Matt in TN

I can't believe it's time to start work on this already...but just to get on everyone's calendars: the best place to keep up with match stuff by far is the Facebook Event Page at https://www.facebook.com/events/334228037135577/?active_tab=about. Click "Going" or "Interested" and you'll see all the questions and answers from everyone about the match. Do be sure to check your notification settings, as Facebook changes the rules on that all the time and thinks they know best about what you want to see - I've missed several notifications because of that in the past. For anti-FBers, I'll try to repost what I think is the important stuff in several public forums (this being one of them!). So here goes: Intro: The 2019 Rockcastle Run N Gun 5&10k is a centerfire biathlon – competitors will complete a 5k or 10k run combined with a shooting competition. The event is a test of man and equipment alike. It is intended to give participants an idea of how being hot, cold, exhausted, and challenged by the environment affects their shooting, and to test the effectiveness of their gear under field conditions. This event is not intended for inexperienced shooters – all participants are expected to be familiar with the operation of their firearms, and to observe basic principles of firearm safety at all times. With the exception of emergencies, Range Officers (ROs) are not allowed to help participants in any way. Good attitudes are a must. If you are the type of person who gets upset when minor changes are made to a plan or when you don’t always get your way, this is not the event for you. Basics: Participants will receive both a score for their run based on how long it took them to complete the course, and a score for their shooting based on how long it took them to clear each course of fire. The run score and shooting score will be equally weighted in determining the participant’s final score. This is true run-what-you-brung field-style shooting, with only two equipment classes: “Combat Class” in which you must FINISH the course with at least 25% of your bodyweight in gear (simulating a full load-out), or “Race Class” in which anything goes. For the most part, if you want to carry it for 5 or 10 clicks, be our guest. Shooters are expected to have all their firearms sighted in and all their gear ready to go on the morning of the shoot. There will be no zeroing at the event. Think of this as a test of how you and your equipment would perform in a Second Amendment situation if you had to go take care of business at your current state of readiness, whatever that is. Run order will be more or less random. We will try to be accommodating to participants who wish to share firearms or equipment (we can have one person run in the morning and the other in the afternoon), or to those who wish to run together. Equipment: The only equipment that is strictly required to participate is a safe center fire rifle, a safe center fire pistol, enough ammo to clear the course (at least twice the minimum required hit count is recommended), eye protection, ear protection, a flashlight, and some form of stopwatch. The rifle must shoot rifle caliber ammo (no 9mm PCC), and the pistol must shoot pistol caliber (no .223 “pistols” for the handgun targets). Everything else is up to the participant. Shooters may use any type of gear they want to carry their equipment with, the only requirement being that pistols must be carried in a secure holster that covers the trigger if they are to be carried loaded. Rifles may be carried any way you like, as long as they remain pointed in a safe direction. You may not use tracers or armor piercing bullets that have a hardened penetrator core, as we will be using lots of steel targets that we don’t want to see damaged. To be safe – if your bullet attracts a magnet or has a green tip, leave it at home. Rules: First and foremost, all participants will be expected to comply with basic firearms safety at all times. If you demonstrate inability or unwillingness to follow basic firearm safety, you will be asked to leave, with no refund and no apology. Muzzles must be pointed in a safe direction at all times, and fingers must be off the trigger unless the firearm is pointed at a target. Rifles shall only be loaded when a shooter is at a rifle stage, after the RO has given the “fire” command. Shooters may leave their handguns loaded at all times. However, loaded handguns must remain securely in a holster unless the shooter has been given the “fire” command on a shooting stage. Some stages will be active, involving moving and shooting. Firearms may remain loaded during movement, but strict muzzle discipline must be maintained. Procedures: When a shooter approaches a station, he will be required to show a RO an empty mag well and empty chamber on his rifle. If another shooter is currently on the stage when he arrives, the one who just arrived will be instructed by a RO to start his stopwatch to keep track of his wait time (this will be subtracted off the participant’s run time when his run score is calculated). It is purely the shooter’s