AAR: GORUCK Detroit Tough

About one week before this event on June 29th, I saw that my 3 girls were headed in 3 different directions and since I had a Tough credit on my account, I looked to see if there was an event within striking distance I could attend. Enter Detroit. Back in June 2016, I did my first GORUCK event there, the Detroit Heavy, Class #121. That was my first patch and legitimacy as a GRT. (a term used to describe those who have finished a challenge) A month after that Heavy, I did the July 4th Tough and Light in Cleveland and in 2017, the Rock-n-Roll Light in Cleveland. That's it. I train regularly with my ruck and with sandbags so I didn't go into this event undertrained, I just don't do many events. A big turnoff for me in GORUCK events is the occasional cadre who just spits venom out at everyone. As a 20+ year Navy guy myself, the last thing I need is a special ops cadre doing that. I'm there for the Team...not to get demoralized by someone's ego gone awry. I actually was signed up for a HTL in Philly this same weekend but when I found out that a cadre who has quite the history was leading it, I transferred out. Funny thing is, an awesome cadre ended up taking that event and it seems like it was pretty epic. No regrets, though. Detroit was awesome.

I got up to Detroit Friday afternoon and found a close parking garage to the start point downtown and nestled my car in a corner with plans to "shower" with gallons of water post-event. I got there plenty early so I scoped out the area and made it to the start with plenty of time. I had a few objectives during this event, besides having "fun" and engaging with my Team in a positive way to get the work done.

1. Test out my Prana Zion Stretch shorts. They came highly recommended for events in the pant form but I picked up the shorts, too.
2. Test out a new pair of Inov8 trail shoes. Boots don't work for me and I don't need the ankle stability. Trail shoes are best given my running background when it comes to foot care and minimizing blister creation.
3. Test my fitness. How will I do and how well will I recover?

That's really about it. I packed super light, too. I normally don't eat between 9pm and 9am so why pack a lot of food for this? All I "packed" was a baggie of beef jerky that I kept in my shorts' zipper leg pocket and 2 Hammer Gels, one with caffeine, both also in my pocket. I wanted the minimum IN my ruck if the cadre decided to empty rucks into a community pile. Plus, that keeps the food warm and easy to chew/digest when the time comes. So in my ruck were BodyGlide if chafing became an issue, the requisite $20 and ID, and a nalgene full of Hammer's Fizz electrolyte. I'd sip that when able throughout the warm and humid night. I did glance around during gear inspection and I was amazed at how much stuff people brought and water bladders not full. A bladder holds 3L of water and they shouldn't be floppy at the start. Full and fat.

Some "warmup" PT at the start.

At the start, there were 14 of us and a random guy walks up and asks if this is the GORUCK thing. He's quiet and falls into the ranks we were forming for the event. We all knew that Cadre Pike was leading this event, but he's a ghost on social media and no one had him before. Plus, most cadre put out some extra instructions on the Facebook event prior to the event. Nothing. Well, it turns out that "guy" was Pike, a 24yr retired Recon Marine. Quiet, soft spoken but full of experience he'd soon share with us. The start area was at a public fountain that I expected we'd be in from the start but it was surrounded by a lot of locals who wouldn't stop asking questions of our group as we began some warmup PT and even one person approached Pike asking for money. He got 5 bucks. So instead of the typical GORUCK "Welcome Party," we got the heck out of downtown pretty quick and onto the concrete of Detroit where we'd spend the next 11 hours.

To sum up this event, it is pretty simple and I don't have photos to share. In many GORUCK events, we have "shadows" who follow us and take photos. Shadows are typically local GRTs who aren't in the event but tag along as if they aren't there. We had a few but they quickly disappeared after a few miles. Essentially, if Pike took us past a patch of grass, we stopped and did some "stretching" as he called it. He loves push-ups...a lot. All with our 30lb minimum rucks on (unless you're under 150lbs...then 20lbs), of course. We did our fair share of wall-sits as well. Shortly after midnight, we got into a very sketchy area. It was an area I'd never drive through on my own. We had strict instructions to not talk and move quick. Lots of parked cars in dark areas, abandoned homes, countless dogs barking at us behind chain-linked fences, and not a Detroit cop in sight anywhere. I kept my head on a swivel and took up the rear of the team. I didn't want any stragglers behind me who couldn't keep the pace. Once we reached our destination, a park, we didn't spend much time there, either. We had some verbal training there on buddy carries and then got moving. We eventually made our way out of there and didn't see another area like that again. The PT continued in parking lots, grassy patches, etc. when a "break" was needed from our quick rucking pace. "Rest..." ha!

One of the many locations we spent some time doing wall-sits.

