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Its been nearly a year and a half since I have written a Run and Gun review. During that time, I have only participated in two other events: November 20’ Zombie Team Match RnG in Missouri and the inaugural Gun Run Alabama, last October. COVID-19 kept me out of the 9/11 Legion Memorial match last September which is the only other one I had planned.

The Gun Run Alabama match actually handed me my first ever shooting stage DNF in a solo Run and Gun Competition. I was long overdue for that and am a little glad to have that monkey off my back. I had one target left on a strong hand/weak hand stage and despite attempting accuracy through volume, it just didn’t work.

For the most part I have spent the last 18 months concentrating on other aspects of life, work and hobbies and shooting has been put on the back burner. However, I began to miss competition and did not want to get out of shape for the 22’ Run and Gun season. Heartbreak RnG in KY is known to be one of the harder RnGs in the country and I thought signing up for it would ensure I would stay in shape throughout the winter season. I also really wanted to run an event in the cold, since 55 degrees has been about as cold as I have seen during my event launch times. I thought the weather would add some unique aspects to the event and would require me to think about preparation differently.

As for my gear, things are pretty dialed in at this point but I did make a change in the middle of last year to my rifle setup. I started experimenting with super-short length of pulls on my carbines and found it to work very well for me. Running a rifle with an optic like that requires an ultra-forward cantilever mount to get your eye relief right and thankfully there are a couple of companies out there producing those types of mounts, albeit for different purposes. Pushing the scope out and the stock forward changed much more than I expected. The advantages are actually quite significant:

More stability from every position, except one. Stability greatly increased when shooting off close support, shooting from prone, kneeling and standing due to your arm(s)/base being closer to the body. When you are tired and shaky, this makes a big difference. The only position that I found more difficult is over the shoulder when going horizontal, such as on a VTAC. You have to drive your shoulder forward a bit more than usual to keep the gun up. This single position disadvantage is not nearly enough to outweigh the advantages in all other positions, in my opinion.
Control over the gun during target transitions increased due to your ability to run your support hand closer to the muzzle.
You can access your charging handle much easier with an LPVO as it gets it out of the way.
You never have to move your stock from collapsed to extended. This saves time when working from various positions and structure

I will reveal my reasons for going to such great lengths to provide additional stability later on in this post, but regardless, the shorter LOP will improve stability for everyone.

My pistol/belt/clothing setup remained roughly the same, however, due to the cold I ran a very thin merino wool base layer (that I cut the sleeves out of) underneath a Patagonia R1 Air 1/4 Zip. The wool core layer kept me warm when wet and the R1 Air breathes like crazy while keeping you cozy. The combo proved to be perfect for my 31 degree launch time which also turned out to be very wet. I also upgraded my wonderful Garmin Instinct watch to the Instinct 2 this year, which adds data such as VO2 max and Pulse Ox. Additional monitoring of other data and much improved solar charging made the upgrade well worth it.

My shooting preparation for the event was almost non-existent. I had not “practiced” since my match in October of last year so I went out the week prior to get in some rounds on the pistol. For whatever reason, I shot probably the best I had ever shot, so I ended the practice session early while confidence was high. I did one more small session a couple of days before the event, mostly for function check and called it good. I really wanted to use this event just to get back into the swing of things. I did not want to apply too much pressure to myself. Having fun was my number one priority…and just merely surviving the tough 8 miles that I knew was ahead of me.

I rode to the event with my good buddy Travis who was also participating and we decided to get up there early on Friday to check out the venue. As we arrived an RO was just coming in from his run and we noted that his run time was around 4 hours and 45 minutes. “Woah.” It was then I knew this event was going to be very different from all that I had run in the past. As nonchalant as I had been about the event leading up to that moment, hearing that really got me pumped. I was ready to tackle this thing, while at the same time I had a bit of anxiousness about my level of preparedness.