responsibility to keep track of his wait time. The ROs have no responsibility whatsoever to help you do this. Even if a RO offers to help you keep track of your time, you have no one but yourself to blame if this is not done. When the shooter is ready to shoot the stage, the RO will record his wait time if any. The shooter will be given a quick summary of the course of fire. The RO will ask if the shooter understands the course of fire. If the answer is yes, the shooter will be given the “fire” command, at which time he may load his rifle and/or draw his pistol and begin shooting the stage. All stages will have a zone where the shooter must fire from -- either a particular hole in a barricade that you must shoot through, or a marked zone on the ground, in which every part of your body or equipment which touches the ground must remain inside of when you fire. Hits made from outside the designated area will not count toward completion of the course of fire. Every shooting stage will have a 3 minute time limit. This is to keep the runners moving and to prevent large backups of shooters waiting to shoot a stage. At the end of that 3 minute period, the shooter will be stopped and time penalties applied to their score for any target not fully neutralized as per the course of fire requirements. If for any reason the “cease fire” command is given, you will immediately cease fire, holster your handgun, and unload your rifle. You will do likewise when you complete a stage, or time out. The RO should tell you your time for the stage. The RO will record your time and any penalties. You may want to carry a pen and notepad to keep track of your score in case there is a mix-up with the scoring. Every shooter must show a RO an empty mag well and chamber on his rifle before leaving each stage. A RO will give directions on where to go to continue down the trail. Shooters are NOT required to leave their rifle’s bolt open during the run… this is actually discouraged, as it will allow lots of that beautiful Kentucky red clay to accumulate inside the action. There will be ample opportunity for this to happen on the course. The Run: The total course length is 3.2 miles (5k) or 6.2 miles (10k). The path for participants to follow will be marked with brightly colored flags and/or tape. Shooters must stay close to the marked path. Do not cut corners. Failure to follow the marked trail may take you into the impact area of a hot range!!! If the trail takes you through some difficult terrain, this is on purpose! Parts of the trail will be down a county road. Keep to the left edge of the road and watch for traffic. Your Fitness: This event is in a remote area, and you need to be aware of over-exertion. We should have some folks with medical skills on hand, but your health is your responsibility. If you start having problems, slow down... drink some water... listen to your body! There is no shame in walking the course; know yourself and your limitations. Accommodations: Attendees are highly recommended to stay at the onsite lodge for the full experience. There will be people on site all day Friday, as the ROs will be running the course. Porta-potties will be on site at most shooting locations. Registration opens at 6:30 a.m. and closes at 7:30 a.m Saturday morning. The safety briefing begins at 7:30 a.m. Anyone who does not get signed in by 7:30 will not be allowed to participate, so be on time. The first runner will be sent out at 8:00 a.m., and another runner will be sent out in a uniform interval thereafter. The ROs will have run the course the day before. They will be scored along with all the other contestants. After the last runner has crossed the finish line, we will calculate the results. The winners will be announced, trophies will be given out, and a random drawing will be conducted for all the prizes contributed by the sponsors. How to Sign Up: The registration fee for the Rockcastle Run N Gun is $70 for the 5k and $100 for the 10k. Registration will be limited in number so all runners can finish the course before dark. Registration and payment will be handled through Practiscore, and Rockcastle will have you sign waivers the morning of the match. Make sure you are familiar with all of our rules and procedures before signing up. All participants must register under their true names. Tickets are non-transferable. Pre-registration and pre-payment is mandatory, and no walk-ons will be allowed on match day as space and time is limited. Cancellation Policy: Full refunds will be given if you withdraw more than 30 days before the match. Half your fee will be refunded if you withdraw between 14-29 days before the match. NO REFUND will be given if you withdraw less than 14 days before the match. Directions: The start and finish line are both located at the Park Mammoth Resort Lodge at Rockcastle Shooting Center. The address is 585 Park Mammoth Rd, Park City, KY 42160. This is almost exactly halfway in between the Nashville International Airport (BNA) and the Louisville International Airport (SDF) – about an easy hour and a half drive from either.

