GORUCK 9/11 Chicago HTB AAR By Eric Engelbarts aka F3 MAD COW
#NeverForget
GORUCK 9/11 Chicago HTB AAR
By Eric Engelbarts
aka F3 MAD COW
Eric & Susan Engelbarts
To kick off this AAR, a little insight into who I am. As you may or may not know, I am a partner in this website - Rucks On Parade. I serve as the F3 Grand Rapids Nantan (aka powerless leader) and greatly enjoy the sport of rucking…or at the very least the camaraderie that comes with rucking. I have always been an athlete… prior to turning my drinking of alcoholic beverages into a sport. That said, I am now almost 3 years sober and have used exercise as my way of battling addiction.
It’s time to stop training and just do epic shit
Prior to earning my BOLTS at the GORUCK 9/11 Chicago HTB, I had successfully completed the following events: 1 GORUCK Light, 1 GrowRuck (F3’s version of a GORUCK Tough), 1 GORUCK Tough / Light, 1 GORUCK Heavy and 1 GORUCK 50-mile Star Course. I definitely wouldn’t call myself an expert at anything GORUCK. In fact, I spent a ton of time reading AAR’s and asking others for their advice leading up to my attempt to earn the GORUCK BOLTS.
My training leading up to the HTB consisted of F3 workouts (4 to 5 per week) and Pathfinder Advanced in combination with the Heavy Drop Training (HDT) program. There were many days where I would be working out twice a day. Once in the wee hours of the morning (aka in the gloom) with the F3 guys and then again after work with the wife on the HDT programming. It was intense, but I could tell that I was heading the right direction. The gains were real and I was building endurance.
One strategic piece that I did implement was a focus on my diet. Not so much what I was eating, but when. I went to a cycle of 8 hours of eating (12PM - 8PM) and 16 hours of fasting (8PM - 12PM). It was my thinking that if I could train my body and mind to be comfortable not eating for longer periods of time while maintaining my normal training schedule, it would be beneficial during the longer periods of the GORUCK events in which eating wouldn’t be an option.
I spent a ton of time asking around and researching HTB packing lists. And ultimately (and obviously), its three separate events. Each event has it’s own packing list and the supplies should be separated into their own bags / piles / places. In addition to this AAR and my packing list below, I have provided some links to other AAR’s that I found extremely helpful in preparing me for the attempt…the first AAR probably being the best because of the detailed insights into logistics that went into preparing for a HTL:
I’m not going to include the obvious stuff - GORUCK Rucker, 30# plate, extra mouthpiece, etc. Assuming your going for a Heavy or HTB or whatever, you probably have the majority of your supplies dialed in, but I have included some of the typical items and quantities that I would be searching for in an AAR:
The ruck weight just over 47 pounds.
Photo credit: Amelia Fuscone
Shirts
- Under Armor Tactical
- I had a spare in my drybag for the Heavy & Tough.
- I never changed.
Pants
- Marmot Arch Rock Pant
Shoes
- Altra Olympus 4
- Expensive, but worth every penny.
Socks
- Injinji Toe Socks w/ Darn Tough as an outer layer
- I had a spare set for all events in my drybag.
- I never changed.
First Aid Kit (same kit for all three events)
- Needle (popping blisters)
- Alcohol wipes
- Band-aids
- Leukotape
Pain Killers
- Aleve (4 Heavy, 2 Tough)
- Tylenol (8 Heavy, 4 Tough, 2 Basic)
Food
- Uncrustables (8 Heavy, 5 Tough, 2 Basic)
- Cliff Bars (4 Heavy, 3 Tough, 2 Basic)
- Beef Jerky (1 bag for each event)
- Stinger Waffles (5 Heavy, 3 Tough, 2 Basic)
- Mini Snickers (Handful for each event)
- Jolly Ranchers (Huge bag split up for the events)
ORS
- Drip Drop (8 Heavy, 6 Tough, 4 Basic)
- Salt Stick Caps (handful in zip lock)
Sanitation
- Dude Wipes
- Wisps (mini disposable toothbrush)
As you can see, the majority of my ‘extra’ weight came from the food that I carried. I didn’t end up eating everything that I carried for each event, but I was close during the Heavy. Also, its fun to be able to offer others some snacks along the way. One tip that I didn’t read about in any of the AAR’s was that after the Heavy, the thought of eating anymore of the same food items was repulsive because I had spent the last 24 hours eating only what was on the list. If I had to do it again, I would probably carry the same items but maybe tweak the food list for the Tough…just to change it up, if just slightly.
