A Silver Green Beret

A Spanish private from the Special Operations Command, guerrilla Pascual Falcó, has captured second place in the Long Distance Duathlon World Championship held on 2nd September in the Swiss city of Zofingen, in the 25 to 29 age category. 
 

Pvt. Falcó achieved completing the 190 kilometre event –the first 10 kilometres on foot, the following 150 on bicycle, and the last 30 again running- in a time of 7 hours and 21 minutes.  ‘My goal was to be under 7 hours and a half, but I didn’t think that I would reach it and place second,’ he explains.
 

The merit of his achievement is even greater if it is taken into account that this was his first participation in a World Championship, that he was the only Spaniard in his category, and that the course through the Swiss locality is considered to be the toughest in the world, since it includes three mountain passes with up to a 14% gradient as well as steep cross-country and asphalt slopes.
 

To prepare himself, the Green Beret has followed a 21 week intensive training programme with the help of a trainer, also a serviceman like him.
 

The young man, 28, who has been in the Army for four years, began to take up long distance racing when he entered the Mountain and Special Operations Military School and he has continued to pursue this interest in the Special Operations Command, where he is posted to the Headquarters Group.