Belgium Goes All the Way at HDF Pápa Air Base

Besides the woods and shrubs located in the huge area of Pápa Air Base, fortunately there is a pond there too which the organizers made good use of. The combination of the various tasks placed such a burden on the participants that only a few of them were able to approach the next station at a run in the last third of the course. They had to execute tasks at 33 control points, and some of these tasks involved getting from one point to another with the use of a rope. The tasks also included water crossing, which was made more difficult with logs, camouflage net and a smell of natural decay. The covers at the aerodrome provided the participants with an excellent opportunity to run up and down the hills and to crawl through a dark tunnel, finally climbing out of it through a tiny vent. As the competitors had to carry out a combination of watery, rope-using and crawling tasks, it was quite difficult for them to race against time while wearing soaked shoes and clothes. Those unable to carry out a given task faultlessly got some penalty points, which weighed heavily in the final results. The ladies entered the race this year too, taking up the challenge which was difficult even for men.

This year 152 competitors from five countries came to Pápa Air Base, which shows that this kind of sport is gaining in popularity in Hungary too. Besides the representatives of Hungarian military units, the sportsmen of the police, the prison service and the fire department also participated in the program, and American, Belgian, Estonian, Honduran and Swedish competitors also entered the race. Of course, the seven-strong Belgian team set all other teams an example of how to complete all the tasks quickly, skillfully and faultlessly, and took the highest placing.

The 3rd Survival Run was a great success with the participants, which attests to the organizers’ skills and resourcefulness. Some of the competitors have already been here before, and others would like to enter the next Military Survival Run too.