CAF Members Rave About 4x4x48 Challenge

On March 4-6, a group of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members took on the David Goggins 4x4x48 challenge as a group, all in support of Soldier On! The challenge consists of completing the equivalent of four miles (6.4 km) every four hours for 48 hours, equating to 12 legs of exercise! Due to their efforts, they raised $5,544.50 to directly support the Soldier On program!

The type of activity was up to each participant, choosing between running, cycling, walking, rowing or others. After their hard work pushing themselves, they each shared their thoughts on the experience.

As a civilian, working alongside CAF members’ day in and day out is an honor and a privilege. I always strive to elevate my performance at work to try to match my coworkers’ dedication and work effort. When presented with the opportunity to take on the 4x4x48 challenge alongside my CAF coworkers, I could not pass up the opportunity to work as a team and raise money for Soldier On. This experience has shown me that effort, grit and the support of a team can get you to the finish line. We all have effort to give and hard work always pays off.
-Trysh Colquhoun

Participating in the 4x4x48 challenge again this year was a blast! Our team initially intended to elaborate on the event this year and recruit more team members across the CAF. We had a detailed plan of what we wanted to do, however, because of recent global events, time was not in our favor. However, we adjusted, modified our plan and executed it flawlessly. We were still able to increase participation as well as surpass our lofty fundraising goal. Our team’s success truly speaks to the dedication and drive of our CAF members when it comes to adapt and overcome! This challenge is extra special to me as it happens on my birthday. It really means a lot to be able to do something so mentally and physically demanding with teammates who share my same goals and motivation. I’m so proud of my friends and family who stepped up and participated with me and who donated to this great cause!
-Capt Rebecca Wheaton-Sparkes

 This year’s 4x4x48 was challenging in a different way for me as it was very difficult to devote the time to organize, train and even execute. COVID last year in some ways helped with managing work and family commitments however with everything that has changed and is changing this year I had to leverage my team to help make this event another success. Last year was the first time I ever tried to attempt an event like this and this year knowing that I had that experience in my back pocket made it much more mentally achievable, I was stronger because I was hardened by last years’ experience. This is the whole point of the 4x4x48 in my opinion; to go out there is to fight or challenge yourself when you don’t think you can or when you don’t even want to. The human mind and body are incredible and when you put your efforts and energy towards a goal with commitment and vindication, anything is possible. I’m very happy we exceeded our goal to Soldier On this year, the donations and good that we are giving back to this charity is the pot of gold. It emphasizes doing the right things for the right reasons!
-Maj Mike Duong

This was my second year doing this challenge, and it didn’t get any easier, but it does continue to get more rewarding. Many CAF members suffer from physical and mental health challenges, and certainly the past two years in a COVID environment hasn’t helped that. It’s extremely important to shed light on these issues, and for our team, it allowed us to work towards this common goal, while also aiming to improve our own physical and mental health. We were able to surpass our funding raising goal, which speaks to the dedication of the team and the importance of the Soldier On charity to all of us.
-Maj Teesha Wheaton-Sparkes

My husband did 4x4x48 in 2021 and I wanted to do the challenge with him this year. Unfortunately, since we have a 6-year-old who needs an adult well-rested, Stephane decided to be on the sideline to support me and take care of him. It was an intense experience physically and mentally. In the beginning, I was not sure how I would react to the fatigue settling in but I am glad to see I have reached the end. Thanks to my husband for his support as well as the team for letting me be a part of it!
-Sgt Caro Rodrigue

This challenge was truly inspiring. I did it with a partner and we ran alternatively. It was such a journey, we were keeping each other motivated all the time and shared pictures and time. When we were done, my partner said that he was listening to a podcast with David Goggins and that he said something that described us pretty well: “I want to be uncommon amongst uncommon people”.
-Capt Vanessa Robert

This was my second year completing the 4x4x48 challenge and it did not get any easier! The weather was cold, wet and icy for many of the runs and it took a lot of motivation to get up and run outside at night. The challenge is physically and mentally exhausting and there is little time to rest when you have three small children. However, seeing other team members running around the base during the same time was great and somehow made the challenge a little easier. Knowing that other members were completing the challenge with me provided much needed support and motivation to keep pushing through the exhaustion and discomfort. Our team in Borden and the team in Winnipeg supported each other along the way through constant communication in our WhatsApp chat. It was a great opportunity to challenge ourselves and to support a great cause by fundraising for Soldier On.
-Capt Shelley Simms

To top off completing the challenge, MGen Kenny, Commander of 1 CAD (where most of the participants work) came to talk to the team members, giving them a coin for their efforts over the past two years of raising over $10K! Time will tell if next year will add to this success!