Green Beret Fitness (GBF) Operation STIRLING ’23

2023.08.30 00:09:00

Overview

Green Beret Fitness Operation STIRLING (UK Special Forces Selection). The overview of the history and routes is a shortened version of the 2024 Operation STIRLING Event Page (October 10-14).

The British Special Air Service (SAS) became the world’s first ‘Tier 1’ Special Forces unit. The Aptitude phase of United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) Selection, commonly called the ‘Hills phase,’ is at the beginning of selection and sets the standard for recruits.

Green Beret Fitness (GBF) recreates the UKSF Aptitude Phase in October 2024 over 5 days. This event tests individuals’ fitness but also requires individuals to be highly motivated, intelligent, and will not quit.

Operation STIRLING has five routes over five days. To continue onto day five you must complete the first four routes within the time cap. Time caps are unknown. You aren’t told until after the fourth day whether or not you have passed or failed. The routes are as follows:

• Day 1: Operation SCOUT. 10 +/- miles. 25 lbs. Unknown Time Limit.
• Day 2: Operation PILGRIM. 11 +/- miles. 30 lbs. Unknown Time Limit.
• Day 3: Operation BUCKWHEAT. 12 +/- miles. 35 lbs. Unknown Time Limit.
• Day 4: Operation FAN DANCE. 16 +/- miles. 40 lbs. Unknown Time Limit.
• Day 5 (Test Route): Operation DRAGONS DANCE. 26 +/- miles. 50 lbs. Unknown Time Limit and starts overnight.

In addition to the base (dry) weight above, you have to carry your own food and water. You are issued a ~10 lb replica rifle that you carry with you at all times. The rifle cannot be strapped to your bag or body. Your rifle must be carried properly and not used like a trekking pole or dragged.

Every afternoon/evening you are given homework assignments with multiple tasks including things like preparing 2-minute verbal briefs or memorizing facts. There are many handwritten essays on topics like current events such as the Russo-Ukraine War, historical events, the history of the UKSF, and opinions about the topics. There were also many video briefs required on some of the same topics, some additional topics, and personal reflections of the day. This is a piece of the intelligence aspect of the event and also takes away time from other things throughout the night.

To summarize a conversation with Gregg McLeod, owner of GBF, on the magnitude of Operation STIRLING:

• UKSF Selection is based on selecting the top soldiers from the country – STIRLING aims to find the top athletes from the endurance community.
• Candidates are unlikely to pass STIRLING if they’ve never completed a GBF event or have a strong background in mountain rucking.
• The two candidates who successfully made it to the Test Route were on another level of fitness – only one has passed.
• Like Infantry school is hard. The Commando course is harder. Selection is another level. In GBF terms – Mountain events are hard. OCALA is harder. STIRLING is another level.

So, yeah, STIRLING is hard.

Training and Preparation

Training should include running, cross-training, rucking, mountain running/ rucking/ hiking, and taking care of your body. I also recommend being very confident while moving fast on technical trails. This isn’t a scare tactic and I’m not saying it’s not achievable. But look at the solo finisher – Olga AKA GHOST – she is at another level.

If STIRLING is on your list, you have to regularly be passing the time hacks on other GBF mountain events and more.

Travel

Traveling from the West Coast for East Coast events is tough, but we make it work. I flew into Charlotte on Monday, rented a car, stayed in Charlotte on Monday night, and then on Tuesday afternoon, I drove to Brevard after running errands.

I stayed in a cottage through AirBnB in Brevard through Tuesday the following week. This was in anticipation that I would make it to the Test Route. I flew out of Charlotte Airport later that afternoon.

Note: Southwest for the win on this trip with the two free checked bags.

Gear

Pack: VOG Global Assault Ruk

Still recommend this pack (see Op OCALA for more details). I would like to check out some others. I didn’t tape my back and only had minor rubbing (likely due to the sports bra choice). The pack is comfortable, but you need to spend the time packing your weight so it sits in a position that is comfortable and distributed evenly.

