Fifty Miles in 24 Hours: The Warrior Yomp Returns November 7
Courtesy of Allied Forces Foundation
The Allied Forces Foundation (AFF) will hold its third annual Warrior Yomp on Saturday, November 7. The event is a 24-hour endurance challenge that starts and ends at the Belle Haven Picnic Area near Alexandria and runs as far as 50 miles. Along the way it covers the Mount Vernon Trail, Washington, DC, the C&O Canal towpath, and checkpoints at the Canadian, Danish, British, and Ukrainian embassies. Participants have until 8 a.m. Sunday to finish.
But this is not a race, and if you haven’t heard of it, you’re not alone. “I think our biggest challenge in the last couple of years is just getting the word out and letting people know it exists,” Dr. Kelly Brown, chair of the AFF board, told us.
Yomp, Royal Marines slang for a long march, has been recast by AFF as “Your Own March Pace.” Participants in the Warrior Yomp can choose the distance they want to achieve. Bronze ends at the British Embassy around mile 22, Silver goes 36 miles and ends at one of the lock houses, and Gold is the full 50. Everyone who finishes gets a medal and a T-shirt.
While you won’t find an aid station every two miles like you would in a traditional road race, the event has plenty of support. There is drop bag support and checkpoints where you can resupply with food and snacks. GPS tracking is new this year, and the course is also relatively flat.
“People get really nervous about 50 miles, but it’s doable,” she said. “There’s not that extra pressure of ‘I have to set my PR on this course.’ It’s really meant to be enjoyed along the way.”
From the Scottish Highlands to the Potomac
Courtesy of Allied Forces Foundation
The model comes from Scotland, where every June, AFF takes U.S. veterans and service members from nine nations to the Cateran Yomp, a hike of up to 54 miles through the Scottish Highlands. AFF covers lodging, food, transportation, and entry fees for the full week.
“It takes 150 strangers who are all at various levels of their recovery, and they really open up, and the transformation is amazing,” Brown said. “It’s amazing what happens in one week.”
As part of the Cateran Yomp, participants visit iconic Scottish locations; take part in the Wounded Warrior Highland Games with Wild Fox Events on the banks of Loch Tay; and enjoy a traditional Scottish dinner designed to celebrate their achievement in participating in the Yomp challenge, according to AFF.
Building off the success of its Scottish cousin, AFF wanted to bring the program stateside in order to reach more veterans. With the goal of eventually building out the Warrior Yomp into a weeklong program, today it raises money for the foundation’s work and welcomes participants who want to support the group’s mission. It brings in people who have no military connection at all, and they are a big part of who Brown wants to reach.
“Everyone is welcome,” she said. “You don’t need a specific connection or history with the military or veterans or anything like that. It’s just a fun, exciting challenge.”
The foundation’s international partners are coming for this one too, including members of the Royal Marines and Ukrainian service members, many of whom will make the trip from the front line. AFF doesn’t charge them to take part.
Growing the Event
The first Warrior Yomp came together in 90 days and drew around 50 people. The second year ran into the government shutdown. The event depends on coordination with the National Park Service and Park Police because participants are on the trails overnight, but it still went off without a hitch and drew just under 100 people.
This year, the goal is 150 participants. The Park Service caps the event at 300 for now, so there is plenty of room, and the field spreads out quickly. Because it is not a traditional foot race, people end up walking beside strangers and learning their stories.
“The stories people tell each other, they come away from it just amazed and refreshed,” Brown said. “It’s this thing that happens along the trail.”
Who It’s For
Brown’s answer was simple. The Warrior Yomp is for “anyone who wants to challenge themselves and get out there and see the area.”
And, you also don’t have to do the full 50. “Honestly, 22 is awesome,” she said. “You come out, have an amazing day, see amazing sights, get to three of the four embassies, and you still have time to go have cocktails with friends.”
Plans change on the course, too. “We have folks all the time who say, ‘Oh, I’m going to do all 50,’ and they get to bronze and say, ‘This is so much fun, I think I’ll stop here,’” Brown said.
There is also a virtual Yomp, which Brown said is underused. Pick a distance, sign up, and AFF sends you the medal and shirt. You can cover the miles in a single day or spread them over 150 days.
AFF’s motto is “Fight together, heal together, side by side.” Brown said it reaches beyond veterans to their families and the organizations that serve them, and to anyone else who shows up.
