Phil Parker completes Mammoth Challenge in memory of his friend

A British Army Veteran from Wyton has completed a 48-mile run to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the passing of his much-loved friend killed in road traffic accident.

Ex-serviceman Philip Parker was originally set to participate in the RAF Wyton Pathfinder March – a 46 mile run around the original Pathfinder airfields in Cambridgeshire, but the event was cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Not wishing to waste six months of training and turning 48 on 25th June, Phillip decided to run 48 miles to pay tribute to his friend Wo2 Phil Pert, while also raising funds for Blesma and the NHS.

This year marks the 25th anniversary since Philip and Wo2 Phil were part of a team from the 8th Infantry Brigade that set out to run from John O’Groats to Lands’ End in aid of Blesma and the Altnegelvin ITU. (Pictured above).

Unfortunately, on the penultimate day of the challenge Phil, who was the organiser and inspiration behind the fundraising challenge, was struck and killed by a passing vehicle.

“Phil is always on my mind when I go out running and do events like this,” said Philip, who served for 20 years and now works as a MoD Civil Servant at RAF Wyton.

“I always think about him and had planned to mark the 20th anniversary but it never came about. This year I’ve been organising a lot of events and it took me back, so I decided to dedicate my run to Phil. I hope that event inspires the original team, ‘Long Sloggers’ to get in touch.”

Phil has raised £1500 in aid of Blesma and the NHS, with funds raised for the NHS going to support the setup of a Military Co-Responder Ambulance at RAF Wyton.