Yes. But how do you test this quickly and easily at a match?

Final Run: NO GREATER LOVE Ayman Taha was born in Sudan, into an academically accomplished international family. Both his parents hold doctorates—after secondary school in England, Ayman received a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a master's in economics from the University of Massachusetts, where he was working toward a PhD. Athletic, a speaker of many languages, and a friend to all who met him, he had only to write his dissertation to earn his PhD, before he decided to serve in the Special Forces. On his second deployment to Iraq, Taha was hastily preparing a cache of munitions for demolition in the town of Balad when the explosives he found detonated and he was killed. The intense firefights faced by his teammates indicate the explosives, if not destroyed, would have been used by enemy combatants to target American soldiers. His teammates were able to recover his remains only under pressure from enemy attack. Ayman "lived in many cultures," his father said, was Muslim, and spoke English, Arabic, Spanish and Portuguese. More important than his formidable intellect or ability, were his personality and character. "If he has a five-minute conversation with you, that would be the beginning of a lifetime relationship." Ayman Taha demonstrates the character and integrity crucial to service in the Special Forces, and a love far greater and more important than any single combat-skill.

Stage 5 (5k)/Stage 7 (10k): HIGH VALUE TARGET As early as January in eastern Syria, one of two operations in less than a month, Coalition forces targeted senior IS leaders in the Hajin region in Syria's eastern Deir Az Zor province near the Iraqi border. Included among those killed was the messenger for IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, according to the Iraqi government official release. Three houses linked by an underground tunnel were also destroyed, the statement said. The Iraqi press release added that the air raid was carried out based on "intelligence" and at the request of Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. Hajin, located about 50km from Iraq's border, is the largest populated hub still under IS control in Syria. Coalition forces rely on each other and common goals to share actionable information quickly—some of the most important details to one element may seem inconsequential to another.

Stage 4 (5k)/Stage 6 (10k): HORSE SOLDIERS In the days following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the Defense Department sent two teams of Army Special Forces soldiers to Afghanistan to bring down the Taliban. SFODA 595, the “Horse Soldiers,” went on missions that were extended for weeks and months. They did it all without body armor or tactical vehicles, living with Afghan partners and following an Afghan plan—often using horses and pack animals. 595 was charged with leading the Northern Alliance and the men of former (assassinated) Ahmed Shah Massoud to unite Afghanistan against Taliban rule. These Green Berets were among the first to deploy to Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Some of them rode into battle on horseback alongside fighters from the Northern Alliance. There were no guarantees that General Dostum of the Afghan Northern Alliance would safeguard the team, and many members had never ridden horseback before. The team found itself uniquely postured to react to the Nation’s call to duty after the 9/11 attacks.

Stage 5 (10k only): THE MIND IS THE BEST WEAPON Nicknamed "Texas 12", a Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha designated “SFOD-A 574” was a 12-man team of U.S Green Berets. They worked side-by-side with irregular militia led by Hamid Karza, to capture the Islamic spiritual center in the city of Kandahar, and thus win over a critical center of gravity within the population of Afghanistan. The 12 Americans of ODA 574, assisted by U.S. close air support and 35 Afghans, successfully defended Tarin Kowt against 1,000 Taliban insurgents delivered by 100 trucks. Assisting the local militia, they helped to defeat the Taliban further along the Arghandab River and at Shawali Kowt and Sayyd Alma Kalay. These victories were the key to the Kandahar Campaign, ending when Kandahar was occupied by Marine Expeditionary Units. The battle and the overall defeat of the Taliban came at a heavy price. Master Sgt. Jefferson Donald "Donnie" Davis, Staff Sgt. Brian Cody Prosser, and SFC Daniel H. Petithory and twenty members of Karzai’s militia were killed. Five other members of ODA 574 and Karzai were wounded. Despite this incredible loss, members of SFOD-A 586 soldiers from Bravo Company, 3rd BN, 5th SFG, with reinforcements from adjacent units, were able to usher Karzai and new leadership into the center of power at Kandahar. President Karzai was able to negotiate the surrender of Taliban forces around Kandahar, drastically shortening the length of the war.