Outfit

• Hiking pants w/snacks, chapstick, whistle, phone, and wallet in pockets
• Janji Shorts (day 3 only)
• T-shirt
• Baseball cap
• Goodr Sunglasses
• Woxer 5″ Boxers – Note that I am a HUGE FAN
• Sports Bra
• Ininji Toe Socks + Darn Tough Socks
• Salomon X Ultra 4 Low Hiking Shoes – Women’s
• Whoop
• Garmin Fenix 7
• Flip Belt w/battery pack/charger – only used on Day 1 & 3

Packed

• Front/side/belt Ruck Pockets: med kit, wipes, some snacks, pocket knife, salt tabs, Garmin InReach Mini 2, headlamp, light hat, light gloves, Mechanix Work Gloves, Life Straw, Salt Tabs
• Small Dry Bag: extra socks, extra t-shirt, shorts, extra headlamp, batteries, eye drops, disposable contacts, chem light, rain jacket
• Additional required items on GBF list: emergency shelter, compass
• Microspikes
• Extra shoes: Salomon Trail Running shoes
• SOS Nalgene – full 1L Nalgene of water – extra weight, but not dead weight
• Other: Additional medical bag – extra med type supplies, extra straps, tape
• Food & Water (see nutrition below)
• 1 local-ish beer – Sycamore Mountain Candy – Day 1 only – I didn’t want to risk an exploding beer
• Sandbag – utilized playground sand in a sandbag for the additional required weight. I don’t believe I could have packed enough to hit weight otherwise. I was probably around 18-22lbs before water + food.

Nutrition

Pre-Ruck

Every morning before briefing time, I ate 2 mini bagels, a banana, and a snack bag full of pretzel sticks. I drank water and some Pedialyte.

Reflection: The first morning I didn’t eat enough, so I added more pretzels to my meal. Depending on the briefing time and drive time I ate while getting ready or while driving.

Ruck

• 3L water bladder (full)
• 1L Smart Water bottle (near full) with 2 Liquid IV (halved this for Day 3)
• Candy bars, fruit snack packets, Twizzlers, other energy-type snacks (small Clif bars, StroopWafels, Blok), extra liquid IV

Every day, I repacked my food based on the mileage. Some days, I ate better than others. I do feel like I caught myself before I was too hungry. I drank a lot of water and still am undecided on the Liquid IV in the bottle versus a bladder.

Reflection: I would like to start practicing fueling on longer hikes, runs, and rucks to evaluate performance and nail down fueling.

Post-Ruck

Sitting down at a bar for a meal helped me wind down a bit from the day and gave the extrovert in me the social interactions I needed. I continued eating snacks and other food after I got back while packing, doing homework, and everything else.

Reflection: I would stock up with more food at the AirBnB. I would continue to eat good meals out, but it would have been great to have some easy frozen food or meals to snack on.

Admin/Briefing

I planned to arrive each day at least 30-45 minutes early. This gave me enough padding for the drive and on-site packing. Before the briefing, I added the extra sand to my sandbag, finished eating, drank more water, and went to the bathroom.

The briefing started at a different time every day. We were given the instructions the night before at some point during homework. This is when we had to turn in our essays or begin to give a verbal brief.

You are given your rifle, which will be referenced as Clifford (the Big Red Rifle), on Day 1, and it’s your responsibility moving forward. You can’t go anywhere without it once you’re in the vicinity of the trailhead.

There was a full kit check every single day. Cheers to all of the other candidates, as we didn’t have any misses. You have time to repack your bags and then they are weighed. You then can pack your food and water.

Once the briefing and assignments are completed, you’re given the start time and can do what you please until then.

Note: Not every trailhead has a “proper” toilet. Even if they do, they might not be open.

Route Breakdown

For each route, I give a brief overview of my goals, execution, highlights, lowlights, and a general reflection. I also have daily reviews (written posts and video reels on my Instagram). Though the days blend together a bit, I could likely do an entire writeup on each, but I feel like shorter reviews are better for this Operation. If you want to experience STIRLING, you should do it on your own.

Day 1, Operation SCOUT, 10 +/- miles. 25 lbs.

My AllTrails Navigation/Splits. 11.24mi. 3,189ft elevation gain. 5h16m.

Goals (always in order of importance)

1. Finish safely ✅
2. Finish in 4:30 (single event dog tag time) ❌
3. Finish in 4:00 ❌

Passed the most important one. The other two were eventually out of reach.

