As I'm typing this my post about the Ottawa Beast sits unfinished. It will be up soon along with perhaps a quick bit about XMan Race Sherbrooke. But while this is still fresh in my mind...
On my bucket list this year, that I can now cross off is having done a GORUCK. For those of you who haven't heard of this, it is an event that is based on Special Forces training, led by current or former leaders in the Forces. Besides carrying weight (usually in bricks) in a rucksack, there are also teambuilding exercises and a bunch of other physical tasks involved to push anyone out of their comfort zones. Sounds a bit like OCR's, doesn't it?
Our fellow Mudd Queen JoLo who's quite known in the Canadian GORUCK scene has been encouraging us to try one and had a lot of good things to say about her past experiences. When I got to catch up with her a bit at the Ottawa Super, she gives me a mini tutorial about fireman's carries, and what not to pack. Good to know..
Originally the location on Saturday was in the Old Port, but due to traffic, parking and the weekend food fest the start was somewhere on Mont-Royal. Uh-oh.
We've learned there are 5 attempting the HCL (GORUCK's 3 main events: Heavy, Challenge, Light) so a couple of them are trying to recharge their batteries under the shade of a tree. They've been at it since Thursday!
Looking around, everyone (including people who are newbies like us) all have GORUCK GR1 rucksacks. Gee, feeling left out here with this enormous-looking rucksack (compared to the sleek GR1's).
We meet the two cadres who will lead us during the event. I'm sure they can be very scary individuals when they are in their zones. It isn't long before the welcome party - Cadre JC asks for us to put all our food in a pile, which he then confiscates. Then we dump out the contents of our rucksacks...and get surprised when asked to pack everything back in 30 seconds. This is where I realize I had too many little packets (oh why did I leave that dry bag at home?) A hangnail on a finger is getting worse every time I stick my hand in a compartment. Ugh.
More welcome party madness and eventually I end up with a heavy rucksack (which doesn't exactly smell like roses, but its owner is on his way to an HCL, so all is forgiven). Another GORUCK surprise.
I'm not going to reveal everything as it would spoil the GORUCK experience (yes it's an experience, not just an event). I also find out that I'm bad at dragging heavy objects.
The other leader, Cadre J-Train, talks a bit about patrolling & attention to details, and walking quietly. As we all try it out, he zips ahead of us, taking a few photos along the way. That man MAKES NO NOISE when he walks.
We draw many a curious stare, some applause and a few random comments ("Those people are training for the 3rd World War...").
I guess someone found out one of the cadres liked Gummi Bears, because many packages are pulled out of the food bag when we catch a breather. We eagerly gobble them down since we've been pretty much sipping water at this point. Surprisingly, I'm not that hungry or low on sugar (then again maybe I like chomping on one too many Honey Stingers)
Once we're ready to go, we head in a direction I'm all too familiar with...
...towards the stairs.
For those who have run on Mont-Royal, you know this is shaping up to be no good.
For those who have not yet run on Mont-Royal, you have to try the stairs at least once.
For those who do not plan on running on Mont-Royal, at least try walking these stairs.
Of course, being a military-themed event we are not empty-handed, so there's some extra bulk getting lugged up and down. Cadre JC has called this part 'Gluteus Maximus'.
This part also has us really pulling together as a team, as one of the HCL's rallies us to do the last down-up of the stairs at a certain pace to avoid other sets getting added on. As our screaming legs plod ever upward, the girl in front of me (it's her first GORUCK and had been told that she couldn't do one) is struggling and muttering, "I can't..." I end up talking to her and gently pushing her up the stairs. She's not the only one getting a little help from the team, as everyone's pretty much gone silent.
The shadows - people who are following the event and taking photos - are whispering words of encouragement each time we make it to a landing.
More team-building as we are heading to the start point, "chasing the sun" as Cadre J-Train put it. Along the way are more buddy carries, and I choose to lug a jerry can most of the way in hopes of getting the extra practice for Killington.
The event winds to a close (not without a few finishing touches - burpees - of course), and us newbies get our very first GORUCK patches!
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| Caroline & myself with our new patches...only the first one |
But the real props go out to the 5 who stuck it out through the whole ordeal. How they're managing to stay upright and be coherent is beyond me.
We pile into a sports bar downtown in our post-GORUCK glory (as one of the Shale Hill racers once said, "I am odiferous") and enjoy some grub, beer and chat with our cadres and fellow team members.
Looking back from this Saturday - and it's been 24 hours since the event ended - it was an experience that I didn't think could be so awesome. I can see why it's called a GORUCK community, as everyone is very supportive.
The cadres have suggested we try another Light before moving onto the Challenge - something to look forward to achieving in 2016!
=)
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