What is the GORUCK Challenge?
A team event, never a race. Your entire class sees the best of a city, together, led by Challenge cadre. Everything your friends told you is probably true.

What do I earn when I finish?
Pride and the GORUCK Tough patch, which is not and never will be for sale. GORUCK Tough is a family, and you join it.

 

Can I do this?
Yes. It’s all mental and the hardest part is signing up.

What is the pass rate?
Roughly 94%. We build teams and solve problems – we never tell people what they can’t do, we show them what they can do, together, as a team.

Can I sign up with a team?
Yes, but there are no separate teams at a Challenge. Individuals sign up and become a team at every Challenge. If you show up solo, that’s cool. If you bring friends, that’s cool too. Registrations are an individual process, though.

Can girls do it?
Girls are the strong links, and seem to have the biggest smiles. Like we said, it’s all mental.

Is there an age limit?
You need to be 18, but there is no upper limit. Ask Rod Butler – he’s 62 and all smiles.

Do I need military experience to participate?
Not at all. We take our inspiration from the Special Forces training our Cadre completed, but over 50% of all Challenge takers have zero military experience.

What should I bring to the start?

• A ruck or backpack – more info can be found on the Rucks tab.
• Bricks: Four if you’re under 150 pounds, six if you’re over. Life isn’t fair. Wrap your bricks in something, a t-shirt or whatever, and then cover your future souvenirs with bubble wrap and duct tape.
• Water, lickies and chewies. For water, a hydration bladder is preferred. Except in winter, when they like to freeze up
• Headlamp – mandatory for all night classes.
• Gloves, a windbreaker (required when temperatures are below 50), and everything else you think you need.
• Chapstick for sure, and sunblock if it’s, wait for it, sunny. Use your judgement.
• One form of identification and $20 for a cab, just in case.
• One team weight per class: 25lb minimum.
• One team American flag per class, the bigger the better. We like Annin, but no pressure.
• Friends – it’s probably less scary that way.

Should I wear minimalist shoes?

No. Feet are important. Our pass rate is 94%, and half of those who VW-ed wore minimalist shoes. Regular running shoes are fine.

When do you post the start point for the Challenge?
The week of, not sooner.

Is doing a Challenge a good way to spend a vacation?
Yes, if you like touring new cities and making friends, GORUCK style. When your Challenge is over, you can hit the town with all your new beer drinking buddies.

What happens if I can’t finish?
Our goal is for everyone who starts together to finish together. If for whatever reason someone can’t finish, we help them find a cab and hope they’ll come back next time.

I’ve heard some people do back-to-back Challenges in a weekend. Is that true?
If you want to do both classes in a weekend, you must announce yourself to the Cadre, both if it’s a different guy leading your second class. You can do this privately or publicly, whatever you want. Nobody who does back-to-back can be a grayman.

Are we there yet?
GORUCK is under promise, over deliver. It will be more than 8-10 hours, and you’re on our time, so we have exclusive access to watches (and phone usage). You’ll earn a huge coupon if you wear a watch.

What is a coupon?
It depends, but they’re always redeemable for extra good livin’ at no extra charge.

What’s the deal with the rucks?
Check out the Rucks tab for the details.

What’s the deal with the bricks?
Don’t get too philosophical, just bring your wrapped bricks. Each should weigh as much as a brick weighs and be the size of a brick.

How can we get copies of any photos taken?
We’ll post photos to Flickr after your Challenge. Please give us a couple days.

Can I make a shirt for myself and the rest of my class?
We think it’s great. Please email info@goruckchallenge.com with your proposed shirt for approval. You can download our logo here. Each Challenge has a specific Facebook event page — we hope if you do make shirts, you have enough for everyone who wants one.

Can spectators come?
Yes, and spectator tickets are free, and there are no tickets.

Will there be a photographer present?
Sometimes. To be safe — if your class organizes a volunteer photographer, cool by us.

What is the deal on Facebook and Twitter?
We use GORUCKChallenge Twitter to post real time pics of Challenges in progress.
Every Challenge is a unique event on the GORUCK Facebook Page. After you pass your Challenge, you can join the GORUCK Tough Group on FB, a great forum to organize all sorts of interesting things with the GORUCK Family.

What is a Ruckoff?
Your ruck is off and you’re socializing — our preference is over beers.  The class is yours, try to organize one beforehand. It makes the Challenge more fun that way.

I live in a Challenge city and want to help raise awareness. How can I help?
Tell everyone you know you’re taking the Challenge. If you can post flyers up, click on the events page and then click on the Challenge you want to help promote. Each Challenge has a flyer you can download and print.

I own a gym/training facility. How can we work together?
Please email info@goruckchallenge.com if your members are signing up for the Challenge.  We’re happy to cross-promote.

What is the Green Beret Foundation?
The GORUCK Challenge was founded and designed by Green Berets, so this is a cause near and dear to us and it impacts personal friends and their families.  $10 of every entry fee benefits the GBF.

How can I help raise money for the Green Beret Foundation?
Click here and set up a profile at First Giving. The money will be put to good use.

What’s the deal with the Death Waiver?
In legal speak, the Challenge is an unreasonable undertaking and you assume all risk associated with it even though you do not know what will be asked of you and your team.  Anything you do or choose not to do is voluntary on your individual part, we don’t force anyone to do anything.  If you dislike risk, if you dislike the unknown, if you dislike being pushed or pushing yourself to a state of physical and mental exhaustion, the Challenge is not for you.  If you have a personal attorney, the Challenge is probably not for you.  If you are the type of person who would sue us if you got hurt, the Challenge is definitely not for you.  We want you to know that while we do everything we can to ensure a relatively safe (compared to war) environment and overwhelmingly positive experience, the Challenge is physically and mentally grueling.  Life has risk, and participating in the Challenge adds more risk to your life.  A lot more.  We want everyone to have a healthy and positive experience, and we have all the respect in the world for anyone who even shows up, but the risk you assume in doing so is yours and yours alone.

Your team will face challenges of carrying very heavy logs, buddy-carrying each other, and all sorts of unknowable challenges over both even and very uneven terrain.  You will immerse yourself in the environment of your city: its mud, its waters, places most would never ever venture into.  We take it for granted that the people who sign up and show up are comfortable with all of this, but yes, you have to sign a Death Waiver, and yes, it’s because there is a lot of risk and a lot of lawyers in the world.

I want the Challenge to come to my town on a specific date. Can you do this?
Yes, we’re happy to organize a Custom Class.

Can I volunteer?
If you have medical, photography, or videography experience, we’d love to have you volunteer. Or if you just want to hang with cadre, that’s cool too.

The Challenge I want to do is sold out. Is there a wait-list?
Click here to enter your info on the wait-list.  We’ll let you know as soon as a spot opens up.

Are there discounts for doing more than one Challenge?
Yes, you can purchase the Five Pack and get entry to five Challenges for $500.

Whose team is it?
Your team, always, so make it yours.