I still struggle to explain what this was and why I did it. It’s pretty singular in it’s nature and scope. It was GORUCK Challenge class 1146 and it lasted about 12.5 hours. It began on a humid summer Friday night at 9pm at the Bean and ended at the same place the following morning at 9:30am (my birthday). We traveled about 22 miles through/in/over Chicago beaches, lakes, streets, parks, and mud puddles. Cadre Mickey and Cadre Brian kicked our asses a few times over but we survived. WE!
It was exhilarating and exhausting. I came away with a lot of confidence in my fitness methodology (thanks XT), a new appreciation for urban hiking, some insights into the ethos of the OCR (obstacle course race) crowd, and great(er) respect for the American military. Oh yeah, GORUCK backpacks kick major ass. I’ll do another Challenge next summer, probably.