It was about 3am and we found a huge open field under a nearly full moon. Plenty of light for us. Actually, not one headlamp got used the entire event. It was a requirement but given the streetlights and clear sky/moon, our eyes adjusted well and headlamps would've only hurt us. So this open field: Remember how we didn't get a welcome party at the beginning? I'd say this made up for that and often I'd hear Pike say "Remember, you signed up for this!" LOTS of lunging as a team, arms locked...low crawls on the grass while pushing our ruck flat...crab walks...bear crawls...good times! We never did overhead work like holds, overhead squats, etc. Honestly, I didn't mind the PT at all and truth-be-told, had we not got a good thrashing, I would've felt kinda cheated. It IS what I signed up for. Only two gunshots heard in the distance during PT. Winning! :)

After our session in the field, we were off again and luckily came across a drinking fountain. We were all running very low on water so this was perfect to fully restock my 3L bladder. We started moving towards downtown again, as expected since we were now in the 2nd half of the event. One interesting thing Pike did in this event was the use of recon scouts. He didn't bring a bunch of sandbags for us to carry but instead, constantly sent out two people ahead of us to scout the route but their rucks had to be carried by the team. He'd sent them out a mile or so with the expectation to run. We took turns doing this. It was nice to be out from under the weight and run a bit, actually. It was less fun to carry someone else's sweaty ruck but hey, that's what we do! This went on for the majority of the event, except for the final 2 miles.

It was around 6am and we took about a 20min break in a field just outside of downtown and near the Motor City Casino. Pike told us that the next 2 miles towards the Endex (finish) will be the hardest of the event and to get our minds right. We knew from earlier that we'd incur casualties at some point and have to carry others and expected that time was now. After our rest, he briefed us on his expectation, that being that it's broad daylight now, we are carrying Old Glory, so we'd better keep it tight and look good. Like they say, the first rule of Special Forces is to look good. We took off and sure enough, a few blocks in we took our first casualty. Pike didn't choose our one and only female at 115lbs, rather a 215lb man. Then another. We did a few fireman carries but that quickly got old and we transitioned into 3-man carries as we could make it an entire block before switching out. At this point, it was in the low 80s and very humid. I actually don't normally sweat like I was at that point. I could fling it off my arm! With casualties, it's not just carrying them. Their rucks have to be carried by others as well. Plus, we need to move together as a team. This became quite an issue as we cut the distance in half to downtown. The flag was drifting ahead and the casualties as well. Then, we got another casualty. Luckily, he was light enough to be carried by one guy. This disorganization and totally crap communication got Pike the most fired up of the event and he passed on some good "wisdom" to us on that sidewalk. We got our act together and moved ahead. There were a few folks looking pretty bad and beat down but no one quit. When we got to within a few blocks of the Endex, Pike ended the casualties and we formed back into 2 ranks and enjoyed the relief.

We arrived back at the Endex around 8am, 11hrs into the event, covering 15 or so miles...I'm not really sure. We had a little more "stretching" and then got patched. Pike gave us an 8 out of 10 as compared to other classes so I'm happy with that. Plus, our 14 GRTs who started all finished. We didn't get our special July 4th patches but instead the regular patch. The July 4th ones are being mailed to us. After we grabbed our group photo, I headed on back to the car, ready to drive straight home and salvage the weekend with my girls.

I felt awesome. I walked up to the 3rd deck of the park garage with no issues, I had no blisters, no chafing AT ALL, and had more left in the tank. To not have even a hot spot after so much concrete all night or some chafing is pretty awesome. I really felt like I nailed it all.

So for my objectives, I'm impressed! Those shorts were so awesome. One thing you can't see in this photo are the two drain holes in the crotch area. We never got in the water but if we had, those holes would've been nice. But even with sweat, etc, that breathability is a bonus. Plus, the fabric is perfect for all movements, like squatting. Lots of stretch that moves with you. Out of the wash, there isn't so much of a scuff on them. They look brand new. That's after low crawling in the grass and many times on the ground during PT and a disgusting amount of sweating. I also like the strap on the front where you can tighten the shorts. That removes the need for a belt. During events, especially those with lots of sweating, my pants get loose and I need to tighten them. This took a split second to do and I did it often. Huge win. As for the shoes, well I already said I had no blisters and as you can see, the shoes are in perfect condition. I'll admit the tread is aggressive but the reviews I read on them, people specifically said how time on the pavement was good. I would agree! I never felt that tread at all. I do appreciate the tread, though, when I find myself doing PT in the grass, sand, or mud. Another win! As for my fitness, I couldn't be more pleased. I rested on Sunday totally and focused on good food and lots of water. I recovered and recovered fast. I was right back in the garage hitting CrossFit hard come Monday morning with zero issues.

Bottom Line: Pike is a class act. He is a no-bull, straight up American veteran who is there looking to teach, motivate and inspire. He's not grandiose and over the top, yet can dismantle you with a whisper. Much respect for him and his 24 years of service to our country. If you happen to see him show up as Cadre in one of your events, look forward to a great time.

Thanks, Detroit and GORUCK!

Dogfish Head Flesh and Blood to celebrate!