S2: AAR for:

Estrella Ruck AAR

AAR for the Estrella Ruck from the 2019 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 Maricopa Ruck Challenge facebook page. There are at least 2 events per month over the course of the year

Completing the Challenge will earn you bragging rights and a patch.

Ruck Challenge
Sunday, 10 FEB 2019
0800 - 1150
8.9 Miles Point A to Point B
~ 30 LB Ruck + 3L Water
SP - Estrella Mountain Competitive Track: Tolleson, AZ 85353
LOA - Nature Center: 14805 W Vineyard Ave, Goodyear, AZ 85338
2 People in Group

GORUCK Rucker (FITREP) – This is my standard pack for rucking, whether for events or training.
3L Camelbak hydration bladder – This was my first ruck with this exact model. Check out my FITREP.
20lb Ruck Plate – Fits well in the Rucker. I dropped weight on this one due to a stress fracture in my R foot.
Tactical Gloves – It was cold (36) when we started the ruck, so they were nice to have!
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 – My good friend Tim Johnson at PDS Systems put this together for me.

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

Sunday, 06 JAN 2019
0800 - 1200
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 1200
Transportation back to SP

Sunday, 10 FEB 2019
0820 - 1200
Arrived at LOA 15 Minutes early
Arrived at designated SP 10 minutes late
SP @0820 - 2 of us stepped off
LOA @1150 (3h 28m)
Took Charles to his ride at Dunkin' Donuts (and to get some blueberry munchkins and an iced blueberry mocha).

This section of trail is a lot of fun. You are out in the desert with beautiful scenery and is well traveled.
It is from point A to point B, so transportation must be considered.
The Estrella Mountain park is frequently visited and we came across a number of hikers and even photographers.
When rucking with a stress fracture in your foot be grateful you don’t have a lot of feeling, or wish you didn’t!
I dropped down to a 20lb ruck plate to reduce damage to my foot. I should have stuck with 30 lbs.
There are some portions of the trail that are pretty rocky and caused of to slow down. Though I am not a very fast anyway, be sure to wear appropriate footwear for the terrain.