By Sqn Ldr Ben Trapnell

Royal Air Force athletes set the glens alight at the Braemar Gathering with a range of fantastic performances while Her Majesty the Queen looked on.

Representatives of the Royal Air Force once again travelled to Braemar to compete in the Royal Highland Gathering. This year teams represented RAF Odiham, RAF Halton and RAF Cosford in the Inter Unit Medley Relay, competing along side units from the Army and Navy. An RAF Tug of War team was also competing in the Inter Unit Tug of War competition and we had 2 athletes entered in the prestigious Morrone Hill Race. The conditions were fair as although there had been heavy rain during the summer the day of competition proved to be sunny and saw some excellent competition.

The Braemar Gathering is an annual festival of sport and Scottish heritage up in the Cairngorms. Events range from the events mentioned above to individual sprint and throwing events as well as the more light hearted sack race for the kids. Bagpipes and Scottish dancing competitions are also on hand to entertain over 15,000 spectators from all over the world. The general feel is of the worlds biggest school sports day.

The day began with Flt Lt Carl Thompson and newcomer to the team, SAC Carl Tucker, tackling the massive Morrone Hill race against tough competition. The rules were simple, exit the stadium and run to the top of a local hill: more a mountain, then return to the stadium as fast and you can. You can take any route you like and the going is tough. Both athletes performed brilliantly and Carl Senior took the third veteran slot overall.

The Relays were run in 2 stages, heats and then a final. With both Odiham and Cosford drawn in the first heat along with 10 Signals it was shaping up to be a tough heat. Odiham ran away with it however with Cosford fighting off a strong challenge from 10 Signals to take second place and secure their place in the final. In the second heat Halton put up a brave fight but could only manage 3rd against stiff opposition. The fact that 2 of their runners had only minutes before completed the hill race had absolutely nothing to do with it. As luck would have it however they were allocated a place in the final due to HMS Neptune pulling out but were themselves forced to withdraw due to injury.

The arrival of Her Majesty the Queen heralded the relay finals. With two teams in the final it promised to be an interesting race. With Cpl Stu Benson leading the Odiham team off they started strong and with Cpl Hugh Smith and AC Mark Gilmer powering around the course in a dominat show of force it was left to SAC Tony Higbee to stamped home to take the overall victory.

Speaking from Track Side RAF Odiham Team Captain, SAC Tony Higbee, said 'Captaining the RAF Odiham Team to victory and receiving the winners trophy on behalf of the team from Her Majesty the Queen has been one of the proudest moments of my RAF Career'.

DCAE Cosford didn't have it all their own way over the first leg but a problematic handover from their closest opposition allowed them the space to race away with it and claim second place.

Tired but proud the team departed Braemar happy with their achievements with everyone keen to come back next year to participate in this fantastic event. A steady trip back to Leuchar's allowed them to unwind before celebrating their achievements in St Andrews.