GoRuck?

[Mack27]

GoRuck Challenge AAR – Class 680, Washington DC July 4, 2013

I completed my first GoRuck Challenge in DC on the 4th, and it was an awesome experience. Mind you, I don’t have any previous military experience, but this was a lot of fun and I learned a lot. We started out at 0700 in a large park, where about 250 people were milling around. Some of the cadre said this was close to being the largest class they have ever had, but not quite. I think the majority of people there had completed at least one previous GoRuck, so they knew what to expect. Cadre started yelling at us to form four rows, so we quickly followed orders. They came thru and separated us into teams of roughly thirty people. After that the Welcoming party started and we did PT for about an hour and a half. This consisted of pushups, flutter kicks, squats, jumping jacks, and all variations of those exercises. Eventually the cadre came to claim certain teams, and we all set off on our different routes.

My team had three cadre leading us. They started by asking someone to volunteer who had never done a Challenge before. I was up front, and volunteered right away so that we wouldn’t have to PT more if nobody volunteered. One of the cadre seemed to be the lead, and he pulled me aside and gave us our first mission. We needed to get to a certain spot .7 miles away, and he gave me thirty minutes. No problem I thought; easier said than done. We started out right away and had a local so he knew the quickest route to get there. We were making good time and everyone was feeling good since we had just started. I thought we should be there with plenty of time to spare, I mean, who can’t walk .7 miles in 30 minutes. We about that time cadre called me all the way to the back of the line and stopped to talk to me while the rest of the team continued rucking on. After chit chatting for a little while he stopped, looked at a log in the brush up on the hillside and said I want your team to get that and bring it with you. Ok, done. Now I just have to catch my team and turn them around. I eventually caught them, informed them of the change and we set about getting the log out of the brush. It was tough since there were cars parked all along the street. We eventually got it down and moved out, but had to hurry to make our time hack. Needless to say, we didn’t make it, even though I’m suspicious that we did, but I figured that’s part of the Challenge.
They assigned a new team lead after that, and we continued rucking on, this time doing Indian runs up along the C&O Canal for quite a ways. The rest of the day was spent doing pushup, flutter kicks, squats, rucking, carrying heavy, awkward objects, and getting wet and dirty. We spend quite a bit of time in fountains and creeks, walking on dirt or gravel paths, and generally being pushed to many of our collective limits. The great and rewarding thing about this whole challenge was seeing how we gelled as a team, and supported each other when we started getting tired and frustrated. The cadre gave several speeches when we got tired and started “feeling sorry” for ourselves. Their recurring theme was it could always be worse, and that we can do more than we really think we are able.

We ended up back at the same park as we started 11.5 hours later, and I think we were the last team to get back. Of course once we arrived and saw everyone else lounging around and drinking beers, we were told we still owe the cadre 144 pushups. We started pushing them out and after a while they came by and had us stand up individually to present us our GoRuck Tough patch. It was a great moment and I was extremely proud of myself for completing. Instantly I thought, “I’ll be back for another one.” The cadre seemed to turn 180 degrees in their attitudes toward us and were congratulatory and positive, saying we had done a good job as a team. I talked to a couple of the cadre individually as well as the founder of GoRuck, Jason McCarthy, and they were all very nice and helpful. Cadre Bert gave me some good advice on rest and recuperation so that I wouldn’t be hurting so badly the next morning, and it helped a lot. I wasn’t nearly as sore as I thought I would have been. Overall, the July 4th DC Challenge was a great experience and one that I hope to repeat again in the not too distant future.

Mack

[TxRoadwarrior]

*bump

Anyone doing one in DFW area this year? I'm signed up for May23rd

[EMase]

GoRuck has a nicely done PT blog on their website if you're looking for something new. Head to the GoRuck homepage and click training.

[Dack]

If anyone is in the area I am looking at attending the Challenge in VA Beach on April 18th. PM me if you are attending and want to meet up/train.

[TCuneo]

Mack, how many miles did you ruck and how much weight did you carry?

[Mack27]

After we got done with our Challenge in DC, I went to my computer and tried to map out our route as best I could remember on Google maps. Our route was around 13-14 miles, which is short compared to what the description says on the website, but you make up for the shorter distance with more PT. There were a lot of groups that day since there was probably over 200 people that attended, and some groups probably did closer to 20 miles. It all depends on the Cadre you have and what their particular interest is for the day.

As far as weight in my ruck, I'd say around 45 lbs. That includes the ruck, water, food, bricks, and a change of clothes for when we got done, plus a celebration beer! That weight will fluctuate slightly as you go since you're constantly drinking water and refilling. Plus you'll have a team weight you will likely be carrying for a portion of the Challenge, and anything else the Cadre decide you need to carry. If you're thinking of doing one, do it! I had a blast and after the first one decided I'd do more. I've got one scheduled that I'll attend in my home town now. Best way to prepare is just throw your ruck on and take long walks, increasing weight and distance. Then throw in lots of push ups, squats, and flutter kicks as you go. Enjoy!

Mack