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GORUCK’s 2022 Event Calendar

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At long last, it appears that GORUCK has released their 2022 Event Calendar.

Jason has been warning us for a couple months that 2022 will see significantly less events. He wasn’t kidding. A quick search on the event page and I’m only seeing 3 Heavies for all of 2022 (which also comprises all the HTB’s of the year).

Another thing that stood out to me is how few DC events there are. Being 2 hours for DC, that’s my easy go-to event location and it seemed like every previous year there were tons of opportunities to catch an event up there. In 2022 there are only four challenge events.

I’m sure at some point Jason will weigh in on the logic, but I haven’t heard any reasoning up to this point (just the warnings). I do know that there were a number of events that got canceled this year because of low numbers, which really pissed people off. Perhaps the low number of offerings is to draw bigger crowds to the events.

Of course, I’ve also been hearing reminders that creating custom events is always an option. Perhaps this is the “you want an event, prove it” approach.

Whatever the case, the menu of options is pretty thin this year. As I’ve looked through the list I know that the NYC 50-Miler is a go for me and my daughter (since this year’s 50-miler up there was canceled on us). I love heavies, but the options out there aren’t looking good. I’m sure I’ll do the Redwing Tough and Basic in my hometown (glad to have a challenge back in RVA) and I’m sure I’ll probably do the RVA Star Course as well.

A few years ago I teased the idea of doing a Ruck.Beer custom event. But, a pandemic happened and put the breaks on all those plans. So, with the limited offerings this year, I’m back thinking about it again. Maybe it is time that Richmond got its first Heavy.

So, what do you think about the 2022 schedule? Sound off in the comments below and let us know.

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13 Replies to GORUCK’s 2022 Event Calendar

  1. I was mentally getting ready to earn my firat bolts. HTB at it’s current location for 2022 is not an option. So it looks like a double tough for me. Minor disappointment but ready for the opportunities i do have in front of me.

  2. Lowering the number of events to increase attendance at the remaining events was also last year’s plan, and it didn’t work, did it?

    The other big marketing plan last year was annoucing that events should be more painful. I can’t imagine why that brilliant marketing approach isn’t helping.

    1. Feel like they laid off the “seek pain” marketing as the year went on. But, yeah, the events I did felt tougher. 120# sandbags are the new 80#’s.

  3. I enjoyed the challenge of the old Lights, they were just enough for me and I thought of them as my gateway drug towards a Tough (which I never did due to lack of confidence). The new Basics got harder and fewer, and then cancelled, so I’m thinking this is a good time to bow out. Thanks, Jason, for pushing me off the fence.

    2. Have you done a Basic? I have not done a light (it got cancelled in March 2020) so I don’t have a comparator. But I have done 4 Basics in 2021 and I thought they were all a good challenge but not exceptionally hard. I mean my longest only lasted 5+/- hours and racked up about 7 maybe 8mi.

  4. This “prove to me you love me” strategy is the most dysfunctional s–t I have ever seen. It’s literally the kind of thing an abusive partner does. I think the answer is not “have fewer of them with more people,” but rather “have more of them with perhaps fewer people.” You want to democratize this sport? The answer isn’t to make it exclusive and hard to access. You want to make this elitist and inaccessible? Then by all means have three Heavies nationwide in all of 2022.

    If they did a Basic or 5k Star Course in Providence, I could probably get half a dozen people to come with me. But a trip to Boston or New York is a much harder ask. You have to meet people where they are, especially if they’re reevaluating what’s important in life in the wake of this pandemic. Which isn’t even really past us.

    And don’t even get me started on what a soup sandwich goruckevents.com continues to be. Holy Mother of Crap it is really, really terrible.

    Also, FWIW I would drive down for a custom Ruck.Beer event if I was given enough notice to be able to reconcile work, family, and fitness level.

  5. Ryan,

    I was looking to get bolts this year too (echoing a previous comment). If you set up a Richmond Heavy, why not make it an HTB? I bet a lot of people would be down for that–I sure would!

    Pete

    1. I’ve thought about it. Big issue is cost. Second issue is administration. When running a custom, you’re on the hook for the cost and you manage the money (people pay you, not GORUCK). Just a lot to juggle for an HTB.

      1. I hear that. I have to admit, it isn’t something I’d want to have to juggle. I know George Yanez in DC had a triple Light custom he organized, had two cadre for it, only reason it didn’t fly is covid canceled it. There is a triple Basic (Harry Potter themed) being organized by Derek Hill, two cadre for that as well, so he might be another with ideas. Just know that if you do go for it, you’ve got one participant!

        Pete

  6. I feel like I am kinda lucky to live where I do, although we lost 3 events (Knoxville, Cookeville, Nashville) we gained Chattanooga. I guess from my previous sports I am use to having to travel up to 250mi sometimes more so that aspect is not as annoying as it would be if I lived in some underserved (IMO) regions (i.e., Maine, Michigan, Colorado). I usually plan to do 1 event per quarter and with the new schedule, it will mean less challenge events but more tactical events and being in NC or SC more than before. I dislike the “do it with your ruck club” or “create a custom” model. I live in a moderately sized city and our ruck club is DOA.

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