GrowRuck 29 Pacific Northwest

GrowRuck 29 Pacific Northwest logo

Location:

Seattle, WA

Date:

06/10/2022

Pre-Blast

GTE29 – The Epicenter – Pre-Blast

GrowRuck 29: June 10 – 12, 2022

The Puget Sound region has been a proud anchor of F3 expansion out to the west coast beginning in 2016. Local PAX numbers have skyrocketed, as have new AOs throughout the Pacific Northwest as well as Utah, Idaho and California. GrowRuck29 will be the first event bringing HIMs from this entire region together.

The Seattle area has a rich history of introducing paradigm-shifting ideas and industries to the world. Industries which have been shaken up here by the likes of Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon and Starbucks, as well as bands like Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana. The list goes on and on.

Major changes all must start from one central point. Or to put it a better way…Change begins at The Epicenter.

June 10th, 11th and 12th will offer those HIMs brave enough to attend the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and shake up their lives. We will rally, we will converge, we will learn valuable leadership skills, and we will ruck. Do not enter such an event lightly. Begin your training now. SYITG

Who’s the GrowRuck 29 Event Q?

Logistically the Q is Hollywood ([email protected]) from F3 Puget Sound. Reach out to him to coordinate down range travel, etc. As we get closer to the actual event, we’ll be announcing who the Cadres will be, and where all the fun (and pain) will be taking place.

Schedule

Friday, June 10, 1800: The Rally (2nd F Event)

Black Raven Brewing, Woodinville

15902 Redmond-Woodinville Rd NE, Woodinville WA 98072

Saturday, June 11, 0700: Kingbuilder Workout

Woodinville High School

19819 136th Ave NE, Woodinville, WA 98072

Saturday, June 11, 0900: F3 Grow School

Woodinville Alliance Church

13940 NE 166th St, Woodinville, WA 98072

Saturady, June 11, 1800: Ruck Event

Redmond City Hall (*UPDATE*)

15670 NE 85th St, Redmond, WA 98052

There is a parking lot directly between City Hall and Redmond Library which has overnight spots available. Also, all Redmond City streets allow for overnight parking.

Ruck Event Conclusion on Sunday Morning, time TBD.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Where shall I book a hotel room if I’m coming in from down range?

The short answer is TBD. We will be locking in the locations for the Rally, Kingbuilder workout and the Ruck, and then determine a central location for all out of towners.

 

Which Airport should I fly into?

SeaTac is the main airport for the Seattle region. However, there will be plenty of HIMs piling into clown cars. What better way to get psyched up for the weekend ahead of time, and regale each other with personal war stories after the fact than bookending the weekend with a road trip?

Further details regarding locations, accommodations, etc. will be released at a later date.

Do I need to use my 2.0’s college fund to finance this experience?

No.  The cost of GrowRuck should not ever be the deciding factor for any PAX to not attend. F3 Puget Sound has several fundraising efforts underway to support our brothers in need to help them attend this event.

The cost to participate in the full weekend is around $175. This includes GrowSchool Leadership Training, covers the costs related to the ruck event, a T-Shirt, and sweet patches. Make your HC (hard commit) official by registering now. If finances are preventing you from marking down an HC, reach out to the GrowRuck 29 team (Hollywood – [email protected]) to see how we can help.

Are Bootcamp workouts enough for Training?

They’re a good start, but more will be necessary.  As we get closer to June, you will see more and more GrowRuck training OTBs pop up. These may be pre-rucks or post-rucks surrounding a regularly scheduled AO workout. It may be in parallel with an AO. There will also be longer (multi-hour) training rucks, most likely on weekends that will involve higher mileage, PT, and other “fun” things.

Should I just show up with my toothbrush or will I need other equipment?

Keep the mantra in mind for some of the items on this list… “Two is one, and one is none.” Listed below are some of the equipment you will need and will not need:

 

GROW RUCK PNW PACKING LIST

Required Equipment

Rucksack (20L minimum suggested volume)

30lb weight (20lb weight if PAX weighs under 150lbs)

*6L* of water (combined total between hydration bladders and bottles); should be fresh water without any drink mixes or additives.

Headlamp w/red light capabilities & 1 full extra set of batteries

Reflective bands attached to Rucksack

Carabiner suitable for climbing

Photo identification

$20 in cash

Work gloves

Optional Equipment

Electrolyte mix or tablets

Windbreaker/poncho/rain layer – It’s Seattle, expect rain.

Hat (Beanie)

Dry bag/Ziploc/trash bag – highly recommended

Food/snacks – highly recommended

First Aid/Blister kit

Extra socks/shirt

Toilet Paper/Hand Sanitizer/Baby Wipes

Duct Tape

Prohibited Items (General rule: aside from your headlamp, if it requires batteries or charges, it is not allowed.)

