Top honour for Nijmegen team

The Maritime Forces Pacific team performs the traditional skit in front of multi-national teams at Camp Heumensoord after their 40 kilometre march on July 17 during the 97th International Four Days Marches Nijmegen, Netherlands.

Five time veteran of the International Four Day Marches Nijmegen, CPO2 Koblun says this year’s team was one of the best he’s ever seen.
The Chief and his 11-person troop recently returned from the 97th Nijmegen March. This four day event saw thousands of people marching through the Dutch countryside.
“They meshed together so well, from a personality and a discipline standpoint,” he says. “Even when things got tough and everyone was hurting, they could still march, smile, and sing. They helped each other through all of it.”
The CFB Esquimalt team’s dedication and near superhuman effort secured them the top Canadian honour. On top of finishing the race first out of all the Canadian teams, they were also awarded the Woodhouse Trophy. The trophy is awarded to the top Canadian military contingent at the March; an honour the CFB Esquimalt team has won three years out of the last four years they have participated.
“It feels really great to have our training program validated,” says CPO2 Koblun. “The blood and sweat we put into this March isn’t going unrecognized. We work hard and being acknowledged for that is a great feeling.”
The tough selection and training process is what put them a step ahead of other participants. They were used to marching 40km a day by the time they landed in The Netherlands.
“They started calling us ‘cyborgs’ and ‘robots’,” says CPO2 Koblun. “When we’d get to rest points the other teams would have their boots off, feet up, just crashed. We would still have our boots on and be playing frisbee. It was just the way we trained and it definitely helped us stay on our feet.”
That being said, the world’s greatest walking event had its challenges. CPO2 Koblun says the overbearing heat made this year’s event tougher.
“It was about 30 degrees every day, with 80 per cent humidity. It felt like we were walking through pea soup at some points,” he says. “People don’t usually get blisters until the second or third day, but we had guys getting them on day one this year.”
Through all the blisters, exhaustion, and cramping, CPO2 Koblun says it was still heart-warming to see hundreds of thousands of civilians come out to cheer on the marchers.
“The civilians that come out really love the Canadian teams. They absolutely support the other teams, but when they see that Canadian flag they just go nuts. I don’t think a lot of the team was ready for that.”
The love and appreciation the Dutch people have for the March is never on larger display than the Victory March. During the last five kilometres of the march the Canadian teams all form up into one gigantic contingent, wearing their Nijmegen March medals.
“It’s an overwhelming feeling,” says CPO2 Koblun. “To have that kind of support and appreciation showered on you from so many strangers is a really unique experience.”

-Shawn O’Hara, Staff Writer