in Year 12, and Lilly, in Year 10, took part in the Royal Air Force Walking and Road Marching Association’s (RAFWARMA) annual event.
Now in its 41st year, the RAFWARMA event, held at RAF Cosford, challenges participants to complete 83 kilometres over two days: 41km on Saturday and 42km on Sunday. RAFWARMA attracts teams from across the country, and occasionally from overseas. While the majority of participants are air, army, and sea cadets, civilians also take part, making it a diverse and spirited gathering.
Holly said, “This year marked my third time participating in RAFWARMA. Despite having completed it twice before, I can honestly say it doesn’t get easier. However, over time you learn to embrace the experience — drawing motivation from your team and the atmosphere around you. This year, in particular, was my most enjoyable. Our team performed exceptionally well, averaging 7 hours and 30 minutes each day. With a 4:00am start, breakfast at 4:30, and stepping off by 6:30, the days are long and demanding. We typically finished between 14:00 and 15:00, and were proud to be the second team to return on both days, out of approximately 450 participants. It was a challenging but incredibly rewarding experience — and one I’m proud to have completed once again.”
Completing her first RAFWARMA, Lilly said, “Our team was the Norfolk and Suffolk wing. However, we were only one of the vast amounts of teams taking part. We befriended a team, the Cumbria and Lancashire wing, and had some friendly competition with Essex on day one. The atmosphere was so friendly. Everyone was just trying to get around and with their team still intact and hopefully no drop outs. N&S wing were exceptionally strong, getting round 41 km in a little over 7 hours on the first day, and 42 km in 7 hrs and 45 mins on the second day. There were also civilians that were taking part within RAF Warma. Although they could not start from inside the base due to security reasons, they still did it and they were all so friendly talking to us as we walked. We sung happy birthday to a lady as she was doing the march on her birthday which made the first few kilometres of the second day a little bit more bearable. The scenery was beautiful, with most of the march based in the countryside. However, we learnt quite quickly that it was much more hilly than the countryside we know around Norfolk and Suffolk. However, to keep spirits high, our team leader, originally from scotland, brought his bagpipes and would play to us as we walked.”
Saint Felix School is incredibly proud of Holly and Lilly’s achievement. What a fantastic challenge.