The next morning I decided to forego my usual pre-morning run. The distance on this event was going to be a bit longer than usual and my goal was to really slow down and watch my pace in order to maintain better awareness and to arrive at the shooting stages more refreshed. Considering this, I decided a pre-morning run was not needed as I expected the first mile or so to be at “warm-up” pace anyway. My plan for the run was not to go faster than “tempo” and I set my watch up to ensure I stayed somewhere below heart rate zone 4.5. At or below this zone I still maintain a fair amount of awareness and I am not so exhausted that I can’t shoot well on the stages. My goal for this event was not to blaze a trail and be exhausted at stages…I had no idea what I was in for, so running well within myself was part of my strategy.

As we arrived at registration we noticed some of those already registered had a small piece of yellow string with 11 knots tied in it. When inquiring about the knots, I was told it was for those running the “Plus” division. The plus division included having to complete the obstacle course, twice, situated halfway along the run, as well as 11 special cross-fit style challenges that must be completed along the way. In addition, in all divisions there were 9 cache items located in buckets along the route. There was a 10 minute run-time penalty incurred for each cache item not found and a 10 minute run-time penalty for any “Plus” challenge not completed. There were four divisions for this event:

Lite (64 competitors): Run and Gun and O-course

Lite Plus (14 competitors): Run and Gun plus Crossfit Style Challenges and 2x O-Course

Heartbreak (4 competitors): Run and Gun with 30lbs extra pack weight and O-course

Heartbreak Plus (8 competitors): Run and Gun with 30lbs extra pack weight plus Crossfit style Challenges and 2x O-Course

I had signed up for the Lite division, but standing there, I was already envious of those with the 11 yellow knots from the Lite Plus and Heartbreak Plus Divisions. I asked if I could change divisions and join the “Lite Plus” crowd. I was allowed to do so and though I never gave one ounce of peer pressure to Travis to follow me, he insisted I forced his hand. Shortly after he changed divisions to join me. He insisted there was no way he was going to ride 5 hours back home listening to me talk about all the stuff I had to do that he didn’t. I certainly can’t say I would be any different if the roles were reversed. Just like that, what was going to be an already tough 8 mile Run and Gun, just turned much more difficult.

Just after the safety briefing, Travis asked the match director if we were using Time Plus scoring or DNF style scoring for the event. We were told “Time Plus.” The majority of Run and Gun events that I have run have been DNF scoring and I much prefer that. The first Time Plus event I had run was the Legion Memorial 9/11 event and I did not realize it was scored that way until after the match (my fault). Which style you prefer, likely depends on your strength and weaknesses as a shooter. Since I definitely lean more on the side of accuracy versus speed, DNF style scoring where a “Did Not Finish” penalty is incurred tends to favor the way I approach these events. Unlike in a DNF event, where leaving a target un-neutralized will leave you with a big fat score of “0” for the stage, Time Plus will leave you with a time equal to the par time of the stage plus a time penalty for every target left standing.

Time Plus is a more forgiving scoring system and failing a stage is not near as damaging to your overall shooting score like DNF scoring is. I have to rethink my approach to stages when shooting Time Plus. One prime example is a long-range stage. If there are targets at 300-400-500 and 600 yards and I am shooting that stage under DNF scoring and the stage plan allows it, I will start at 600 yards. The bottom line is, I have to engage all targets in order to pass the stage. Hitting all targets but one still results in a DNF and therefor a score of “0.” I want to go after the hard targets first, so that as time is ticking down and the pressure is on to complete the stage, I am shooting the closer and easier targets last. In Time Plus, I would engage this stage completely the opposite because any target left standing if I don’t finish will be a time penalty.

I absolutely understand the appeal of Time Plus. I think often in DNF style of scoring, competitors get let down after a DNF stage as it likely puts you completely out of the running for a top shooting score. I think Time Plus is a more forgiving system that allows the event to possibly be more enjoyable and also to be shot faster (which is what most shooting competitions have come to be). However, personally, I still prefer DNF as I feel like the “SHTF” scenario these events were created to reproduce more closely align with DNF. Leaving a target un-neutralized in a real-life scenario could easily prove to be a deadly mistake. I feel like there should be a heavy penalty for an un-neutralized target and engaging all targets should be of the utmost priority. Regardless, Run and Guns would be fun with or without any scoring involved and I am glad they continue to be more “outlaw” style with each match director being able to put his own fingerprint on the event.

