The Fan Dance
The Fan Dance is a 24km speed march carrying a 49lb bergen across Pen-y-Fan and back in Wales's Brecon Beacons. It is used as an endurance and navigation test as part of the selection process for British special forces. Back in 2013 I had the chance, aged 52, to try out the test for myself thanks to a group of ex military guys called the Special Forces Experience who give the general public the chance to taste a bit of the SAS rigours. It was a spiritual experience for me because the event was put on to raise money for Talking 2 Minds in memory of 3 soldiers who died of heat exhaustion on selection the previous summer in the same area: Lance Corporal Craig Roberts, Lance Corporal Edward Maher and Corporal James Dunsby.