Also, did you know there was a secret GRT sandwich? I found out that the sandwich consisted of the following layers: Bread, Peanut Butter, Mixed Berry Pop Tart (YUP), Jelly, Bread. I haven’t tried it yet, but I find it intriguing and it kind of makes sense in some weird way. A special thanks to Daniel 'Lloyd' Hallgren who was eating one of these bad boys during the event. Ha.
The worst part (and there were many) of the HTB was the time leading up to the actual event itself. I can remember the day before basically being sick to my stomach because of my nerves. I tried to brush it off but this was definitely the most anxiety that I have felt towards something in a long time. I just wanted to get it started, so I wouldn’t keep agonizing over what I had packed or what was going to happen. It’s time to stop training and just do epic shit.
Left to Right: Joe Englin (F3 Kraut) , Eric Engelbarts (F3 MAD COW), Justin Ellison (F3 Snoop)
We are out of Grand Rapids, Michigan and the event was in Naperville (Chicago), IL so I rented a hotel room for each night. It kind of sucks paying for a room that your not sleeping in BUT it proved invaluable for a spot to land before and after each of the events.
Heavy, Tough & Basic - I’m going to hit the highlights of each event, but not give too much detail. Mainly because each GORUCK event is going to be different and you never really know what’s going to happen. In my opinion, completing GORUCK events or any longer team endurance event…is that your likeliness to succeed is more about your mental state than physical preparation. Don’t get me wrong, you need to train your ass off…but having the right mindset can ultimately be why someone finishes or not.
Cadre Whiskey Mike & Cadre Neo would be facilitating throughout the weekend.
The HEAVY (33 started; 31 finished)- The HEAVY started at 6 PM on Friday night and lasted almost exactly 24 hours. The event began with a welcome party where each GRT told their 9/11 story and lead the group in an exercise. This was fantastic because we were able to understand how 9/11 had touched each of us…albeit some more than others.
Video by: Amelia Fuscone
Following the welcome party was the timed 12-miler. Got to be honest, I was super pumped for this as I’ve had an experience once before when the 12-miler was halfway through the Heavy and it SUCKED… So, to get this out of the way immediately was a welcomed surprise. After the 12-miler, we did the typical Heavy thing of rucking with a shit load of coupons, time hacks, etc. We would stop along the way and listen to stories about the hero’s of 9/11 and be inspired to push harder.
Naperville Fire Department Training Center - Then we ended up outside of the Naperville Fire Department Station 4 & training center. The training center consisted of this burned up building that had exactly 5 flights of stairs. We were briefed that the class would be completing 22 trips up/down the 5 flights of stairs. A total of 110 flights…the exact same amount of flights that the World Trade Center had prior to the attack.
Photo by: Amelia Fuscone
The cadre put a speaker in the stairwell that played the news coverage of the 9/11 attacks as the class went up & down. We were allowed to stop halfway to catch our breath. Towards the end, there were a couple of us that were struggling to make the climb. The class stepped up and carried these individual’s ruck(s) up and down the flights to ensure EVERYONE made it. It was truly inspirational. Following the completion of the 110 flight of stairs, we went outside to be greeted by Cadre Neo who sprayed us down with a firehose. I went from so insanely hot to insanely cold (soo cold!) in a very short period of time. It was necessary, we STUNK big time.
Video by: Amelia Fuscone
This evolution was the best and worst of the entire weekend. It was the best because we knew there would be stairs and this was the perfect scene… a burned up stairwell that was about 200 degrees with very little ventilation. Add the 9/11 coverage being played loudly… the cadre absolutely nailed the atmosphere. Of course, this was the worst because 110 flights with an event ruck is absolutely brutal…especially knowing you are just over 12 hours into a HEAVY, not to mention the other events that you signed up for.
Following the stairwell, we made our way to downtown Naperville and stopped at the 9/11 memorial. Turns out Naperville was the first city to have a monument dedicated to the tragic events of 9/11. It was a very moving time with Cadre Neo offering up great tidbits of information on the memorial. After more rucking and PT smoke sessions, we eventually made our way back to the start point for the ENDEX.
GORUCK 9/11 Chicago Heavy @ Naperville 9/11 Memorial
Between the HEAVY & TOUGH - As read all over the Internet, this is the hardest time of the entire weekend. The time when most people quit. We decided before the event that if we had time, we were going to try and hit up the hotel for a shower. So, shortly following the event, we drove straight to Jimmy Johns and got food to go, then to the hotel. Once at the hotel, I opened my bags labeled ‘Tough’ and had a ‘note to self’ that I pre-made to include my priorities of work. The note looked like this:
AFTER HEAVY
GREAT JOB DUDE. NOW – DFQ!!
