66-year-old Holme Pierrepont gym member wins extreme 'SAS' event for over 50s
66-year-old Martin Braddock, who uses our gym, has come out top in an SAS-themed endurance event for the over 50s, which is so extreme people of his age group rarely even attempt it!
Martin, who credits the gym and our staff with helping him get into the best shape of his life, was competing in the Gemini Extreme Endurance Event, which takes place in the Brecon Beacons. Over two consecutive days, entrants take on the gruelling Fan Dance, the world's oldest and most famous Special Forces selection test.
The Fan Dance consists of a timed 24km march, which includes a climb to the top of Pen y Fan, the highest peak in the Brecon Beacons, before a descent of the notoriously steep Jacob's Ladder.
Due to its severity, the Gemini event, which is organised by the company, The Special Forces Experience (TSFE), has its highest age category set at the over 50s level. This is different to the single Fan Dance competition, which has an over 60s section. But what this meant for 66-year-old Martin was that his only option if he was going to attempt the Gemini was to face off against much younger men in the over 50s cohort.
Across the two days, completing the Fan Dance twice, Martin’s overall time of 10 hours 5 minutes was good enough to take first place, and he gives a lot of the credit for his performance to our gym team.
Martin added:
‘A massive thank you to the TSFE for organising yet another fabulous event. The planning to ensure the challenge for participants is met with equal first-class marshalling and rigorous attention to safety for all who take part.
“There is no doubt that I would not have been able to take on one of these marches, let alone two had it not been for the many hours of weight and cardio training in the gym at Holme Pierrepont. Learning from personal trainers especially Graham Parrington, Jamie Smith and Tom Walton gives me the discipline to further develop both strength and stamina.
“Most of all though, I thank the many members, some of whom I train with regularly, who inspire me to push myself always a little further.
“I have lined up several new events for 2027, which include the Trinity Fan Dance, which is the ultimate challenge in the series comprising three back-to-back 24km marches over two days and survival training on a Panamanian island, further using skills I developed in a six-day extreme cold environment experience I took part in, in Northern Sweden in February.’
Jason Birch, CEO of TSFE and former member of the UK Special Forces including the SAS Counter Terrorism Team added:
“Inspirational Martin - well done and congratulations on this phenomenal achievement! We don’t stop chasing our goals as we get old, we get old when we stop chasing our goals.”
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