Phone

Watch

Garmin or other satellite enabled devices

Other electronic devices

This seems redundant based on list above. Also, this IS NOT a GoRuck event.

Important Links

Registration

Book Hotel – AO of the event is still TBD, however begin looking for lodging in the Issaquah, WA or North Bend, WA area.

Inspiration and Training

PATHFINDER Ruck Training

https://pathfinderrucktraining.com/

Heavy Drop Training (15% off with this code: BG-HDT-5342)

https://www.clevelandarearuckingcrew.com/heavy-drop-training

 

GORUCK Challenge

https://www.goruckevents.com/goruck-challenge

All Day Ruckoff (accessory gear and reviews)

Front Page

F3 Nation

F3 Nation Rucking on Facebook (closed group) & @F3NationRuck on Twitter are two key sources of information.

Next Steps

Join the Slack Channel #gte_29_PNW on the F3Nation Slack channel.

https://f3pugetsound.slack.com/archives/C02GU2Q2PV5

Follow #F3growruck on Twitter, so we can communicate with everyone.

Find a ruck with a weighted plate, or if you don’t have that put some bricks in it, and ruck on.

After-Action Report (AAR)

GTE 29 – The Epicenter – One man’s humble observations:
Roughly 48 hours later now, and I’m still processing the weekend.
The mumble chatter has been going nonstop on Slack and text messages, and it’s time that we “men in the arena” invite others in to hear the details. There is no way that I alone can give the detailed experience of the other men who completed this ordeal, nor the members of the support team, and definitely not the experience of the three cadre. So I’ll give a somewhat specific point-by-point route explanation, and then a brief example of things which I saw.
For other details…I’m sure the participants will be regaling the rest of the PAX during workouts, during COT, and during Coffeteria.
The GTE 29 route:
  • Redmond City Hall – Start – We created a formation on our own, and waited for the cadre to arrive.
  • Admin move to Marymoor Park, field D. – Formex, PT test, Welcome party (probably covered close to 4 miles including the 2-mile run). The entire group was divided into two different platoons – Blue & Red. Formex was learning to move as a team. PT Test – 2 minutes to complete 50-HR Merkins, 2 minutes to complete 50 Butterfly sit-ups, 18 minutes to run 2 miles. Welcome party – in the water, out of the water, sugar cookies, in formation, out of formation, switching Rucks with someone next to you…and on and on and on. The sun went down whilst we were still in the park.
  • Slick movement via Redmond connector trail to Overlake Christian Church. “Slick movement” usually means Rucks only, however we were also introduced to a variety of sandbags (60, 80, 120 lbs), 8-gallon water blivits, and water “jerry-cans”.
  • Heavy movement from church up Willows road (through Willows Golf course) to NE 145th. – Following our first break of the evening, we were introduced to the logs. Four of them – two somewhat manageable; and two freaking monsters. Each platoon moved one small and one monster, as well as all the other coupons introduced earlier.
  • Heavy movement continues back to Sammamish River Trail, north to Tolt Pipeline Trail at intersection of 148th Ave NE. The Cadre let us drop of the Jerry Cans and a few of the Sandbags.
  • Brick competition up Heart Attack Hill. That hill is steep. This competition was too crazy for words. And the finish…the finish! One team won, one team lost. But the redemption was something of legend. Ask someone who witnessed it to tell you the tale. The sun came up, the birds started chirping. We got our second (or third, or fourth wind.)
  • Slick movement from Tolt Pipeline trail, back to Sammamish River Trail, to 60 Acres Park.
  • Sunrise service and Team Murph. Too moving for words. I’d say that you should ask someone who witnessed this, but if you weren’t there, they probably won’t tell you.
  • Final slick movement from 60 Acres to Redmond City Hall with casualties. – We got rid of the logs, and the sandbags. It was raining now, but we knew that we were heading for home. It was only when the cadre started calling out casualties that the reality set in…we were not done yet. Each casualty (three per platoon I think) had to be carried the rest of the way. This was a dark time for many of us.
  • Then we arrived where we started. Simple as that. Patch ceremony, final words, hugs, beers, breakfast.
21 – 22 miles approximately. 14 hours start to finish.
What did I see and experience? I saw men who hadn’t known each other ever before band together and accomplish something stellar. I saw men literally collapse, with nothing else left to give, and have the man next to them raise them up and help them indeed find more. I saw a man who had broken physically, step up and save the day – for the other platoon! – in a way that none of the other – stronger – men were able to. I saw men get more vulnerable than, perhaps, they ever had been in their entire adult lives.
I could go on and on, but I don’t think I’d be doing it justice. Find one of the PAX who participated, get comfortable and let him talk about it for a minute or an hour.
SYITG

Photos