Take medicine (1 pill)
Refill travel medicine in ruck (4 pills)
Refill / change Tylenol container
Change headlamp batteries
Refresh back-up batteries, if needed
Change out food / clothes in ruck
Refill water in bladder
Priorities of Work
Shower
Drink Gatorade
Eat Jimmy Johns
Coffee
Re-Tape Feet
Set Alarm
Sleep
The note helped tremendously with keeping me on task as my mind wasn’t as sharp following the 24-hour Heavy. After following the steps, I had about 30 minutes before it was time to start the drive back to the start area for the Tough. I made the mistake of checking my phone and texting updates. I missed out on a nap. There are various thoughts on whether to sleep in-between these events. Ultimately, it will be your call based on your body and experiences.
Cadre Whiskey Mike ‘facilitating’
Photo by Amelia Fuscone
The TOUGH (32 started; 31 finished) - The Tough was well - tough. The welcome party was similar to the Heavy and then we loaded up (with the same amount of weight and people) as the Heavy and took off. It was great to be joined by fresh bodies but that only goes so far, everyone must pull their weight to be successful. The highlights of the Tough included rucking on a slanted uneven ditch full of holes in long wet grass and seemingly hitting up every sprinkler in Naperville. It was crazy… everywhere we went, someone was watering the grass and we were walking through it. It was during the Tough that I developed my only blister - a small blister - under the pinky toe. No big deal.
While there was WORK during the Tough, the mental game was the hardest challenge. I would find myself in a dream state with my body catching microsleep while rucking under a coupon. We would stop for breaks along the way and while the Cadre were telling a story or updating the group, I would nod off almost immediately. There was no stopping it.
We finally make it to ENDEX but the event was not over. We started relay races and this was the point in time when I started hallucinating. I would look at the grass and see structures forming from the dew (or what I thought was dew - jury is still out on that one). Any signage I would try to read, the lettering would appear 3D. I was alert enough to know that it was just the sleep deprivation playing tricks on my mind.
Two events over. One more to go…
Left to Right: Matt Lowe (F3 Hasselhoff), Eric Engelbarts, Justin Ellison, Joe Englin
Photo by Joe Englin
Between the TOUGH & BASIC - We had roughly the same amount of time between the Tough and Basic as we did with the Heavy and Tough (~4 hours). So, the plan was exactly the same only we switched Jimmy Johns with Denny’s…breakfast food was absolutely amazing. I had a very similar ‘note to self’ as shown earlier. I followed the priorities of work but was able to get 20 minutes of sleep - a game changer. When I awoke from the nap, I had absolutely no idea where I was or what was going on, but once I came to my senses… I felt 1000x better.
The BASIC (44 started; 44 finished) - The Basic…I thought to myself, just show up and hang in the back and you got this. However, the Cadre had a better idea. Cadre Whiskey Mike’s exact words “There will be no grey man during this event.” He split us up into two platoons and then added MORE weight and distributed it evenly amongst the groups. Now, there was no where to hide.
Photo by Amelia Fuscone
“There will be no grey man during this event.” - Cadre Whiskey Mike
This is where having the right mental state makes all the difference. I thought to myself, this is worst case scenario… but you wouldn’t want to earn your BOLTS any other way. So, after the welcome party off we went. Essentially, the group worked its way to downtown Naperville to visit the 9/11 memorial (as mentioned during the Heavy) and then worked its way back to the AO. This wasn’t just a Basic… this was the 20th year anniversary of 9/11 Basic. All told, we traveled over 9 miles in about 7 hours. One crazy way to end the weekend.
Basically Not Basic.
Left to Right: Joe Englin, Justin Ellison, Eric Engelbarts, Susan Engelbarts, Matt Lowe, Kara Kroll, Mandy Dobrowolski
HTB ENDEX - A total of 14 earned their BOLTS.
Final thoughts - The best thing about a weekend like this….is that it’s an escape for me. An escape from the daily routine of life. I didn’t have to worry about work, bills, or budgets. All the noise was stripped away and the only thing my mind was focused on was completing the task at hand and supporting the person to my side - and ultimately – the team. It was the best and the worst weekend I’ve ever had the pleasure to experience.
Even as I’m writing this AAR there is still so much to process… I’ll be reflecting upon this experience for years to come maybe even for the rest of my life.
The END was worth EVERYTHING.
Hey, before you split! We’re always looking for other sharp minds to extract knowledge from. Do you know a prominent persona in the world of rucking, or have a unique perspective from your own personal experience that you’d be willing to share? If so, drop us a line, let us know, and we’ll extend the invite to chat it up and feature your story!
