What’s Harder? GORUCK or Green Beret Fitness Events?

2023.04.28

Introduction

I have seen many posts about the differences between GORUCK Challenges and Green Beret Fitness events. And the never-ending question of “What’s harder?” This post could eventually evolve to other endurance challenges, but we’ll stay focused for now on the two and attempt to answer that question.

Event Background

Here is some assurance that I’ve done some things. I’m not a crazy OG who has dozens of patches but feel like this is enough to have some clout. Hope to see you at one.

TL; DR

Short on time? Looking for a shortcut? Don’t really care too much? Saving the full read for later? Here’s your TL; DR.

GORUCK Challenges	Green Beret Fitness
Always a team event, never a race. This is straight from the website. If you want to disappear into the night, you can. If you want to be a hero, you can.	Individual events that you can do with a team. It’s still a race. No one can carry anything for you. I guess they could literally carry you.
More often than not, you’re urban rucking. Some events are lucky to have nearby trails, beaches, etc. But, elevation gain is less common.	The terrain might be difficult. You’re on “trails” – some better marked than others. Navigation is on you. Mountain events are just that – there will be elevation. There are animals. It’s like hiking but with added weight. There should be at least one beautiful view.
From concrete to grass, from sand to ocean, PT is everywhere!	Nope.
The event is Cadre led and not disclosed until they give a Team Lead directions. Cadres do have plans and aren’t aimlessly strolling you around. You stop when the team gets a break.	You know what you’re getting yourself into. Routes are disclosed ahead of time (typically via AllTrails). You know the distance, elevation, and where you’re supposed to go. You’re in control of your time management.
When you’re hurting, need help, or go to a dark place – you have a team to support you. You have people to talk to, someone to take a sandbag for a few minutes, a friend to share their Swedish Fish with you. When times are tough, you have a team around you. You will support others when they are in need.	Feel like shit? That sucks. You’re on your own. Even if you start with teammates, it doesn’t mean you’ll finish with them. If it’s you and one other person, being the sole support for each other can be draining and rewarding. You might have someone to chat with, but they’re not carrying anything for you. The individual aspect of these events makes them that much more difficult. What do you think about when it’s just you and your mind for 1, 2, 5, or 10 hours?

Event Adjacent Comparison

This section is not about the events specifically. Here I’ll go through the comparison in training and preparation, travel, gear, and nutrition. You can see specific details in AARs linked above in Event Background.

Training/Preparation

Both require rucking longer distances with heavy weight. For GORUCK, you need to be comfortable doing PT with your rucksack, taking your ruck off and putting it back on quickly, and knowing how to carry both normal and odd-shaped/weighted coupons.

For GORUCK PT, you can build some confidence by practicing Cleve’s deck of cards, which includes 8-counts, brickyard man makers, ruck swings, and flutter kicks with your ruck overhead. This is an honest way to check that you know how to use your ruck for exercises and take it on and off quickly. Additionally, you’ll want to ensure you can get onto the ground and up with your ruck on and off. If you get a chance, practice in sand and water if you’re lucky enough to be in a location with some nature.

Get a lot of time on your feet, build strength and endurance, and take care of your body.

Travel

Depending on where you live, it’s likely easier to find a GORUCK event than a GBF event nearby or scheduled more frequently.

If you’re traveling for GORUCK, you shouldn’t need that much. You’ll need a weighted plate (20/30#) and what’s on the packing list. If you run out of something, there’s probably someone nice enough to share. And since many of the events are urban, there’s probably a store somewhere. The $20 (or your phone) should be able to get you a ride back to your car/hotel.

Traveling for GBF can be more difficult. I’ve done an event that I’ve driven to/from and another where I flew and had a few nights in a hotel. Travel is more difficult because you may have to be creative to meet weight requirements. A weight plate is not ideal for self-supported events. You might consider bringing specific items or gear if they’re harder to find or are a must-have. There are also specific items (ex. emergency shelter) that wouldn’t necessarily be hard to find at a store, but you probably don’t want to scramble the day/morning before your event.

GBF events can kick off in more remote areas since they are based on trails and have limited time on pavement. If you have to stay overnight before or after an event, accommodations may not be around the corner.

Gear

The gear is more or less the same – up until a certain point. Rucksack, water, food, first aid, and extra clothes.

For GBF, you need additional equipment (as stated in pack lists) and also need to assess how much more you’ll need on top of that. Again, you don’t want to use dead weight to fill your ruck, so you may consider filling it with emergency food/water. What will you do if it starts raining? After it’s done raining? What if your run out of water? Do you need an extra pair of shoes? Rucksack selection is based on personal choice. I use what is more comfortable for rucking for extended periods and has easy-access pockets.

The biggest difference for GORUCK is the required weight plate. For the PT and because of the weight plate, I do recommend a GORUCK ruck. Plain and simple, they’re made for this.

Nutrition

I love talking about food. Especially fueling during an endurance event. I’ve found with GORUCK events that I don’t need as much food as I think I will. On that note, I still carry a little more than I think I will need and try to eat even if I’m not always hungry. If you are doing multi-events, please eat solid, nutritious food between events. You will Thank you. As for water, I do load up, but not too much (slightly less weight). Refill is often available. If it’s not, the Cadre may warn you to fill up.

