292 ‒ Rucking: benefits, gear, FAQs, and the journey from Special Forces to founding GORUCK

KEYPOINTS

• 01

  9/11 redirected McCarthy from a conventional career to Special Forces.

  McCarthy graduated from Emory in May 2001; four months later 9/11 filled him with sadness, anger and rage. Visiting New York in October 2001, he could still smell it. After working in Florida feeling far from the fight, he enlisted in October 2003 on a Special Forces contract, even as soldiers were dying in Iraq.

• 02

  Earning a Green Beret took about two and a half years.

  He earned his Green Beret in May 2006, joined 10th Special Forces Group and deployed to Iraq in 2007 during 'a really nasty time', leaving the Army in late 2008 at the end of his initial contract.

• 03

  Selection centers on rucking under brutal loads.

  Training included rucking for 18+ hours with about 125 pounds after jumping into a North Carolina airstrip from around 800–1,000 feet. During selection candidates weigh their own rucks; the dumb put in 55 pounds, the smart about 47. Peter asks whether veterans now in their 40s and 50s could do it again; McCarthy, who was about 24 then, isn't sure.

• 04

  GORUCK began as a bag nobody wanted.

  In the summer of 2010, between business-school years, he drove his Ford Expedition with his dog to all 48 contiguous states in about two months, pitching the GR1 rucksack (website price $295, roughly $100 in direct costs, $147.50 wholesale) to small men's stores with about 2,000 in inventory. Nobody walked into a store wanting to ruck in 2010; the tour was painful.

• 05

  Events made the product: the GORUCK Challenge.

  Obstacle races like Tough Mudder drew 10,000 people a weekend in 2010. McCarthy launched a team event priced at $147.50—later you kept the ruck—lasting 10–12 hours, often overnight from 10 p.m. Friday. GORUCK has since run about 10,000 events, peaking at 1,000–1,200 a year before the pandemic; the 2010–11 Afghanistan surge put Special Forces culture in the media.

• 06

  Standard event weight: 30 pounds for 150+ lb participants, 20 for lighter.

  He eventually told participants to bring their own bricks. Teams must carry casualties and shared loads—if a teammate drops, 'his 30 plus their 30' is the team's problem, building cohesion.

• 07

  Rucking is an accessible on-ramp for non-athletes.

  McCarthy's advice: don't wait to buy gear—grab any backpack, put in 10–20 pounds, and walk. People capable of 10,000 steps can add weight. Start with 20–30 pounds for a couple of miles; 30–45 if fit. Military basic training used about 45 pounds—less than 25% of a 200 lb soldier.

• 08

  Footwear is the most common failure point.

  Nearly all experienced ruckers would name footwear: when it goes wrong it's excruciating. Peter, with hypermobile feet, had many foot problems with his 50–60 pound daily ruck. Most people at 20–30 pounds will see little beyond shin splints if unprepared or Achilles irritation.

• 09

  Heavy rucking blends cardio and strength, and changes character with load.

  Peter's favorite hard workout is an 80–100 pound ruck; shuffling a mile with 100 pounds took him about 9:30, while a competitive runner did 6:30. Heart rate swings from zone 1 to zone 4 rather than staying steady. At 100 pounds it shifts toward pure strength; 60 pounds feels completely different.

• 10

  Commemorative ultra-rucks connect fitness with history.

  GORUCK runs events marking WWII anniversaries, like a 75 km (about 50 mile) ruck from Utah Beach for the 75th D-Day anniversary, and 80 km and marathon events. McCarthy recalls walking through a German cemetery seeing graves of 16–18-year-olds.

• 11

  Rucksacks versus weight vests: posture and breathing differ.

  Peter used a weight vest to train for hunting trips; McCarthy explains that vests are vital for soldiers and police who must fight in them ('train like you fight'), but for general training a well-fitted rucksack is better. A vest compresses the chest and belly, and as fatigue builds people hunch to create room to breathe. McCarthy cites Kelly Starrett's idea that you have to own your breath to own a position; a ruck sitting high on the shoulders lets you stand tall and breathe. He credits a debate involving Andrew Huberman with prompting deeper analysis with writer Michael Easter.

• 12

  Simplicity is part of the appeal.

  McCarthy likes that rucking removes the pressure of bench and deadlift numbers—just put weight on and walk, alone or with others. Military food during training was MREs packing a couple thousand calories; 'hunger is the best sauce', and some of his best meals were MREs.