BACKBLAST 05-26-2023 GoRuck Memorial Day Tough in Naperville with Cadre Cleve

BACKBLAST 05-26–2023 –GoRuck Memorial Day Tough in Naperville with Cadre Cleve

F3 Mission – Plant, grow and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership

“Leave no man behind, but leave no man where you found him”

Weather – 70deg F to start, 44 deg F-ish overnight

Time – 6pm to 6am

Pax – (4) The Mick, Scut Farkus, Excellent, Matador

Cadre Cleve

Welcome Party – 27Pax

After introductions, gear check and review of the agenda we went into Cadre Cleve’s classic Welcome Party – A new deck of cards. 52 cards and 2 Jokers.  Rucks on boys and girls (we had 3 BA femalesincluding Alex (?) who is a GoRuck veteran, ex-Marine, re-enlisting Marine)

• Hearts – 8 count Body Builders – think Burpee with straddle jack at the bottom (and don’t forgetthe jump at the top)

• Clubs – (what he called a Manmaker) – Squat, thrust, overhead press, lunge (ruck overhead), lunge(ruck overhead)

• Spades – Ruck swing – ruck at least chest high

• Diamonds – 4 count Flutter Kicks with ruck overhead

• Jokers – 2 laps around the field with the Flag

• Reps – whatever was on the card, Face Cards 10

We were given an hour.  Took us an hour and 20 minutes.  The first two leaders he selected gassed out after only 4 exercises (cards).  The Mick asked if we could swap them out … Yes.  So, The Mick and two other dudes, one at one time and the other a little later, helped The Mick lead the deck of cards.  Eventually, even The Mick stepped down not because he was tired.  Sadly, The Mick (probably more than the other leaders)was criticized for not watching the team and managing their capabilities … Cadre said the night is not about the best performer, or the most fit, its about working as a team.  I guess on the high reps I left manybehind.  (Sorry men) (I was watching and a bunch of them weren’t ready for the welcome party in my estimation).  He did not punish us then for going long.  He planned to punish us with Manmakers at the end(by the end of the night we owed him 92 Manmakers).

Welcome Party Part Duo – Yep Part 2 – Its Memorial Day Weekend so we had – The Murph – 24 Pax– Cleve washed out 3 that showed up thinking this was just a Ruck 

We were at a CrossFit facility – one of the Pax (Glen) works at it.  They had enough Chin-up bars for the 24 Pax!!

Our Assignment: 

• Run a Mile with the Ruck

• 100 Chin-ups/Pull-ups slick

• 200 Merkins slick

• 300 Squats slick

• Run a Mile with the Ruck

• Do it all, however, you wanted to go about it, but start and end with the run

Scut Farkus and I did the exercise together Hub Style 5, 10, 15 for 20 Sets.  The Mick finished the whole Murph clean ahead of all the Pax.  Scut Farkus came in second.  One of the women came in third.  We were a minute or two ahead of others and 15 minutes ahead of the last person.  It wasn’t a race, but …

Load-up Team

We had (best as I recall)

• 200lb Sandbag – 3 people were generally under it, so not so bad

• 2 – 120lb Sandbags

• 3 -90lb Sandbags (80’s filled to 90)

• 2 – 50lb sandbag Jerry Cans

• 1 – 30lb Sandbag Kettle Ball

• 1 – water Jerry Can (full of water) in a backpack sleeve 

• 2 – 40lb water totes with handles and a strap to pull it up on your back over your shoulder (you carried it like a sandbag, but it was much more awkward and sloshy)

• 1 – Flag

• 1 – Team Weight – 25lbs – Pair of military boots filled with sand and tied together so you could wear it over your shoulder

At least this is how I remember it all (I did not take notes, but Excellent! was there for inventory and he would know for sure)

Launch – Now about 930pm

We all got weights except Excellent! and Matador who Cadre Cleve picked during the Welcome Party to be Team Leaders.  You will have to asked them why they were picked.  I have my thoughts, but you should ask them.  They were rookies and I think Cleve new that and he wanted to teach them the leadership.  (There were other rookies, but these guys were F3.)  We headed off to a park with a pond to get wet.  After about an hour, when we got there Excellent, Glen (?) (works at the Cross-Fit Launch location and is ex-military) and the Cadre agreed it was a slim pit and not a good idea to put humans in it.  We looked for a place to rest.  Rested, then allegedly headed for the next pond, which thankfully we never found!! So, we stayed dry the whole night (there is a GoRuck god!).

About half-way through the night, we hit a park with a bathhouse that had a water spigot.  Cadre has a key for the spigot, so, we were able to refill the water.  Just what you want half-way, a full Jerry Can to lug about.   At this point Cadre also picked two new Team Leads.  Excellent! and Matador has served us well, but the new Team Leads had led in other events, and it really helped us to get back home when we were getting exhausted.  They rolled the Pax through the weighs better getting relief faster to people who needed it, keeping people fresher.  