Execution

bumped into another candidate who was at the landmark.

The downhill was much more technical than I anticipated, even though I had just come up it. I held a ~20-22 minute mile consistently. This pace was more than I had planned (~15 min/mile), but I was very focused on not slipping. It was slick from the rain the night before.

Highlights/Lowlights/Reflection

I got out there and got the jitters out. I was grateful that I made it down a more technical route than I was used to and that it didn’t rain anymore that day.

About 2 miles into the route, I was not feeling well. Everything was hard. Maybe it was jetlag, maybe I just felt like shit, but most likely I realized that this was just going to be hard. Like, really hard. This was not a great way to start the week. My mindset was trash after the landmark debacle. I was very frustrated. Almost every time I slipped into a negative thought, I also physically slipped or tripped. Mother Nature is a real bitch, but she tells you exactly what you need to hear. It’s hard to admit that what you envisioned isn’t working out how you want.

At the end of the day, I finally talked to myself about how grateful I was to have the opportunity to give it my all. We had no idea of the time hacks, so I couldn’t let myself get down. I got to hike daily, take on difficult challenges, and try something that extended me well beyond my comfort zone.

Day 2, Operation PILGRIM, 11 +/- miles. 30 lbs.

My AllTrails Navigation/Splits. 14.10mi. 3,809ft elevation gain. 7h28m.

Goals

1. Finish safely ✅
2. Finish within a time range ✅

I really only had one goal today, which was to finish safely. A lot of information about the difficult navigation and sketchiness at the end of the trail, washed out from landslides, was provided to me. I wasn’t emotionally invested in a specific time, but I did have a time frame I had hoped to reach within and did. It was a nice to have. I finished right in the middle of that.

Let it be known that I was ahead of GHOST for approximately 3.5 seconds when she took a slight deviation off-course into the first mile. And then I never saw her again.

Execution

The climb was brutal. It was steep. I felt like I was moving slowly, but it was a lot of fun. I didn’t realize the elevation we started at and that it would slightly affect me. While on flatter and downhill areas, I ran when I could, switching between a run and a quick recovery. I walked when there were a lot of rocks, roots, or overgrowth.

I feel that I should have gone with my gut here, but couldn’t figure out exactly where the water linked back to the trail, or if at all. After this section, I easily found my way back.

Highlights/Lowlights/Reflection

The energy on these trails was electric. 99.5% of the time I had fun. I felt better today than on day 1. I would love to go out and do this one again.

Even knowing there were “sketchy” parts, I was in a great headspace for almost the entire time. After completing Operation TWO ZERO, I felt capable in very uncomfortable situations and that nothing could be worse. I moved around some weird terrain and didn’t imagine there could be much more. I don’t think I was wrong about it “being worse” but there was a different discomfort. At one point, I was on my ass, in the dirt, surrounded by bushes and giant fallen trees. I honestly didn’t know if I would find my way back. I followed my own footsteps more than once up and down. This navigation error was my mistake for day 2, which I felt could be the make or break for passing or failing.

Bushwhacking doesn’t work, especially up and down a cliff. My watch and phone weren’t helping – I wasn’t sure what to trust. But, after ~ about 13 hours of being out on the trails alone, I changed my mindset from yesterday and focused more on the positive. If you can recon one route, make it this one.

Day 3, Operation BUCKWHEAT, 12 +/- miles. 30 lbs.

My AllTrails Navigation/Splits. 11.64mi. 2,746ft elevation gain. 4h2m.

Goals

1. Finish safely ✅
2. Execute the route efficiently (i.e. minimal to no mistakes) ✅
3. Finish in 4 hours (this was in the back of my mind early on, but I didn’t set the goal until some point while on the move) ❌

Execution

Highlights/Lowlights/Reflection

I moved well and my body felt great. Not every step was light or felt amazing, but I could not have been happier. I was in my flow state. I enjoyed every single minute. It was bliss.

I was bummed about not hitting my time goal, but it wasn’t the end of the world. It was an arbitrary number that I put it in my head. I didn’t let it affect me. However, it did push me to work extremely hard during the last push. My only snag was the weight in my pack was not distributed well and pulled on my right shoulder and collarbone. Looking back, I should have stopped and fixed this.