To repeat again, GBF events are generally self-supported. Even though more water + more food = more weight, don’t skimp out. An event may be projected to take you 6-8 hours, but what if it takes 12? Yes, this happened to someone recently – he was a champ and still finished! Depending on the length and difficulty of the event, you probably should not dump out water just to save weight.

Event Comparison

Now let’s get into the gritty details of the actual events. Again, full AARs for a handful of events can be found linked in Event Background above.

Terrain

GBF events are very Instagram-able. You’re getting yourself into rucking actual trails in nature.

The terrain will be reflective of this. There is the potential for sand, loose gravel, pond crossings, deeper-than-expected mud, fallen trees to slip under, flooded trails, rocks to climb, and more. If you’re at a mountain event, I shouldn’t have to tell you that you’ll be going up a peak or two. Don’t forget this also includes rucking back down.

To my knowledge, more GORUCK events take place in urban areas than not. You can expect to ruck on the pavement. You might be lucky to go to an event near some sand or water that you’ll get to play in. The known exception is the Recon Heavy and Tough. Ruckers have the special honor of rucking two memorials in Camp Pendleton. Recon events involve decent elevation gain while carrying a lot of heavy coupons.

Weight

GORUCK requires a 20/30# weighted plate for all Challenges (except maybe the Light). Add your pack list to that and you’re looking at an extra 10ish pounds depending on the event. In addition to this – fun coupons! You need to get comfortable carrying a lot of weight, especially if you plan on trying a heavy. And comfortable carrying more than you “think you can.” If you’re participating in a heavy, you better be able to get under some heavy shit. Yes, females too.

Green Beret Fitness dry weight requirements, I believe, can vary from one event to the next. You will have to check your event page for specific details. Dry weight does not include food or water. Again, it’s on you what you carry to meet the weight requirements, and how much extra you add is up to you, but don’t be stingy. For example, I packed ~4L of water/electrolytes (~9lbs) for Operation Black Bear (~17 miles). Note that it wasn’t that hot of a day.

Mileage

From the GORUCK website, the estimated mileages are 7-10, 15-20, and 40+ miles for the Basic, Tough, and Heavy. Generally, you should hit these, but it’s dependent on the Cadre and how much you get thrashed around. Also an outlier, the Recon HTB heavy might clock slightly shorter than the expected 4o+ miles, but may be attributed to the elevation.

Green Beret Fitness offers a wide variety of mileage options. You also have an opportunity to add more if you take a wrong turn, which leads us perfectly into the next…

Navigation

Navigation for GORUCK is predominately Cadre-led. They will give leads some directions to follow, but in my experience, there isn’t much self-navigation you have to worry about.

So What’s Harder?

You’ve made it this far. And I still haven’t answered the question.

Physical Fatigue

The PT during a GORUCK event will beat you down. As the night carries on you’ll see the strongest team members lose their form. I have seen the PT really get to people and they will drop. Physical drops seem to happen because they can’t execute or can’t figure out how to get their body to do what they want it to.

Though both companies have long rucking events, you might have to move faster during a GBF, which may be more physically demanding (and why running is a great training aid). It is a race. I imagine this is also true for GORUCK Star Courses. In GORUCK Challenges, you are only as fast as your slowest teammate, which is variable.

Self-reliability

For Green Beret Fitness races, you stop when you want. You eat, pee, and rest on your own terms. You carry your weight. There is no one to do it for you. If your bag is heavy, well, that sucks. A teammate is helpful for navigation until they make a wrong turn.

For GORUCK, it’s all about the team. Don’t get me wrong, you must be able to hold your own and carry your weight for the team. That’s unless you want to be a Gray Man. During GORUCK events there is camaraderie – most people are there to help each other out. If you need a break from a sandbag, you’ll likely be able to manage that. Needs are taken care of as a team and breaks happen together.

Mental Stamina

During a GORUCK event, you will be encouraged by others and you’ll help keep them going. A weekend (HTB) is exhausting, but there are loads of people to talk to and distract yourself with. Having someone to talk to can change your mindset and keep you going. The between-event time can get to you. You need to have plans for showering, eating, sleeping, and taking care of the basics. Otherwise, it’s easy to quit between – sleep feels so good.

During Operation Ocala (GBF), I didn’t ever imagine that 3 miles would feel like a lifetime. I was tired, alone, and freezing. I was wrong. Further on my journey, I hit another 3-mile stretch just before another checkpoint where I was more exhausted, no longer cold, but again alone. 5 minutes felt like eons. Even if you have a teammate, there will be times when encouraging each other is draining. It’s also in your best interest to preserve energy at times. Mental endurance alongside physical fatigue may determine whether or not you finish an event. There’s no one to give you a break from you.

Final Thoughts

GORUCK Challenges and Green Beret Fitness events are very different and both have very difficult aspects. As I continue exploring this world, I find myself drawn to events that challenge me and force me to rely more on myself. Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge advocate for team challenges and have met the most incredible people from it. But, GBF events offer new challenges by taking me to places I have never physically set foot in, pushing me past my limits, and learning more about myself.

Turns out I was never going to answer the question. You’ll just have to find out for yourself.

Until the next. 🧠🎒📊

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