GORUCK Chicago 50 Mile Star Course AAR
by Joe Englin aka F3 Kraut

It’s the same distance as walking to space: A GORUCK 50 Mile Star Course AAR
-Joe Englin (F3 Kraut)

“The U.S. Air Force definition of an astronaut is a person who has flown higher than 50 miles (80 km) above mean sea level, approximately the line between the mesosphere and the thermosphere.” – Wikipedia.

Fifty miles is a long way.

If you have flown higher than 50 miles, the USAF considers you an astronaut. if your significant other asked you to go to a restaurant that was 50 miles away, you would say “No.” Ask a GRT if they want to walk 50 miles, and the answer is probably “That’s a terrible idea. When do we start?”

 Again, 50 miles is a long way.

My interest in doing stupid stuff started in 2017 when three of my coworkers wanted to do a Spartan Sprint and I agreed to go.  It was roughly 24 obstacles and 5 miles. I was out of shape and I barely trained, but I survived (by way of doing 180 burpees and basically walking the whole thing). That night I expected to sleep really well because I had worked so hard, instead I just laid in bed in so much pain that I couldn’t sleep. Despite the misery of the event, the pain afterwards, and the week it took me to recover, we all wanted to do it again but harder and with better training.

When you get into the OCR/GORUCK/Ultra running, the image above is the most accurate thing I have seen. If you do not fail, you sign up for the next harder thing.  You plan, you train, you execute, you succeed or you fail. Rinse and repeat. After my Spartan Sprint in 2017 I did a Trifecta in 2018 and an Ultra in 2019. As a way to train for the distance of the Ultra (30+ miles) I decided to get into rucking.

I vividly remember my first 12 mile ruck challenge with F3 Grand Rapids.  We did a 1 hour ruck workout and then we rucked 12 miles with a mix of sandbags, partner carries, and log carries. Everyone wanted to quit because it sucked so much, but by the next morning the thought had already crept in “What’s next?”

So in 2019 I completed a GORUCK Light and a few weeks later a Tough. Both were hard, both times I wanted to quit. By the end of 2020 I had added a T/L/S weekend in Detroit and completed a 50 Mile Heavy in Chicago with Cadre(s) Cleve and Steve.

Time to rinse and repeat.

I had my eyes set on getting those HT[L] bolts, so I convinced my ever gracious wife to let me sign up for the 2021 9/11 HTB in Chicago. My wife and my friends know that if I sign up for something, I will create a detailed training plan that I believe leads to a high likelihood of success - and I will execute on that plan. As a milestone for my training, I thought it would be a good plan to attempt the 50 Mile Star Course in Chicago.  I say attempt, but what I really mean is complete. “Do, or do not. There is no try.”

So, what does training for a 50 Mile Star Course look like?

First of all, I was in good rucking shape before I even started training for the 50. I cannot speak highly enough of groups like F3, Pathfinder Ruck Training, and Heavy Drop Training (HDT).  I typically work out three days a week with F3 Grand Rapids, and I add on Pathfinder and HDT when I am working up to events.  Before I even started training for the 50 I had completed one round of Pathfinder Forward, two rounds of Endure, one round of Advanced, and three rounds of HDT. The teams that run both programs give you goals, milestone, and community to keep you on THE PATH.  So, for the 50 Mile Star Course I knew right where to start: Pathfinder Horizon.

The PFH program is great. It includes workouts, prescribed rucking miles, and challenges that mirror what you will encounter during a 50 Mile Star Course.  Tack on a Goggins 4x4x48 in the middle and you are ready to go. Leading up to the event I had: rucked 175+ miles in the last three months, completed 30+ workouts, and completed a 20 mile ruck challenge. Even with all of that behind me, I still had butterflies in my stomach before the event.  That never goes away.

So, what do I pack for a 50 Mile Star Course?

We had preplanned our gear, and MAD COW had arranged a resupply with one of his friends who lived in Chicago (shoutout to @lindsey_with_an_e_). The rest of my loadout is given below.

Clothing:

• Salomon XA Pro Shoes – I love Salomon shoes. I use the XA Pros for rucking and I use Speedcross 5 for winter running and Spartan races.

• GORUCK Challenge Pants – I debated buying these for a long time because of the price point, but I love them and now own two pairs that I beat the crap out of. They are great pants, lightweight but wind resistant, flexible, quick drying, and tough

• GORUCK Challenge Wind Breaker – Basically the same story as the pants, this coat is great for working out in the winter and worked perfectly for this event

• MudGear Compression Socks – I have used these for years for events as they would great for me. I rarely get blisters and they dry fast.