I would 100% recommend Operation BUCKWHEAT to anyone who’s interested in trying out a GBF event. This route is amazing and has great trails. It’s the perfect entry into navigation, elevation, and distance – challenge yourself.

Day 4, Operation FAN DANCE, 16 +/- miles. 40 lbs.

My AllTrails Navigation/Splits. 17.35mi. 4,354ft elevation gain. 9h14m.

Goals

1. Finish Safely ✅
2. Finish in 8 Hours (a full workday!) ❌

I lost hope of goal two after about 5 miles. I wasn’t mad but accepted it was out of reach.

Execution

Once I hit the Cold Mountain climb, my pace drastically slowed. My body wasn’t responding to my brain telling it to move faster. I can’t tell you the number of times I told myself to “send it” – nothing came of it. I did find the landmark this time with no issues. The way down, a repeat of day 1, was significantly slower. For both the ascent and descent, I had to negotiate with myself that I wouldn’t look at my watch because the mileage was literally not moving. I felt like I covered 1/2 mile when in reality I moved maybe 1/20 of a mile.

Highlights/Lowlights/Reflection

I got through the day and completed the route. I may have not felt amazing, but I was proud of myself for getting through it. I had great conversations with myself, saw my first bear, helped a runner go the right way, and really did enjoy myself. As a personal win, I took no painkillers or NSAIDs the entire week. I wanted to be fully in tune with my body and didn’t feel the necessity.

It was a tough pill to swallow when my body wasn’t responding. Every time I tripped on a rock or hit my foot on something, my entire body felt a rush of electricity running up my spine and into my head, not in a good way.

I was very humbled by the mountains today. I also felt encouraged. I’ve never completed that combination of mileage and elevation under that heavy of weight, so I know I can do it, and now it’s time to get better.

Day 5, Operation DRAGONS DANCE, 26 +/- miles. 50 lbs.

You can see GHOST’s times on Green Beret Fitness’s Instagram and train to be as fast as her – then you’re guaranteed to pass. That evening, our team went to send GHOST off for her 0230 briefing (0300 start).

Reflection

Gregg asked if we were happy to not be starting DRAGONS DANCE. At the moment, I couldn’t quite articulate my feelings, which may have been partially due to the 2 1/2 hours of sleep. I related it to words in other languages that exist to describe situations but don’t translate to English. After Waffle House, good conversations, some Schitt’s Creek, and a one-hour nap, I expressed myself more clearly – this can be listened to here.

Personal Reflection

Own Everything, Blame Nothing

First, to even consider competing at, let alone being successful at STIRLING, you have to be super fit. This isn’t just being normal fit, but being mountain fit. I came in knowing I was more likely to fail than pass but wanted to give it my all. I don’t want to play the comparison game, but to put it in perspective, my max effort was not nearly close to what GHOST put out. She completed Days 1-4 almost 10 hours faster than I did. She truly is on another level.

I’ve thought of all of the excuses. I could fall back on using this event as my own “trial run.” I have never done any STIRLING routes before and haven’t carried the replica rifle. I could say that I didn’t have the time to prepare. I could blame it on jet lag, elevation, or a navigation mistake. I could say that if the routes were less technical, I would have made it. It’s hard to take ownership that you weren’t as prepared as you thought.

Learnings

1. Don’t be afraid to fail. As close to the edge is where the magic happens. It’s uncomfortable and scary, but you’ll never grow if you never try.
2. Don’t get stuck in your dark place. Our self-talk is more important than we often give it credit. We’re human so negative thoughts will happen, but we must learn to reel those in and make peace with them. If you don’t resolve this, Mother Nature may have to step in and tell you a little more loudly.
3. You can do more. It’s simple. You can do more – you have to be ready for it. And when you don’t have anymore, keep going.

Final Thoughts

It’s taken some time, but I’ve made myself accountable for my performance and know the things I need to work on (see: everything). I will make the time to hike and ruck more. I will learn to move faster on trails. I will continue to get stronger. One day, I’ll dance with the dragon.

These events are opportunities to see new places, meet awesome people, and learn a lot about myself. I appreciate you for following my journeys and for your continued support and encouragement.

If you ever have questions, please reach out and ask!

Until the next. 💪 📝 🐉

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