This was my experience on the Epiphany Ruck, which is the 1st of 24 rucks that make up the Maricopa Ruck Challenge.
The Challenge is to Ruck the 210-mile trail that encompasses Maricopa County over the course of 1 year! For full Challenge details go here or check out the facebook page Maricopa Ruck ChallengeThere are at least 2 events per month over the course of 2019
Completing the Challenge will earn you bragging rights and a patch.
- Ruck Challenge
- Wednesday, 16 JAN 2019
- 1100 - 1400
- 6.7 Miles point A to point B
- 35# Pack + 3L Water
- SP - McQueen Park - 475 N McQueen Rd. Gilbert, AZ 85233
- LOA - McDonald Park - 7070 S Rural Rd, Tempe, AZ 85283 (YMCA)
- 3 People in group
- GORUCK Rucker (FITREP) – This is my standard pack for rucking, whether for events or training.
- 3L Camelbak hydration bladder – It was issued to me and still works well!
- 30lb Ruck Plate – Fits well in the Rucker
- Tactical Gloves – You never know… and they’re nice for PT.
- Reflective Bands – day or night visibility is a good thing. These never leave my pack.
- Petzl Headlamp – Yes it was daylight, but better safe than sorry!
- Anker PowerCore Lite 10000mAh – you don’t want your phone dying on you while trying to track your ruck!
- Waterproof phone case w/ $20 cash
- Notebook and pen
- Cottenelle Flushable Wet Wipes – You never know when one might come in handy.
- Nature Valley Oats & Dark Chocolate Protein Granola.
- Custom First Aid kit.
Clothing ~
- Hat – Under Armor
- Sun Glasses – Oakley Custom
- Shirt – Champion
- Shorts – Wrangler Utility
- Socks – Darn Tough Wool socks
- Shoes – Salomon XA PRO 3D trail shoes
Extra Gear ~
- 25lb Brute Force Training sandbag – we carried this for extra weight and PT.
- 1 American Flag – we took turns carrying this too.
- Sunday, 06 JAN 2019
- 0800 - 1100
- Arrive at the designated LOA 30 minutes early to arrange transportation to the S.P.
- Arrive at the designated SP prior to 0800
- Start the ruck by 0800
- Reach LOA by 1000
- Transportation back to SP
- Wednesday, 16 JAN 2019
- 1100 - 1400
- Arrived at LOA 15 Minutes early
- Arrived at designated SP 30 minutes late
- SP @1145 - 3 of us carrying a flagpole and 25# sandbag
- Conducted sandbag PT during the ruck
- LOA @1400 (2h 11m)
- Transportation back to SP
- The route is hardball surface along a canal. It’s not very scenic and is very flat.
- It is from point A to point B, so transportation must be considered
- Make sure your tracking app is working properly. Mine (strava) stopped half way through. Fortunately someone in our group had Strava going and included me.
- Get enough sleep the night before. <4 hours is not enough!
- Make sure keys are in your pack and not in the car when carpooling
Sustain
- Complete the Rucks
- Carry the Flag
- Work with Teams
Improve
- Get more rest prior to event
- Arrive earlier to SP
- Maintain a quicker pace
Do you use Strava to track your training?
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This AAR is for the March of The Fallen held on 16 March 2019 in Buckeye, Arizona.
AAR for the Estrella Ruck from the 2019 Maricopa Ruck Challenge.
2nd Event of the 2019 Maricopa Ruck Challenge was a 10-mile, relatively flat Ruck along a canal.
This is my AAR (After Action Review) for the GORUCK THANKSGIVING Light Challenge in Phoenix, Arizona on 112418.