The ‘Baltic Warrior’, a demanding competition demonstrating Spanish superiority

• The Spanish teams have excelled in this traditional race held during their deployment in Latvia.

A new edition of the traditional ‘Baltic Warrior’ competition in Camp Ādaži has been recently celebrated and the Spanish teams have excelled by reaching the first places. On this occasion, two hundred and seventy teams have participated in this competition.

In this competition, where participants of all nationalities from the military personnel to the NATO mission established in the Baltic countries, participation is in pairs and consists in marching for more than sixteen kilometres. Participants have to do task such as rucking, taking a kayak and portage until reaching the river, after which they have to row for more than eleven kilometres, leave the river and continue for another couple of kilometres during the portage, and running until they reach the finish line on the beach.

Along the race, personnel from the different contingents have encouraged competitors, who strived to achieve a victory and successfully complete the race. Moreover, the organisation has provided runners with provisions and medical assistance.

The results for the Spanish participants, who made proof of their high competence, have been, for the men teams, the first, second and third place. In the women’s category, second place. In mixed teams, second and third, only after/behind a Latvian team. In the master category (where age between the two participants should be over forty), first and second place. In the team category, first and third place. Therefore, in this edition, the Spanish teams have been present on the podium in all the categories.

In addition to the competitive nature of the event, the race has a solidarity ingredient, since participants carried non-perishable foods in their rucksacks, which given later as a donation by the organisation to a Latvian orphanage.