Norwegian ruck march

[gouch]

I was on my morning walk this morning and I ran into a bunch of people, mostly in military uniforms, with packs on their backs, running and walking. I asked one fellow what they were up to, and he told me they were doing the Norwegian ruck march. 18.6 miles with a 25 lb. pack in 4.5 hours. Most were National Guard but there were a few civilians mixed in. I was thinking, that would be something I would like to do if I had two fully functioning knees.

They were spread out for about a mile and some of them looked in pretty ragged. I asked one gal how far she had come, and she looked at her sports watch and said, "6 miles." I thought, Wow! There's a whole lot that aren't going to make 18.6 miles, let alone in 4.5 hours.

Most had hydration bladders in their packs, some carried water bottles, and a few had no water at all. The sun was up, and it was already getting hot. Predicted high today is 100°. One guy who wasn't in uniform didn't even have a pack. Instead, he was carrying a 25 lb. dumbbell in his hands. If that guy finishes, he has to get the bad ass of the year award.

I get a hand cramp if I hold onto a 12 oz. beer bottle for too long.

 

[Bow Bullet]

ROUTES | THE SPECIAL FORCES FOUNDATION

specialforcesfoundation.org

 

[COEngineer]

Even on flat ground, that's a serious workout. In that heat, no thanks.

 

[44hunter45]

A 4+MPH pace for 4.5 hours? Definitely not my thing there. I'm more of a "get there eventually guy"

 

[rjthehunter]

A 4+MPH pace for 4.5 hours? Definitely not my thing there. I'm more of a "get there eventually guy"

At least the end is in sight. It's only going to suck for 4.5 hours!

I've been rucking with 65lbs. Usually 2-4 miles depending on how much time I have. I'm averaging 3.2mph.

4+mph is a pretty quick walking pace, especially to sustain that long.

 

[Benfromalbuquerque]

That’s basically 30km and in mph it’s 14:29 min/mile. That 25lb dumbbell guy was either a dumbass or a ringer put in to show the fatbodies how “easy” it is to ruck.

 

[Sheltowee]

I trained for my first New Mexico trip rucking a 50lb. sandbag up and down the limestone ridges around my favorite lake in Alabama during the heat of the summer... pretty sure I hallucinated dead relatives *multiple* times. Rucking will either get you fit or eff you up in a hurry.

Plot twist: Dad shot his bull about 200 yards from the nearest Forest Service road. No rucking heavy packs was required

 

[rjthehunter]

That’s basically 30km and in mph it’s 14:29 min/mile. That 25lb dumbbell guy was either a dumbass or a ringer put in to show the fatbodies how “easy” it is to ruck.

His grip strength will be next to none!

They call it the Farmers Carry I think. His core & hands are going to be sore!

 

[gouch]

The first guy I saw was at least 1/4 mile ahead of the next guy and was running at a pretty good clip. Not even breathing hard. I'm sure he made it. Then there were maybe five others, including one woman, that looked like they could make it in 4.5 hours. Other than that, I doubt half even made the distance let alone the time. At the end of the line there were two medics in a side by side. They told me that five people had already dropped out, all before the five-mile mark.

The kid with the dumbbell was maybe 16 or 17 years old and wasn't going at a pace to make the time, but he was definitely learning a life lessen.