Because of the separation in divisions and because Stage 1 was set up to accommodate two shooters at once, we were launched off 4 people at a time. For some reason, the other pair didn’t show up to run with us, so Travis and I were set to launch together. 5 minutes prior to your launch time, those in the “Plus” division had to complete their first challenge. Though this is an individual event, the first challenge was allowed to be done as a team so Travis and I chose to start the event off by completing the tire flip challenge as a team.

Pre-Run Challenge: 15 tire flips each in 5 minutes

Doing this as a team meant we had to flip the tire 30 times total in 5 minutes and Travis and I stood opposite each other and flipped the tire back and forth. While we completed the challenge with plenty of time remaining, as I type this likely the more efficient way would be for us to stand on the same side and flip the tire together. In hindsight, we definitely used more energy than was needed tackling each flip on our own. Things get foggy when you are on a timer and non-shooting tasks are no exception to this. At 10:30 sharp we were given the “Go” signal and we launched off into our run.

Stage #1: Strong Hand/Weak Hand (9th place)

If there is a weakness I have in shooting, it is definitely one-handed pistol shooting. I have failed to mention this in previous posts as there are no excuses for performance, but the more I thought about it, the more I realize my experimentation with short length of pulls and unorthodox one-handed pistol shooting may help someone else who suffers from the same issues. With that being said I am going to take a quick detour for a moment. I will italicize this next section for those that want to skip it and get right back to the event itself. However, if you do suffer from any tremor or unsteadiness at all in your shooting, you will likely want to give it a read as I have spent a lot of time learning how to mitigate its effects:

I was diagnosed with essential tremor a few years ago when I had a tremor in my thumb that would not go away. After seeing multiple doctors and finally a neurologist, it was deemed I had early onset of the “disease”. There is no loss of life expectancy but the disease can be extremely debilitating for some people and affects 20% of all adults who reach the age of 65 or more. If you see an older person with a head shake or hands that can’t hold a cup of coffee, it is likely essential tremor. Many have it, and don’t even know the name of it, they just figure as you get older you begin to shake. It is a hereditary disease that can affect all limbs of the body and the affects of it worsen year over year. Strangely, the less limbs that are affected the faster the growth. The later the onset, the faster the growth.

I am fortunate to have both early onset of the disease and the affects in all limbs, head and torso. This means my condition, at least at this time is very mild and the rate of progression should be slow. No one ever knows or notices it, and the complete relaxation of the muscles makes it go away completely. It is the exact opposite of how Parkinson’s works. The downside is that since the tremor begins once muscles are engaged, its not good for shooting. To make matters worse, the tremors worsen during high physical exertion and my favorite events are Run and Guns, ha!

Moving to a shorter length of pull on my rifle, as well as moving my scopes closer to the bore for a solid cheek weld (to reduce neck muscle involvement) has helped tremendously and is something that will work to steady anyone, whether you have a tremor or not. One handed pistol shooting is a bit more tricky and the best method I have found is a fully extended arm with a locked elbow, a sideways stance and lean toward the target with my face touching my shoulder. The face against the shoulder provides one extra point of contact. The last thing I want to mention that is invaluable, is a good trigger. I don’t skimp on triggers, they are the best of the best and it is simply because I need it to go off exactly when I want it to with as little disruption as possible.

One counterintuitive thought is that the cleaner the break the better, but triggers that have absolutely zero creep can be harder to time the shot when you are unsteady. I prefer the tiniest bit of movement just before the break. Often times at distance, after running, I am hitting the targets when the reticle is passing over the target and this is tough to do if you don’t know exactly when the shot will break. I also prefer a two stage trigger on my rifles as this helps me find exactly where I am in the pull as single stage can lead to more surprise shots in these scenarios.

As for handguns, its much easier to steady a pistol that has a lighter, but longer “rolling break” pull than it is one that has a short break with a firm wall. Once you begin to apply pressure against the wall, the tremor or shake will begin to reveal itself, but you can squeeze through a long travel, light rolling break with much less disruption. With a rifle it is much easier to relax as much of the muscles as possible, especially when there is some type of support, but pistol is a bit more tricky. Two-handed shooting, while not 100% normal when suffering from a tremor, is significantly easier than one-handed shooting mainly due the cancellation of opposing tremors but using the above techniques will absolutely help.