Stage 4 (10k only): THE MANBIJ POCKET In 2016, the reach and control the Islamic State had established in Northern Syria was staggering. It would take US Special Forces and their partners numerous operations and countless munitions to stem IS’s spread and retake key terrain, to turn the fight against IS. The Manbij Offensive, code-named Operation Martyr by the Syrian Democratic Forces was a 2016 military offensive to finally break through IS lines—at the time this was a small, critical pocket IS forces had established in Manbij city. Surrounding the "Manbij Pocket" in the northern Aleppo Governorate, Special Forces and the SDF saw the opportunity to cut off IS's last smuggling and supply routes from Turkey and shorten the battle. During the first 5 days of the offensive, the US-led coalition conducted over 55 airstrikes to support friendly maneuver. Desperate IS fighters used suicide attacks, improvised “mad max” vehicles, and drones to attempt counterattacks. After capturing Manbij city on 12 August, the SDF announced that the offensive would continue east from Manbij to crush IS.

Stage 3: RAQQAH RUMBLE Currently Special Forces from sister services are operating together collectively to combat our Nation’s enemies. Elite Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) Operator, Chief Kenton Stacy was critically wounded in November as one of the few elite Navy EOD operators assigned to a Special Forces unit tasked with clearing areas which had been held by ISIS fighters. While his team was clearing improvised explosive devices from the second floor of a hospital that had been rigged with booby traps, one of the devices detonated within just a few feet of Kenton, injuring his spinal cord and forever changing his life. Stacy endured the brunt of the blast, saving many of his teammates. His team reacted and sprang into action to speed him to critical care facilities. The teams continued work to clear the hospital, wrecked buildings and tunnel systems for months to come. Special Forces and EOD experts must face uncertain environments such as tunnels, cave systems, and wreckage in the current operating environment.

Stage 2: AT TANF, “DE-CONFLICTION ZONE” In 2017, American Green Berets manned and operated an austere outpost in the Syria-Iraq-Jordanian “Tri-Border Region,” to disrupt enemy forces and target ISIS or “Da’esh” militants as they attempted to escape the killing grounds of the Middle Euphrates Valley. The Green Berets were highly trained in preparing local ground forces for combat. Despite the austerity of their location, they remained vigilant for the opportunity to engage Da’esh as they fled toward the US Partner-Country of Jordan. In the past year, At Tanf has seen multiple engagements and remains a hot bed of enemy and international activity. During a security patrol, two separate Green Beret elements made contact with and interdicted a small, hostile smuggling force. When engaged by the enemy, elements in contact made radio contact with adjacent units for support. The two teams quickly adjusted their activity to move to the location of the firefight and engage the enemy. One team had to hastily mount their gun trucks, and upon positively identifying suicide vests on multiple combatants began engaging and neutralizing the enemy immediately. That day resulted in numerous Da’esh enemy killed in action, and zero wounded or injured Green Berets. The action sent a clear message to Da’esh attempting to flee that American forces were waiting, and willing to interdict.

And because these stories NEED to be told, I'm going to reprint the portions of the match books explaining the events behind each stage. Stage 1: BRONCO DOWN MACV-SOG, or Military Assistance Command Vietnam Studies and Observation Group, was a joint service unconventional warfare task force engaged in highly classified operations throughout Southeast Asia. The 5th Special Forces channeled personnel into MACV-SOG under secret orders. These teams performed deep penetration missions of strategic reconnaissance and interdiction, such as the "Shining Brass" or "Prairie Fire" missions in 1971. When the Special Forces began operations in Vietnam, it didn’t take long to for the OV10, “Bronco” aircraft to earn its reputation as one of the most feared weapon in the US arsenal by the Viet Cong, NVA and Pathet Lao. The enemy knew the Bronco meant an air strike would certainly follow. On 6 July 1971, US Army Special Forces Capt. Donald G. "Butch" Carr, crewed a Bronco to find, fix, and support suppression of enemy forces. MAJ Carr was the Deputy Commander of the MACV-SOG element at Nakhon Phanom, Thailand. His Bronco, Nail 48 assailed one of the major arteries of the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail. Its mission was to target this border road used by the Communists to transport weapons, supplies and troops from North Vietnam into South Vietnam, until his aircraft disappeared after reports of enemy activity. After his disappearance, there were wild and varied reports of a “crazy American,” who had survived the crash. Donald Carr was among nearly 600 Americans who disappeared in Laos. While it is not known exactly what unfolded when MAJ Carr and his partner crash landed, numerous reports indicated multiple Enemy Killed in Action at or around the crash site. We do know MAJ Carr’s body was found decades later, far from the site. MAJ Carr was recovered and his remains returned to his family this year.