All night when we stopped, Cadre talked about firefights and his friends.  Friends they sometimes carried out on their back – toughest thing he has ever had to do. Like a sandbag on your shoulder. Each sandbag was those men.  We put them down gently, in order, tags up – God Bless our military and our lost!!  But even more, Cleve shared how many of his BA brothers have come home and committed suicide.   He touched us all with the fact – Military suicide is too prevalent!!  We have to do more to help our men and women of service.

Many of us got to share a story about a person we were rucking for.  Was mandatory to have a bio of a fallen soldier to share.  GoRuck has a link to MemoriesofHonor.org.  Check it out (it is used by many other organizations like Iron Man, Spartan Races, and scores of others).  

I rode to the event with Scut Farkus.  I shared my person’s story.  Funny, Scut Farkus had selected the same person – SSG Sean D. Diamond, Combat Engineer.  His name is etched on the stones of red rock canyon in Nevada along with many other soldiers in a memorial there.  There is also a plaque with his name on it in a small forward base in the south area of Iraq’s Diyala Province.  He created the Joint Security Station (JSS) there, which was eventually named JSS Diamond after his humvee was blown up. We both were attracted to his bio because he was an engineer.  Funny we went there together with the same bio

Excellent! read his bio for SSG Jeffery Hartley, Army.  Matador rucked for MAJ Christopher Noglewhom he had pinned to the outside of his Ruck.  He was the only one to do that.  Kudos to Matador for actually following the full instruction from GoRuck.  You will have to look these soldiers up online or ask Excellent! and Matador about them.  In his messages, Cadre Cleve said a soldier dies twice.  Once when he dies, and then when his name is forgotten.  Remember to always ruck for someone.  Remember the fallen.  They also encourage you to reach out to the family of the soldier you remembered in honor.

In the second half of the Ruck, my hips were hurting in a way I had never had pain before.  The heavy bags were getting me.  But Scut Farkus rucked the 120.  And Matador was running around looking for a bag of any size, even the 120.  He would get the 120 get out from under it, someone would want relief and off Matador went again to carry another bag.  He rocked the second half with his constant presence under a bag.  Excellent! was always carrying something too.  He stayed under heavy weight just like Scut Farkus.  I was not completely impressed with Matador and Excellent! as Team Leads, but hey they were rookies.  As mules though they were impressive.  They could haul some weight!  And Scut Farkus, well look at him.  Enough said.  Do you think heavy bags bothered that ripped brother?  Right, no they did not.  And he brought the heavy bag home to the CrossFit center.  I was so proud of those three in the end.  They all did the work to earn the patch!  

We were about two hours from the launch location, when we stopped outside a fenced subdivision.  It was still dark.  We were along Il 59, along the culvert in front of this subdivision.   Spread out in a long line in the parkway along the culvert, not much room.  When three Naperville Squads rolled up at a distance.  They eventually approached slowly.  Cadre went back to talk (shout) to them.  They asked what we weredoing.  Cadre explained.  Once Cop said, “Oh I know who you guys are.  You were out here last year.”  He got it.  But he said, “I need to walk through and inspect the group because we (the cops) got a call that a bunch of guys were walking on 59 with AK-47’s.”  Seriously!?  The Cop inspected us and “thanked us for our service.”  Imagine that.  We owe him, but he thanked us.  It was actually very cool moment.

After this Alex, the female ex-marine, re-enlisting marine, said only 5 more lights to go to get to the gym.  Well, on Il 59 lights are about a dragstrip mile apart.  It took forever to get back to the launch point.  The lights were worse than the boulevard.  

I was glad I had a light-weight jacket.  I wore it at the rests and then took it off as we moved on.  Someone recommended that and I found it to be a great strategy.  I recognized about 5 of the Pax from the last Naperville event I did.  I would say half the Pax are GoRuck regulars.  And several had been with Cleve before, and he knew them.

We did just under 17 miles.  We got back late enough Cadre Cleve did not punish us or give us an exit party.  He just patched us.  He said he loves the F3 guys and loves to know the background on our names (he thought I was The Mick because I could dance a jig.  I told him no chance of that, period).  He askedMatador and I about ours because we had F3 shirts on.

Moleskin

Cleve was fair.  The F3 Pax showed-up strong.  We all finished (although I found God out there when I thought about quitting because my hips hurt).  I want Excellent, Scut Farkus and Matador in my team next time I do a Tough.  They were awesome to work with, real mules with sandbags.  We missed Editor, who was our inspiration (and still is), but circumstances changed for him, it happens.

Everyone needs to do a Tough. Speaking of which I hope we have a great showing for the Mogadishu Mile Tough with Cadre Bellman.  I plan to be there; hope you all are too.

The Mick