Finally as briefly mentioned above, I practice nasal breathing while running. Unless I am doing intervals or repeats of some sort, I always run only breathing through my nose, both ways. I have found this significantly reduces my heart rate and you will be shocked how quickly you will be able to increase your pace while only breathing through your nose. It has other wonderful health benefits as well, but its ability to keep you calm and make every run seem incredibly easy is the reason I practice this method.

At the end of the day, all you can do is the best that you can do with what you are given and Run and Guns are always much more about the challenge against yourself than it is the challenge against others. Now, let’s get back to the event:

The first stage consisted of an array of 10 targets and a cinder block. This was for pistol only and you were to engage targets while always keeping the block off of the ground. You were required to hold the cinder block in one hand while engaging 5 targets with your strong hand. After engaging the targets you were to use both hands to re-engage the targets and then finally, hold the block in your strong hand while using only your weak hand to engage the other 5 targets.

When I saw my placement on this stage which happened to be my worst stage for the event, I didn’t feel like I shot that poorly. For a weak/strong hand pistol stage, which is my kryptonite, I actually thought I shot it fairly quickly. Apparently I was wrong. Perhaps I took too much time in the block transitions or just shot more poorly than I thought. Par time was 60 seconds for the stage and my time was 49:38.

Stage 1 Challenge: Cinder Block Overhead Presses, 20 reps in 30 seconds

Easy day.

Stage 2 (3rd place)

Stage 2 was the “long-range” stage of the event. While this was a shorter yardage stage than most long-range stages, it proved to be quite difficult. Most of it had to do with the size and visibility of the targets. I don’t know the size of the 300 yard targets but the unpainted steel was difficult to find at 300. Additionally, we were shooting off of a simulated rooftop that was hard to get steady on, as well as a tank trap. You had to engage all targets at all distances from the rooftop and the move to the tank trap.

The 100 and 200 yard targets went quickly, but when moving to the 300 yard targets I was not getting hits. I felt confident in my holdover, but still had misses and 300 yards should be an easy day. In reviewing my data the night before I knew that my 300 yard zero was UP .7 mils. I eventually decided to just dial the elevation and sure enough I started making hits. Moving off of the rooftop and to the tank trap, I dialed back down to make the hits at 100 and 200 and then again got stubborn and tried holding over for speed. After a couple of misses, I reached up, dialed .7 mils again on the elevation turret and made the hits. There was a 120 second par time for the stage and I finished in 113.98. You would think that time would have resulted in a horrible placement, but only 3 competitors in the Light Plus division completed stage 2.

Since moving from the Kahles K16i (1-6) to the K18i (1-8) I have had issues forgetting to go to max magnification on the K18i in competition. This was the second time this happened and why I believe looking back, I was missing on my holdovers. This is the downside of a Second Focal Plane scope. When using the K16i, it was basically binary for me, 1 or 6 power and almost never in between. However with the k18i, I often want to be backed down to around 5 or 6 power for a wider field-of-view and my holds are incorrect there. The first time this happened, I dismissed it as just something I needed to remember to do (going to max magnification). Now that it has happened twice, I am questioning the viability of a SFP optic for these types of competition or any type of dynamic scenario under stress. I have just begun testing of the Vudu 1-10 FFP optic from EOTECH and I am really liking what I see so far. A change may be headed my way in the future for these events.

Vudu 1-10 FFP + EFLX will likely be my combo starting in May

Stage 2 Challenge: 60 second Dead Hang

After finishing up on the long range stage you were immediately put into a 60 second dead hang with all of your gear. The only thing I should have done here was maybe wear gloves, because the dead hang was from a 2x6 or something similar. The structure had sharp edges that dug in quite deep. When they told me I had to hang for 60 seconds, I chuckled, pull-ups and rope climbs and grip strength is typically a strong suit for me, but I will be honest, completing it was not as easy as I thought. Either way, I held out for the full minute, only to be faced with a new decision….

