AAR: GORUCK 50 Mile Star Course - Columbus OH

Sunset at the start point

There was a time where I ran endurance events solo. Those days have long past. These days when I cover distance, it's with my bride of 26+ years and as she says often, "Rucking's my favorite!" (cue the Elf "Smiling's my favorite!" scene). Last summer at Team RWB's Eagle Up Ultra in Canal Fulton, OH, we conquered our first 50 mile distance, heavily supported, and on a 5 mile crushed limestone loop. Further, we slept at home and commuted to the start just in time for the 6am start, well rested. On April 12, 2019, we woke up on "race" day at 6:30am, commuted to Columbus, a 2 1/2 hour jaunt to our south and eventually made our way to the start, ready to set off at 9pm without any additional sleep. Through this AAR (After Action Report), I hope to paint a picture of our journey but also lend some advice to those who aspire to tackle one of these.

First off, some context. For those unfamiliar, rucking is simply defined as throwing some weight in a pack and going for a walk. GORUCK is the "rucking company" that has single-handedly spear-headed a rucking movement across the country when all they set out to do in the beginning was to create a military-grade ruck and sell it. The rest is history, as they say. They are mostly known for their challenge events that are team-based and very physical (think body weight exercises, carry large amounts of weight over distance, for 6, 12 or 24hrs). The "Star Course" is totally different. Participants build a team of 2-5 people and are given a "hit list" of waypoints at the start. Waypoints are locations in the city that everyone must visit. As they arrive at each location, they'll post a photo to Instagram using specific tagging directions and HQ staff will monitor and log each entry to ensure all points are visited. The only mode of transportation is rucking (no scooters, bikes, Uber, taxis, etc.). Once all are hit, at least 50 miles will be covered. HOW you cover them is up to you.

We arrived just prior to 8pm where we had our rucks weighed and checked in. For those under 150lbs, the weight requirement is 10lb dry (before water). Everyone else must carry 20lb dry. My ruck after a full 3L bladder and supplies was just over 37lbs. As 8:30pm approached, our 4 cadre hosts gathered the 30 teams and 98 participants around and went over the rules, took another roll call, and then called for a mother, someone from each of the services, and a police/fire person who all held Old Glory. As darkness filled the space, we all sung the National Anthem. THAT was awesome. Land of the free... and there we all were, ready to take Columbus by storm...or rucks. Mocha Mike offered some advice prior to handing out the waypoints regarding planning, apps we'll use to navigate, and safety. At 8:57pm, he cut us loose to plan and get out there. Quickly, 9pm arrived and Marjie and I continued to input the addresses into our choice app for the journey, the Road Warrior app. This is one of several suggested apps where you input coordinates and it'll "optimize" the route for the most efficient travel route. Once done, we showed our map to Mocha, got some more advice, and headed on out into the night around 9:30pm, already 1/2 hour in and we hadn't taken a step yet.

Pre-Event Brief (photo courtesy of Lisa Rich)

Now for some advice reflecting back. Right after we left, we stopped at our car because we forgot a pen. We needed to go over EVERY waypoint and ensure our plan was solid.

• Trust but verify: You MUST go over the waypoints BEFORE you leave and bounce the list off of the app. What if you fat-fingered something and missed a point? If you miss a waypoint, you will be disqualified.
• Does it make sense? Look at the map and the route. Does it make sense with the information you have? Does the direction of travel make sense? Reverse it? We went clockwise through the route but we could've flipped it.
• Don't follow the app blindly: We never used the Road Warrior app again to navigate. We used our waypoint list and Google Maps in "Satellite" mode. That way, we could use common sense and also look and see possible alternatives like Google offers up. Google actually says if it's relatively flat or hilly...great information.
• Drop a Pin: Once you identify the next waypoint, read the instructions closely. If it says "Take your group photo on the north side of the building in front of the statue" then drop a pin on that statue's head and let Google navigate you there. That'll save time, steps and frustration when you arrive there in the dark, unable to find your required photo spot. Attention to detail! ... and efficiency.
• Battery Mode: While you are required to have a battery pack to charge your phone, I never needed it. All of that Instagram use and mapping on Google Maps and my iPhone still made it since I had it in battery saving mode, found in settings.
• Waypoints: I can't stress it enough! BE SURE you have your plan ROCK SOLID before you head out. You cannot afford to miss a single waypoint. 

Green Lawn Abbey, National Veterans Memorial and Museum, Elevator Brewing, and the Arnold Schwarzenegger statue at the Convention Center where the "Arnold" is held every year.