• Generic base layer

• Sweat wicking shirt

• Mid-weight fleece for warmth

• GORUCK Tac-Hat – Rule #1

• Mechanics Work Gloves

Ruck Load Out:

• Rucker 2.0

• 20lbs Ruck Plate

• 3L Slim Source Hydration Bladder (these are nice)

• Nalgene wrapped with duct tape for blisters

• Wind Breaker/rain coat

• Head Lamp

• Gloves and Hat

• Dry Bag

• Phone Charger and cables

• Required items (quitter cash, masks, sanitizer)

• Bars, Uncrustables (THIN SPREAD 4 LIFE), Stingers, and electrolytes

• Body Lube – I use Aquaphor on anything that I know starts to rub. If you do a 20 miler in training, you will already know where it needs to go. 

Resupply Load Out:

• Complete change of clothes

• Bite Valve

• Nalgene (full)

• Food

• Med Kit

Basically everything I might need (shown below). In the end, the only thing I actually used was the food bag. LOL

So, what is doing a 50 Mile Star Course Like?

Honestly? That SUCKED. I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: 50 miles is a long way.

Fortuitously, the weather was [mostly] on our side for the event.  It was windy, but it the temperature was comfortable, and it didn’t rain. Our team consisted of F3GR MAD COW, F3GR Soft Spot, and myself. It is important before the start of the event to assign responsibilities as well as a chain of command.  Have a plan in advance and then have contingency plans.  I took on the role of Team Lead, Soft Spot was Comms, and MAD COW was on Supply. If someone dropped, I would pick up the slack.

Our team used Road Warrior to plan the route.  I had downloaded the paid version a few weeks before and familiarized myself with the app.  It is really important to be familiar with your app before showing up to the event. 

Our route was as follows:

1. Start: First Steps Fitness

2. National Cambodian Heritage Museum

3. The Rock at Northwestern University

4. Lakefront Trail Start

5. Wrigley Field

6. Chicago History Museum

7. Old Chicago Water Tower

8. Navy Pier

9. Adler Planetarium

10. Statue of the Republic

11. Fountain of Time

12. Union Stockyard Gates

13. End: First Step Fitness

More than anything else, what makes the 50 Miler hard is the distance between waypoints. We had 13 way points so the average distance between stops was 4 miles with a lot of them being 6 miles or more. At first it’s not so bad – you think to yourself “it’s only six miles” – but as the night drags on its feels like forever. 

We made the first two waypoints by 0100 and we were feeling pretty good.  We took a short break and then got back to it. By 0240 when we made the third point, one of our team members had developed some foot pain. We decided to take a 20 minute rest and then get back to it. 

Our pace started to drop considerably for the next 5 miles as the foot issues got worse. We knew we needed to average a 24 minute mile to make the time hack, and we were at 23 without breaks. It was dark, it was cold, and we were tired.  If you have ever done an overnight GORUCK event, you know that the middle of the night is the hardest part; spirits are down and the end isn’t in sight. We had a team huddle and our injured team member made the tough call that he needed to drop.  It was not fun, but it was the right call.

Two of us updated GORUCK and the Cadre with the drop and pushed on, our pace picked up to 16:30, the birds were starting to chirp, and the sun was coming up. By 0530 we had hit three more way points and we met up with our resupply for food and water. After that we hit Navy Pier and the Adler Planetarium and we were feeling great.

And then there was the long walk… 7.5 miles straight down the lake shore. Nothing to see, nothing to do, just us in our own heads, this was one of the worst parts of the event. We walked south for two hours until we reached the Statue of the Republic and took a 15 minute break.

As we stepped off to our next waypoint spirits were high as it was only two miles away. We found the Fountain of Time and then started to move towards our last waypoint – the Union Stockyard Gates. It was 4 miles, until we had 6 miles, then we were done. Along the way we passed over the freeway and got a view of Chicago that crushed us. The End Point was slightly north of the “Sears” Tower, and you can see what we saw below.  It felt infinitely far away. As we turned and headed north it felt like it never got closer. Spirits were at an all time low.

When we reached the Union Stockyard gate we took a 10 minute break and planned our last 6 miles. It was literally straight north for six miles… It’s only six miles… but we knew we couldn’t do it straight. We planned to do 3 miles, take a 5 minute break, and then do the last three miles.

One of the things you don’t think about when planning for a 50 Mile Star Course is how awkward it can be.  You go to the bathroom when you need to, wherever you can. Awkward. You take a break when you need to, and you look like homeless people on the side of the street. Awkward.

As MAD COW and I pushed north we were joined by his friend who had arranged our supply drop. She walked with us for the last two miles and I have to say it was great. To get to listen to anything other then that miserable thoughts in my head was incredible. We made the last turn on Goose Island and arrived at the Finish in fourth place, a Bud Heavy never tasted so good.

So, what are my parting thoughts on the GORUCK 50 Mile Star Course?

1. Train. Train. Train. Check out Pathfinder Ruck Training.

2. Have a plan, and don’t try anything new (clothes, food, whatever).

3. It’s going to suck, just be ready for that.

4. Make sure you can take off your gear without stopping to put your ruck down (I’m looking at you MAD COW). This one is more of a joke, but if don’t have to stop…you are already doing great.