Stage 2 Challenge #2: Log carried to stage 3

After completing the Dead Hang I was pointed in the direction of a big log pile. I was told simply “Choose a log.” I almost asked, “What am I doing with it?”, but I just knew no more information was going to be given up. I saved my breathe and quickly tried to think through all the possibilities. I decided to pick a log with the following attributes: Symmetrically round, so I could roll it. Perfectly flat top, so I could use it for support or for working on top of. Not huge, in case I had to run with it. Not small, in case I needed to use it to hammer something in.

What I came up with was exactly that: a medium sized, symmetrically round log with a near perfect flat top. After choosing my ride-or-die, I was simply told “You must run with this to stage 3 and complete the entire obstacle course while carrying it.” Argh! I definitely could have saved myself a lot of pain (weight) by going with some of the very small options, but I also didn’t completely kill myself by choosing a monster. You don’t know what you don’t know, so I slung my rifle to my back, picked up my log with both hands and headed out toward the obstacle course.

The log is your friend - Image by Jimmy Nutt

O-course

The obstacle course seemed to arrive roughly 1.4 miles into the run and it did not disappoint. Early on in the o-course you were subjected to a low crawl through mud and water. Keep in mind it was around or just above freezing at this time so the cold mud and water soaked through my clothes immediately. Even more frustrating was the sheer amount of it. I was doing everything I could to keep it out of my magwells, muzzles and away from my optics. I was very glad to have a long sleeve shirt on as it at least gave me some way to try to wipe the mud from my hands, but it was apparent, everything was about to become much more difficult. The course consisted of walls and barrels and tires and rope climbs, just about anything you could ask for. It would have been difficult on its own, but carrying the log with you, up and over every obstacle definitely slowed down progress.

The real trick was thinking about how to accomplish each task, for instance, I carried my rifle through each tire for the first few until I realized I should just put my rifle through the tire first, stand it up on the opposite side and then squeeze my body through. It seems simple, but when adrenalin is high and you are cold and wet, your brain doesn’t always work like you expect it to. Regardless, I completed the obstacle course, was told to discard my log and head straight into stage 3 located nearby.

Stage 3 (2nd place)

Stage 3 consisted of several small “plate racks” of rubber swinging targets at roughly 50 yards or so. You were to engage those targets both above and below tables laid out on the course with your rifle. Once you completed hitting all the rubber discs from one position, you would move to the next position and engage above and below the tables. I worked to move as quickly as possible between the tables and to shoot as fast as possible. Of note, the targets were small enough that I felt like having an LPVO on about 2.5 power was crucial here. While the distance was short enough for 1x, I would not have been as confident calling my shots if I was on 1x and it likely would have slowed me down. For this stage I placed 2nd in the division.

The Author on Stage 2 - Image by Todd Bowman

Stage 3 Challenge: 60 lb Kettlebell Swings, 12 reps in 45 seconds

At nearly half my weight, 60lbs is quite a load for me to bring to shoulder height, so I did have some concerns, but I managed to pull it off and my reward was….

O-course #2

Yeap, you had to go back and run the gauntlet again and then head toward stage 4:

Stage 4 (3rd place)

Roughly 2.45 miles in I hit stage 4. Stage 4 consisted of working a VTAC barricade from various ports on small rubber swingers and then another strong hand/weak hand stage involving an object you must hold in the opposite hand. I was able to work through the VTAC barricade quickly enough to give myself some time knowing that the weak handed portion of the pistol challenge would take a bit longer. In the end, I somehow squeaked out of the stage with a 3rd place finish, which is more than I can ask for on a stage involving one handed pistol shooting.

Travis on Stage 4 weak handed portion - Image by Megan Dudley

The author working the Vtac on Stage 4 - Image by Megan Dudley

Stage 4 Challenge: Concrete Block Carry, 45 seconds

The challenge on stage 4 was to pick up a concrete “chunk” (75lb-ish?) and carry it up a hill and around a cone and back down in 45 seconds. I was able to complete this event with a fair amount of time remaining.