Woody Hayes statue at the Varsity Club restaurant, Jesse Owens Plaza at Ohio Stadium, Fred Beekman field, and the Jack Nicklaus Museum

Central Ohio Fire Museum, ROGUE FITNESS! (we had already been there during the day Friday!), Ohio History Museum

Our early miles were a lot of fun. We had hit half of the waypoints before we even left city limits. That passed time quickly and gave us a tour of the Ohio State Campus, lots of college parties, endless odor of pot, and even a toga party rocking to some great 80s music. Then, we began to head north and the segments started to get longer. We knew we'd end up north of I-270, the beltway surrounding the city, which was hard to imagine knowing how far it is just to drive it. Our first long segment that would take us north of I-270 was just over 8 miles long, over 2hrs without a waypoint. Below are the waypoints after wrestling with them over 17+ hours. You'll notice how they are numbered on the left. That's what we did after building the route while I navigated, Marjie kept this list and was referencing it constantly to ensure we didn't miss a beat.  They are listed in no particular order, except the start point/end point is listed first. You'd be in a world of hurt if you simply followed the list in THIS order. (The numbers at the right are the distances between waypoints in the order we did them that I tabulated after the event. I HAD to know the total mileage, not counting the few errors we made along the way.)

Nutrition and Gear: Try nothing new, OK? Nothing you put on your body or IN your body during an event like this should be new. No new pairs of socks, no new foods...nothing. Foot care should be tested and tried, chafing spots known and taken care of, and nutrition/hydration plans solid. For an event of this length, keeping the electrolytes and water flowing and food going in is critical. You WILL become grossly dehydrated and if you wait until those hairs stand up on your arm to hydrate, you've already lost the battle. Drink often and start early. What we carried total as a team:

• 3L source bladder (me) ... weighs 7lb full
• 6 water bottles (her)
• 2 PB&J and some pretzel sticks (1 each of us)
• 8 gels (variety of brands but most with caffeine)
• BodyGlide (or your favorite lube)
• Ibuprofen, water-proof band-aids, Biofreeze x 2
• Socks (her)
• Winter hat and gloves (me) .... gloves (her)
• Lots of beef jerky to share (me)
• Nuun fizz tablets (her) ... electrolyte source to mix in water bottles
• Pelican Case: wallet, motrin, battery pack, replacement batteries for headlamps, bandaids
• Headlamps: one each

As we arrived at the Columbus Metropolitan Library (stop 12), Cadres Mocha Mike and Brad were there with Mocha's beast of a truck. The last time I saw that truck was August 2018 when it held hundreds of pounds of sandbags and ammo cans. (Extortion 17 Heavy) Ahhh, "great" memories! We filled my water bladder, grabbed a few Cuties, and sip of Gatorade and were off on our largest segment, that being 8.3mi. At this point, we were TIRED but still feeling quite good. This segment would takes its toll on us physically and mentally. Eventually, there wasn't much talking and more just relentless, steady forward movement and a positive attitude. We knew from Eagle Up that we'd go through peaks and valleys but not at the same time. We were ready for that and always had the others back. Arriving at Magic Mountain, we were in the Polaris area (where we picked up some gels earlier in the day en route to Columbus) and then began our trek east into Westerville as we headed towards Hoover Dam. If you look at the map up above, see that LONG line on the right? That is what waited for us after Hoover Dam when it would be light out. We had no idea how long that would be...and we didn't want to know. In fact, we never tracked our mileage except in between segments. Biting off pieces is much easier than the whole when it comes to mental strategy.

Columbus Metropolitan Library (where Mocha and Brad met us), Magic Mountain in Polaris, First Responders Park (that's pieces of the World Trade Center behind us) and Hanby House.

It was at this point as we headed into Westerville that we wanted coffee BAD. I remember clearly it was 5:30am after we left Magic Mountain and how McDonald's wasn't open yet. Coffee, a water re-fill, bathroom break...all were going to happen if they were open. But alas, NOTHING was opening until 6am. We kept on going, hoping to pass something but just about 100% of the route headed to Hoover Dam would be residential neighborhoods...8 more miles, aka: 2+ hours. BUT...in Westerville after the 6am hour, we spotted a pastry shop, specifically the Schneider's Bakery. Luckily, they had coffee brewed. One of the comments a patron made soon after walking in was "it looks like you two are out for a walk!" Well, you might say that! That led us down the path of explaining rucking and how our "walk" began yesterday at 9pm! We got our java, some carbs, and headed back out. That place was a blessing! I do wish I would've got a group selfie with everyone in there. We continued on through the sunrise hours through quiet neighborhoods and a straight line, one that ended at the Hoover Dam. 

Marjie was suffering quite a bit at this point. Her pace had slowed and for someone who adores silence, she put on some TayTay (Taylor Swift) to help put some pep in her step! At the end of the straight line, there was a gas station that granted her great reprieve with a clean bathroom vs. a nasty portapotty across the street. And off to cross the dam we went, find the trail head at the northeast corner, then plot a course for downtown Columbus.

Hoover Dam (not bad for being up over 24hrs and covering an unknown amount of miles, eh?!)

