By George Scott
I consider the time I spent in the Army some of the best, most formative years of my life. It helped shape who I am today. After I left the military I was hard-pressed to find that same sense of accomplishment and camaraderie in the civilian world. Until GORUCK.
I stumbled upon GORUCK in an article on the Web that mentioned training for a GORUCK Challenge, referred to as a GRC, and I clicked on the link to check it out. It mentioned Special Operations Cadre, teamwork, leadership and mission success. It sounded a lot like the military. I was intrigued.
GORUCK was created by Jason McCarthy in 2008. Jason was a Green Beret and wanted to build better equipment for his fellow soldiers, as well as the regular Joes like you and me. Looking for a place to test his product (the GR1 rucksack), he teamed up with the Tough Mudder guys. Jason and some of his Special Operations buddies did their races wearing GR1s loaded with bricks. He went on to create his own event, the GORUCK Challenge, in 2012, as a proving ground for his equipment.
Since then GORUCK has become a community of people from all walks of life – male and female, active-duty military, veterans and anyone seeking something different and challenging. And that’s exactly what you will get when you participate in one of these events: challenged!
Each event is led by one or more Cadre, who are active or retired Special Operations soldiers from all branches of the military. Events are held in almost every state across the U.S. and internationally. The GRC usually lasts 8-10 hours or longer and covers approximately 15-20 miles. Your exact start point, and any last-minute guidelines, are not revealed until the week of your event. Required gear includes a rucksack containing four to six carefully wrapped bricks, which you must wear or carry at all times.
Each event kicks off with a welcome party, a trademark in all military schools intended to break individuals down before rebuilding them as a team. Following that is a tour around the city (on foot, of course) consisting of numerous mental and physical challenges, complete with time hacks and penalties. Along the way you will do countless push-ups, squats, lunges, flutter kicks and whatever else your Cadre believes will turn your group of disparate parts into a team, and ultimately into better Americans.
Last November I was honored to be a member of GRC class 858, along with 17 other teammates. We covered 15.4 miles and performed more than 1,600 squats, countless lunges, hundreds of push-ups, flutter kicks, and overhead presses, and it took only 14 hours and 18 minutes. We did it all with rucksacks on our backs and smiles on our faces, embracing the “suck” together, as a team.
I started this article no fewer than a half-dozen times, trying to define what a GORUCK event means or represents. But the reality is that everyone comes to GORUCK from a different place, with different goals and expectations. Each person takes away something, but that something might be totally different. You get out of it what you put into it – as with everything else in life. GORUCK helps you define who you are. You will find your edges and if you don’t quit, have the opportunity to push them further.
So step outside yourself. GORUCK is not about you. Its purpose is to bring a group of strangers together and show them that more can be accomplished as a team then by yourself. You learn about your limits and push beyond them, as a team. GORUCK is not a race. You don’t get a T-shirt or a finisher’s medal. You won’t get race results, or PR, or an age-group ranking. What you do get you will carry with you for the rest of your life: knowledge, self-discovery, confidence, accomplishment, friendship and character.
So do yourself a favor and GORUCK for yourself!
GORUCK EVENTS
GORUCK offers a variety of team-building training events and adventures to suit people of all levels of fitness. Events fall into three basic categories. Check out the events section at www.goruck.com for a complete list of events and categories.
Good Livin’
GORUCK’s signature events require bricks, rucks and you. It’s not about you, it’s about the people next to you. GORUCK Cadre will show you what you are capable of when you work as a team or when you face your own limitations head on.
Expeditions
GORUCK Expeditions are multiday adventures with hands-on classes that stress situational awareness and prepare you for survival in any environment. Leave better prepared to face your surroundings through instruction on mountain climbing, survival planning, wilderness medicine and spycraft.
Fun Luvin’
Fun Luvin’ events are open to everyone and their friends, the more the merrier. You can explore a city GORUCK-style on a Scavenger, organize your own functional fitness with friends with a GORUCK 5Pack 5K, or join vets and their buddies for GORUCK’s original charity event, known as War Stories and Free Beer.