The Author on the Stage 4 Challenge - Image by Megan Dudley

Stage 5 (4th place)

Stage 5 started with you placing your rifle on the ground. Upon the buzzer you would move to engage 12 targets with your pistol, moving to a new shooting box every 3 hits. Once complete, you would drop your mag to the ground so that only one round was chambered and make only 1 attempt at the small high value target. Afterwards, you would run to your rifle, load and make ready and engage the rifle targets from standing, kneeling and prone. I was able to shoot this stage cleanly, including the 1 shot on the high value target but perhaps placed a bit too much emphasis on accuracy. First place in this event (Travis) actually outshot me, despite missing the high value target, meaning the time I gained back by hitting the high value target, did not overcome the significant speed advantage he had.

The Author on Stage 5 - Image by Todd Bowman

Stage 5 Challenge: 8 “Turk-ish-like” get ups in 60 seconds

As I was presented with the sandbag that I was to lay down with, put on my chest, and then proceed to stand up with (8 times in 60 seconds) I immediately knew it wasn’t going to happen. This was heartbreaking, as to this point I had completed all of the additional challenges required for the “Plus” division, but my weight and size was simply not capable of performing this task. I also felt just attempting it but not passing would likely seriously impede my running going forward in the event. I laid down and gave it one good effort, but the weight was just too much. I took a fail on this challenge and was penalized with a 10 min run time penalty. The RO pulled out a knife and cut 1 of my 11 knots off the yellow rope attached to my belt. Symbolically, it felt like a piece of my manhood had been removed….

This guy doing what I couldn’t - Image by Megan Dudley

Stage 6 (5th place)

On the buzzer you were to move with your rifle to location number one where you were to engage small rubber flipper targets with your rifle from both above and below the table. Upon completion, you would move to a barricade where you would engage those targets from right and left side of the barricade. After completing, you were to drop your rifle mag and make 1 final attempt at a high value target from the left side of the barricade. Next you were to run up the hill where you were presented with locating and engaging 8 steel targets hidden around barrels. You have to move left to right to get the targets to reveal themselves. After location of all 8, you had one final High Value can of soda located at the back of the range. This HV target did not have a shot limitation on it, and you could use your pistol, or load and make ready your rifle to engage.

I worked through the rifle portion of the stage without incident and managed to hit the high value target with my rifle after dropping my mag. I quickly ran up top and had some difficulty finding the 8th and final piece of steel but eventually completed the task. On the High Value target I decided to stay with my pistol and I was able to bust the soda can on the third attempt. This was good enough for 5th place in the stage.

Stage 6 Challenge: Concrete block gravel pit drag 60 seconds

The stage 6 challenge consisted of a concrete chunk, with a rope attached located in a gravel pit. You were to sit down and use the rope to pull the concrete block toward you and then stand up and move to where the concrete block originated and pull it back to its original location. I had high hopes that I would be able to complete this challenge despite knowing I would be at a pretty big disadvantage due to my weight, but the last thing I wanted was another 10 minute run time penalty. I sat down and on the first pull used my entire body to lean back and move the block in my direction. Unfortunately for me, I think I was so low to the ground with the way I attempted to lean back with all my weight, that I caused the front end of the block to dig a deep trench into the gravel pit. Subsequent attempts just had me pulling myself to the block, instead of vice-versa and even standing up and throwing my whole body into it did not work. The block would not move from the first position I pulled it too. Despite attempting multiple methods and giving it everything I had, I had to take another 10 minute run time penalty.

Final Challenge: Cache retrieve, Rope Cut

I made the final run toward the finish line and opened my mouth up to breath on this final leg to really press it, as I knew all shooting had finished. Upon coming into the finish line I was told there was one more cache item to retrieve at the bottom of the hill. It involved cutting off a small piece of rope and bringing it back in. Thankfully, though I had forgotten my knife the night before, Travis had an extra that I borrowed just before we launched. Upon bringing back the rope, I was signed off at the finish line and it was time to review all my cache items and challenge knots.

Upon evaluation at the finish line, I had completed the course with 9 of 11 knots remaining. My two challenge failures being the 8 Turkish Get-Ups and the Concrete Block Drag, resulting in 20 total minutes of run-time penalties. Of the 9 cache items located along the course that I was supposed to find, I only found 8. There was a small teddy bear that I must have missed somewhere along the way and that resulted in another 10 minute hit for a grand total of 30 minutes of run-time penalties.