"Don't tell me." Very specific instructions. Just prior to that, I had plotted the route and simply said "Woah." Off we went. In GORUCK Heavy events and in the "rucking world" in general, a baseline distance to ruck is the 12 mile distance, hopefully in under 3 1/2 hours. That's the benchmark...FRESH. And here we were, 33+ miles in, and the distance to the next waypoint downtown? EXACTLY 12 miles. My lips were sealed! The worst part, outside of the distance, was the extremely busy road that made a beeline downtown. From time to time, the bike-n-hike was available so we used that, basically leapfrogging off and on for safety. This stretch seemed to never end and was very mentally taxing with all of the traffic. If we were to die doing this endeavor, it would be via automobile along this segment. Our feet both felt like we were walking on nails, but no blisters evident. The camber coming off the roads always hurt. Anything but flat was very uncomfortable inside our shoes. Speaking of which, we hadn't taken them off once and had no plans to. I'm very much against taking shoes off unless you get something in there that is causing a problem or WILL if left alone. Through my ultra-running years, I came to love powdered lubricant. I put that in my socks and lube up my feet with BodyGlide. (Here is the powdered lube I've used for 10+ years) Doing that has gotten me through countless endurance races and every GORUCK event, to include two 24+ hour Heavy events. Eventually, we made it and I divulged the number. SO glad that was behind us. Now to FINISH this!

We arrived at Waypoint 17 (Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens) and spirits took a dramatic up-swing. NOW we knew it was in the bag. We just had to keep moving.

Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Columbus Museum of Art, Kelton House 

The last several waypoints, except for the segment to the Endex were under a mile each. Attention to detail was our friend, here, and missing no Instagram posts or required hashtags...and following specific directions. We had trouble finding a fountain at the Library and probably wasted a solid 15min. That's where my suggestion of dropping a pin directly on the required picture spot can really save you time, especially over a 50 mile trip.

Ohio State Capitol, the largest gavel on the planet, my foot care post-event, and two beers and two patches we got at the Endex.

Once we found that gavel above, we were 1.5mi to the finish. "If it's 5 or more miles to the finish, I'm going to cry," Marjie told me. I gave her a big, fat pregnant pause as I plotted the route and then told her it was only a mile and a half to the finish. YES! It was only a few minutes to 2pm so we certainly weren't going to hit the 2pm mark but probably 1/4 after the hour. Time to get this! As we arrived back at Scioto Audubon Metro Park, Mocha shouted to us as we approached "You're SECOND!!!" What?!?!?! Marjie had said many times "I bet we're going to be the last ones in or close to it." To hear we had placed 2nd and would get $200 in GORUCK credit to their store was simply stunning to us. THIS doesn't happen to us! Heck, we're 46 years old and it really shouldn't, right?! Remember, a rule to be eligible to place in the event is to finish as a team. Many teams became fractured through the event and some didn't post every waypoint. We did. 100% start and finish and 100% course completion in accordance with the rules. Honestly, we're still shocked! 17hrs, 15min, 17sec. Remember how I tabulated the distance? I did that just after finishing. I simply re-did the Google routes while they were fresh in my head and added up the segments. I was hoping and praying it wasn't under 50 miles. As I added up the final segments, I was afraid it wouldn't hit 50. 50.3 miles. DANG! Considering a few errors we made and the leap-frogging off and on that trail during the 12 mile jaunt, we are 150% confident that we achieved 50+ miles. WHEW!!!!

After hanging out for awhile, enjoying some pizza and talking with others about the event, we made our way back to our Airbnb in Short North Columbus. We showered and crashed for about 2hrs. That shower was another tell-tale of success. Neither of us screamed out in pain which is common in an event like that, thanks to chafing. NOTHING! Waking up 2hrs later, we felt like a ton of bricks had fallen in on us but we woke up, brewed some coffee and decided to hit up Hoof Hearted Brewing 0.4 mi away. That was a slooooooowwwwww walk! But it was perfect. Afterwards, another slow walk and BAM! Out for 9 hours...

Waking up on Sunday morning, we were shocked at how good we felt and how good the walk felt on the way to breakfast. It poured overnight and many of the blossoms were knocked to the ground where we walked, quite comfortably. No blisters, some redness, and shocked at our condition. We did it and we're more than fine post event. Now at 5pm Sunday, we still feel awesome and we're both nearing a gallon water intake for the day. Flushing our bodies out, moving often and resting.

We didn't have a big training plan for this event. We do CrossFit for an hour a day with CrossFit Linchpin in our garage, we ruck for shorter distances and the occasional 12 miler, I ruck my morning and afternoon breaks at work for 15min chunks and that's about it. Nutritionally, we track our macros and care for ourselves but aren't obsessed by it. Overall, we just enjoy life and being the best versions of ourselves...together. Too many years were spent doing our own thing. We're glad that's over. This was an awesome experience and we wouldn't want it any other way. I'm super proud of my bride and look forward to what lies ahead in the future!

Parting words...here is a compilation of the Instagram Stories I posted throughout the event as we traveled.