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1988 in Berlin - Berlin Wall Non Stop Sgt's Eddie Mahony (Eddie) and Gordon Vevers (Ginge) - The Untold Story - just before the start ©Horst Milde
RUNNING GERMANY – Berlin Wall Non Stop Sgt’s Eddie Mahony (Eddie) and Gordon Vevers (Ginge) – The Untold Story – By Eddie Mahony
People will say we were mad and it was a moment of madness to say let's run the Berlin Wall nonstop, but it was something I wanted to do after all units had come to Berlin on their two years posting and had ran the Berlin marathon, the Berlin 25 km not forgetting running the Berlin Wall in relays with each runner covering a distance of 15 kilometres or so.
I remember the wives club running from Brandenburg Gates to Brookes Barracks in record time, but running the Berlin Wall nonstop madness, and so it was during the traditional Xmas serving of lunch to our soldiers in the main kitchen in Brooke Barracks (by the Officers' and SNCO's) the idea was born, although my selection for a partner to run with me was made some months earlier if not before.
Ginge and I had ran in many events over the two years we were stationed in Edinburgh as training Cpl instructors, he was a determined runner always fighting and working till the end and more importantly never tired for more training during the cold winter months in Edinburgh, the ideal partner for something of this magnitude that lay ahead.
During the Xmas lunch both Ginge and I were standing next to the hot plate and I casually said I fancy doing something with a challenge next year what would you say if you and I ran the Berlin Wall nonstop, Ginge looked at me and said are you serious, and I said yes. I was not surprised when he said count me in, I walked away before he could change his mind.
The next day before we closed for Xmas leave I set about preparing for the wall run which was planned for April the following year. I made an office call with my Assistant Adjutant Capt Jim Scott and got the ball in motion. The next I heard just after New Year was both Ginge and I had a conference call in one of the main hotels in the centre of Berlin. As we left Brooke Barracks with Capt Scott we were fairly excited that it was catching people's imagination, but what a surprise we got when we arrived at the hotel, all I can remember was lots of photographers and the reception was just fantastic. Ginge turned to me and said what have you done I said just keep smiling, we'll do this.
Training was easy we were fit and we made time to get out and get as much miles sensibly under our belts. Weekends were always good training days 30 miles on a Saturday and 15 mile or so on a Sunday. I think we were averaging 125 miles per week possibly more and of course a good sensible diet and an understanding wife helped also. We had some sponsorship from Mazda cars and Concentrin Sports, and let's not forget we were doing this for Leukaemia for sick children in Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.
On the morning before the run it was a funny old day not sure what to do, do you sleep go shopping or just sit around drink fluids all day. 2000hrs was a long time coming but it did and so we were standing ready to go at Staaken check point with the East German guards watching with interest, after all they knew exactly what we were about to attempt, 107 miles or 177km madness.
I must say at this point we had a fantastic admin support team and we wanted for nothing throughout the run. Some locals came out to watch us head off and with the time exactly 2000hrs both Ginge and I started our journey. I remember early on Ginge telling me to slow down we had a long way to go (good selection I said to myself as I needed someone to keep me in check and not get too carried away early on). The first four hours was steady as we could recognise our distance and speed, but I remember having a pain in my left foot at about the six hour mark I quickly removed my shoe half expecting to find a piece of glass or something sharp in my trainers but nothing back on with the shoe and headed off again with the pain gone.
We drank at every opportunity never allowing ourselves to get anywhere near being dehydrated; I think our fluid intake was some 30 litres each throughout. I don't remember eating anything perhaps we might have ate a bit of chocolate but nothing much it was all fluids. I remember having another bad spell at 10 hours feeling very depressed and cold I asked the admin team for a black coffee, nothing else just a black coffee somehow they produced a coffee and within minutes I was feeling much better and back on track with what lay ahead.
It's fair to say both Ginge and I had our moments out there but we both helped each other through them and we knew each other well enough to know when to intervene and give each other that extra bit of encouragement. I can honestly say when I left Staaken check point I was always going to complete the run, the time would not matter just complete it, that would be good enough. But more importantly we were running for the King's Own Scottish Borders and that meant everything to both of us, to fail it was never in our vocabulary.
We crossed the Havel which was a short distance and only 20 km to go we headed up to Staaken check point from where we had started some 15 hours prior and it was at that point I remember seeing my wife and two daughters standing cheering us on I was tired and overwhelmed by the support we had been given throughout our magical journey as we turned onto the Hier strasse with a six motor cycle escort back to Brooke Barracks.
We arrived in to the Barracks with our Commanding Officer and all the families applauding our efforts we had made it. With a quick live radio interview with BFBS and BBC 2 we headed off for a long soak with the Commanding Officers saying Sgt's Vevers and Mahony take the week off and that's an order.
As I mentioned earlier I never doubted that Ginge and I would not achieve our aim, it was not easy but we trained hard and I think our mental attitude whatever state it was in got us round the Berlin Wall.
I still run today and have carried out many charity events with a physical theme of course. I did mention to Ginge did he fancy doing the Great Wall of China, he walked away saying nothing and in the opposite direction from the Great Wall of China.
Eddie Mahony
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