There's no way a video can do justice to the spirit, comaraderie, catharsis, horrible and amazing weather conditions, explosions and 50 cal simulators, and demonstrations of sheer willpower and skill we saw last weekend. But here's six minutes in which I try to capture just a TASTE of all that. Thank you to everyone for helping me to pull this off and making it an extremely successful weekend from every single angle: from sharing 5th Group stories, to honoring their fallen and Gold Star Fathers, to raising a ton of money for the Special Forces Association, Chapter 38 - and welcoming the guys themselves into our awesome Run N Gun Family while testing ourselves against the hardest course I've seen yet. I couldn't have done it without each and every one of you.

Official match pictures are up at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/163548466@N06/sets/72157699713389221 As I mentioned at the match, please use them however you'd like, but give Lisa Stennett a photo credit if you do. If you see any pictures of yourself you'd like to be removed, simply send me a message and we'll take them down ASAP. It's hilarious that Flickr chose to use the horse as the cover photo. ?

Hahahaha! I'm sure everyone who shot on Sunday and half of those on Saturday would have agreed with you - thanks for taking the time to write all that up! The only edit I'd add is that there were 6 paper targets on stage 2. But they were going by so fast it's no wonder you only counted five! Thanks again for making the long trek and working so hard all weekend. We couldn't have done it without you.

Some stats: We ended up with 144 total competitors. 26 of those were 5SFG (3 ran on both days), 2 were Gold Star Fathers, and 5 were women (1 ran on both days). 3 were kids, and the youngest who ran and shot was 11. Here's the breakdown to show how many people failed to finish each stage (top bar graph), how many people failed at multiple stages (bottom bar graph), and how each day's weight classes filled out. I'm happy to report only one person failed every stage they attempted to shoot. And they kept going and never quit! Conditions played a HUGE factor, so I wanted to document those too: And this was totally informal and NOT part of the official match, but we had 11 people who ran both the 5k on Saturday and the 10k on Sunday. Many of them asked me, just for fun, to combine their scores to see how they stacked up against each other.

OK - someone paying more attention than me pointed out that the scores are correct on Practiscore if you dig deep enough. Go here for the 5k Results: https://www.practiscore.com/results/html/be846e41-3467-4776-b9e3-b5aeb3a8cbe2 And here for the 10k results: https://www.practiscore.com/results/html/b14bb2f6-743e-4a7d-8553-7092f148ab6b I'll continue to work on making it easier to find - sorry for the delay and confusion. And then we have two more follow-up items: 1. Please send any photos or videos you're willing to share to legionrungun@gmail.com 2. There were several lost and found items (including a prize table item) left over after everyone had left. Please email the address above if you've lost anything and they'll dig through the pile to see if it's there. Or we may find it still on the course next year (it happens every match!). More to come...

Just wanted to let everyone know that the match shirt is still available online at https://www.shredderlife.com/shop/ until 9/14 for anybody that wasn't able to get the size they wanted. Thanks to everyone involved for coming out and supporting the SFA Chapter 38 and the Legion! DOL!

A word of warning: this is not your typical match, in which I design stages so most people succeed. To give you a taste of 5th Group life, the shooting stages are pretty complex. The shooting itself is fairly simple - IF you were fresh (not exhausted) and had all the time in the world. But you don't. And you won't be. It will be a rare person that finishes the entire match without failing at SOMETHING. I'm guessing there will be a few who fail to complete EVERY shooting stage. When that happens, keep in mind 5th Group is not successful because they never fail. They are successful because they KEEP GOING despite failing over and over again, and being faced with situations MUCH more dire than simply failing a stage at a match. Then pick yourself up, gather your gear, and trudge forward to the next challenge. I promise you, you will NOT be the only one to fail. Embrace it. Learn from it. And keep going.