Missing the cache item is just part of how these things work. Paying attention and being aware on the course are important and I dropped the ball on finding one item. Also, as much as I want to be, I can’t be mad at myself for not being able to complete 2 of the 11 challenges. I simply was not quite big/strong enough. I don’t know that much work in that area would have changed anything for me. I am fit enough for all the body weight exercises in the world, but at only 135 lbs, some lifting exercises are just going to be a bit much for me.

With my knots and cache items counted, now all there was to do was to wait until everyone completed the course and the scores would be announced later that evening.

RESULTS

Shooting: For the shooting portion of the event I ended up in 3rd place in the division. I was actually the only person in the division to shoot all stages 100% clean including hitting all the bonus “high value” targets. Unfortunately that was not enough. The eventual overall winner simply shot much faster on most stages and his lone hiccup on the stage 6 “High Value target” was nowhere near close enough to move him from the top. His shooting scores were incredibly impressive. Well done Bryan Ray.

Running: After adding back 30 minutes of run time penalties, I ended up placing 4th for the running portion of the scoring. My raw run time for the event was very likely 1st place in the division. I ended up with a raw run time of 02:45:04. First place (again Bryan Ray) had a raw run time of 02:58:16 and 3rd place (Travis) a raw run time of 3:10:50. Both of those gentlemen confirmed they received zero run time penalties.

Combined: With a shooting score of 3rd place and a running score including penalties of 4th place, I ended up in 3rd place overall. I can’t help but know that without my two challenge penalties on run time that I would have shot 3rd place and ran 1st place for a solid 2nd place finish. Being this was my first event in quite some time, I am very happy with my performance. My buddy Travis Shot 2nd and with no run time penalties ran in 3rd place. His overall finish was 2nd place. Great job buddy.

Unfortunately for Travis and I, we didn’t get to find out we placed 2nd and 3rd until well after we got home. When the top 3 of each division were read out that evening, we were not included. We went to dinner that night wondering how we did not make the top 3 as we knew the results of some of those that had supposedly placed above us. Turns out, there must have been an issue with the scoring due to the fact that we changed to the Plus division at the last minute and were not included in the scores until later.

Missing out on the prize table due to the score hiccup didn’t matter to us at all but dinner that night and the ride home the next day sure would have been a lot more fun knowing we had placed 2nd and 3rd. Instead we were left wondering the whole way back what the heck went wrong. We couldn’t wait to see the complete scores so we could analyze our performance. When the scores were finally released on Sunday evening with the corrections, we were both pretty happy with our results.

Every event should come with lessons and successes. I had many successes here. One of them was merely finishing this 8 mile, twin obstacle course, crossfit style monster. Being the only one in the division to shoot 100% clean on all stages with all High Value targets hit is also something I am very proud of.

Additionally, I am ecstatic that I had the fastest raw run time in the division all while running well within myself and being ready to shoot when arriving on stage. I was actually able to maintain a steady pace inside heart rate Zone 3 for the entire event, despite my goal being in the low 4’s. This kept my heart rate down and ready to shoot at a moment’s notice. It worked out very well and allowed me to maintain a steady pace throughout the entire 8 miles with little to no fall-off toward the end. I will likely adjust my tempo to this lower HR level around future events.

The lessons of this event are:

Pay attention if running a SFP scope
Pay attention early on when adrenaline is highest (its where I missed my only cache item)
“Think” about how to tackle the obstacle course, don’t fight with a method that is not working.
When going for High Value targets, don’t be so deliberate that you waste the time you gain by hitting them.

Big thanks to all who help organize and put on this event. I have worked one before and know it is a long grueling weekend. The event was fun and it was very tough. It was, quite frankly, exactly what I hoped it would be and then some.

I thought it might be a “one and done” event for me due to both the time of year and the intensity of the event. I thought it would be a check off the bucket list that I would likely leave in the past. That is not going to be the case. There are a couple of RnG’s I want to commit to running every single year. “Heartbreak” is now one of those events.

See you guys next year - Image by Jimmy Nutt

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