Superman himself, Henry Cavill, took on the Royal Marines at the weekend. He joined hundreds of civilians raising money for The Royal Marines Charity and Devon Air Ambulance Trust, where they took on a gruelling fitness trial.
The man of steel was put through his paces by the commandos, as he was taken through a series of muddy tunnels, pits and ponds, including the infamous sheep dip and dive through a short underwater tunnel.
The circuit is part of the training course at Woodbury Common where recruits from the Royal Marines’ Lympstone training base undertake their first commando test during the latter stages of their 32 weeks of basic training. The endurance course is one of four commando tests recruits have to undertake to earn their green beret.
The Commando Challenge is a chance for families and members of the public to meet Royal Marines and raise money for worthy causes.
Competitors can choose to complete either a 4km, 10km or 17km run and have to demonstrate true Royal Marines Commando spirit – courage, determination, cheerfulness, and unselfishness to get around the challenging course.
After his Commando Challenge, Henry Cavill said: “It was great. It’s very important to support this charity because a lot of people don’t realise the hardship of serving. It’s important to support those people because they’re out there protecting us and there’s a family supporting them from home.”
One of the Royal Marines who joined Henry on the Commando Challenge was Lance Corporal Ben Laws, 22, from Ipswich. He said: “Henry was a really down-to-earth guy and he gave the challenge a good go, definitely living up to his on-screen persona. He put a lot of effort into the day and really became part of the team, motivating the others and taking it all in his stride. Of course we made sure he got properly muddy and he was a very good sport about it all.”
This isn’t the only time Superman has shown his colours, in 2014 he joined more than 200 Royal Marines and Royal Navy men and women, past and present, who descended onto Gibraltar to take part in the infamous Rock Race.
The race up the famous rock of Gibraltar was organised by the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund and chairman Alan Hardy. The Gibraltar Rock Race is renowned throughout the Royal Navy with every ship/unit visiting Gibraltar taking part in the race.
The Superman actor took up the challenge of running the 4.3km route up the Gibraltar landmark alongside his brother Lieutenant Colonel Nik Cavill MBE, a serving Royal Marine.
At the time, Henry Cavill said: “I am really proud to be a part of the event today and to support the Royal Marines – they are obviously close to my heart with my brother Nik being a Lieutenant Colonel. He let me beat him today – I think he was being kind though!”
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Post written by: Vicky Maggiani
Vicky has worked in media for over 20 years and has a wealth of experience in editing and creating copy for a variety of sectors.
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