But if the root of TacOps is that weapons must be useable in a tactical situation (open guns don't fit that role), why would box mag shotguns NOT fit in that category? They are certainly more useful and realistic than 28" barrel tube fed shotguns... Just stirring the pot - I personally don't care either way.

And I am also excited to announce our own Todd Banus has contributed a certificate for a free entry into his HeartBreak RnG coming up in February!

I am pleased to announce Heckler & Koch has donated an Exemplar knife and a whole box of hats to support the match - thanks HK!

I sent an email to all competitors this morning through Practiscore with all the final details I think you need to know before the match. Let me know if you didn't get it or if you have any other questions. And I screwed up some details using copy/paste between the two matches, so just for clarity's sake: the 5k is on Saturday, September 8th, and the 10k is on Sunday, September 9th. Sorry for the confusion!

So we’re a little over a week from match day. I’m guessing several of you are second-guessing yourselves right now. Maybe you didn’t get in as much training as you’d hoped. Maybe you trained you’re a$$ off and didn’t see the results you wanted to. Maybe you’ve seen all of these crazy hints and promises about what’s to come, and are intimidated as hell about trying to do all of this while 30-ish bada$$ Special Forces soldiers and even more Run N Gun regulars stand by and watch you. Don’t be. If you signed up and just SHOW UP to start this race, you’re already better than 90% of the shooters out there who stayed home on the couch on match day. If you FINISH, no matter how long it takes you, you’ve won. Trust me – you’ll feel it just as soon as you cross that finish line – and for many days (months?) thereafter. At some point in the course, you will ask yourself: “Why on earth am I here? I’m not ready for this. I don’t belong here.” The dirty little secret I can promise you: EVERYONE asks themselves that at some point. You DO belong here. The satisfaction and self-image you will get from just finishing this course will stay with you forever, and is something no one can ever take away from you. Many people have found matches like these to be a turning point in their lives, and in a year or two you may not even recognize the person you have become. Just remember - for every person you see pass you, there is someone behind you wishing they could keep up with you. Look behind you every so often just to acknowledge how far you’ve come. And before ANYONE judges anyone else as being "too slow, too fat, or too lazy" - bite your tongue and listen to their story first. Across the country at matches like these we've had people recovering from recent strokes, heart attacks, cancer, pregnancy, amputations, and any other issue you can think of; just because "F#$K CANCER", that's why! Give them an encouraging word when you pass them - it really makes a difference. Even better - if you pass someone really struggling on the course: finish your race, set down your gear, and run back out to find that person. You can run beside them and offer them all the words of support and encouragement that you can think of - you just can't physically help them in any way. Let's do this.

Reminder: you will need eye and ear protection in order to shoot. Yes, running with eyes and ears on sucks. Either figure out how to do it, or take the extra time to take them off and put them back on again before shooting. But if you show up to a shooting stage without eye and ear protection, you will not be allowed to shoot and receive a ZERO score for that stage. Also - has everybody figured out by now that Kentucky has hills? Here's the elevation map for the new 10k course. It royally kicked my a$$ on Friday during a weight vest recon run. And a public service announcement: running it in pants sucked. But running it in shorts would have sucked even more. You do what you want to, but I would STRONGLY suggest long pants, and treating all of your clothing with permethrin. I forgot to treat my socks and ended up with this on both ankles: #fugginchiggers

Reminder: This Saturday, August 25th is the cutoff to withdraw and get a 50% refund. Any withdrawals after that for any reason will get ZERO refund as per the cancellation policy. The Special Forces Association, Chapter 38 thanks you for your donation! The best way to withdraw is through Practiscore - that time stamps and sends me an email so I can keep track of the requests and get the refunds processed.

Reminder: you will need a light of some kind to navigate and shoot in the cave (Stage 3). If you show up without a light you will not be allowed to shoot and will be given a zero for the stage. Weaponlights are fine to shoot with, but you'll also need a separate light to navigate parts of the cave before the shooting starts. I don't care if you carry a giant spotlight with a 12V truck battery, but you must carry it for the entire course! If you've never been to the cave before, here's a preview video from March 2017 that will give you a better idea what to expect. The details will be different, but this is the same cave we'll be using. https://youtu.be/hq52C43sXD4