Matt in TN

Innovative Targets is stepping up in a big way to provide almost $1,800 in steel targets for the match, and they will be selling them at a discount after the match is over on Sunday night. So bring CASH and hang out Sunday night if you want a great deal on some awesome targets! Here's the price list and quantities we will have: (9) 8" x 10" pistol ringer w/ stand $40 (1) 6" x 8" pistol ringer w/ stand $30 (1) 1/4 Torso w/ stand $119 (1) BC Zone Torso w/ stand $162 (2) Full Torso w/ stand $204 (6) 10" Rifle Gong $30 (6) 12" Rifle Gong $40 Check out his website at https://www.innovativetargets.net/ for all the details on these and all of his other targets.

Reminder: You will need eye and ear protection to shoot. Running with eyes and ear sucks, so either deal with it or take the time to take it off when running and put it back on before shooting. You will not be allowed to shoot if you show up at a stage without it, and will receive a score of ZERO for that stage. You will also want to bring along a stopwatch of some kind so you can record any wait time you might have. If you run up to a stage and someone is already shooting, you get a "time out" and need to start your stopwatch (the RO should instruct you to do so). This time will be subtracted from your run time. However - you can not use this free time to reconfigure gear, drink, eat, rest, etc. It is simply a "time out" and should provide you no added advantage over those who have to run up and start shooting right away. You may also want to strongly consider bringing a small pad of paper and a pencil (or some other way to record important information) if your memory is not perfect when you're exhausted and excited. Just sayin'...

Reminder: this Saturday (August 24th) at midnight is the deadline to withdraw and still receive a 1/2 refund of you match fee. Any withdrawals after Saturday will receive NO REFUND.

5th Group's long term goal is to turn this into a "Family Fun Day" for their folks as much as it is an event for us - so in addition to food trucks and concerts they have a generous donor bringing horses, caregivers, and airsoft guns and will be performing "raids" on various locations around the property. This is primarily aimed at the kids of 5th Group soldiers - so definitely let them go first if there any in line waiting. However, "raids" will be available to the public in exchange for a donation to the SFA if you'd like to bring your own families out to play. The more families we can have show up, the more it will show that a "family day" is a worthy effort and idea for these guys - and you get to support 5th Group in the process. And I can hear the questions already: "Can adults go on the raids???" Ask the caregiver - we'll see.

ROUND COUNT: It's complicated. Anyone who shot last year knows that you can engage some targets in different ways (paper needs 3 hits rifle or 5 hits pistol, for example), and doing well on the mental tests may mean you can skip some targets penalty-free. So I'll say this a few different ways and you can judge how much ammo to bring. If you shoot it exactly as I intend, NEVER MISS a shot, and observe, remember, and put to use intel at the proper times on 100% of the mental tests, you'll need 72 rifle rounds and 46 pistol rounds (for the 5k) and 106 rifle rounds and 56 pistol rounds (for the 10k). If you fail every mental test but NEVER MISS a shot, you'll need 40 more pistol rounds and God knows how many more rifle rounds. If your rifle goes down or you run out of rifle ammo, you'll need a BUNCH more pistol rounds. If you're running Tier One and want to bring and use other weapons: there will be 15 pistol steel, 20 paper torsos, and 39 rifle steel of various types for the 10k. 10 less pistol steel and 26 less rifle steel for the 5k. Pistol steel can be shot with PCC or shotgun (bird shot only). Paper can be shot with PCC, pistol, or rifle (5 hits with pistol rounds, 3 hits with rifle). Rifle steel can be shot with rifle, pistol, or PCC. Intel suggests the chances for drones in the area this year are slim. Some rifle steel will require multiple hits. And remember: you can carry a loaded pistol as long as it's safely secured in your holster. If you drop that loaded pistol at any point on the course, you get a match DQ and are done for the day. You decide if carrying loaded is worth the risk, or whether you'd rather play it safe and carry unloaded (we just laugh at you if you drop an unloaded pistol - no DQ). You can NOT carry any other weapon loaded. When in doubt, BRING MORE AMMO. I highly suggest you bring at least twice the round count above. Maybe more if your mental facilities dull when you get tired (as most do!).

We always have some questions about scoring and penalties. Short version: if you came to last year's match, it will be the same. If you're new: Each shooting stage will be weighed equally, and all the shooting stages combined will be weighed equally with your net run time (finish time minus start time minus any wait times). So you must both shoot well and run fast to do well at this match. Each shooting stage will have a total of 180 seconds to complete. Any targets not fully neutralized per the course of fire when you are finished with the stage will add 10 seconds (each target, not each hit) to your shoot time. Unless otherwise specified - steel targets take one hit to neutralize and paper targets take either 3 rifle hits or 5 pistol hits to neutralize. 5th Group NEVER just takes two shots at a target and moves on - they shoot it until it is no longer a threat. Since we can't really do that here, I asked them for an average number of hits they have made during past encounters. That's how we came up with 3 rifle or 5 pistol. Any "No Shoots" hit will also incur a 10 second penalty (per target, not per hit) on your shoot time. 5th Group operates under totally different rules than we civilians do, so the scoring will reflect that. There may be various other bonuses or opportunities along the way. PAY ATTENTION - during the shooter's meeting the morning of match day, during the stage brief, and pretty much all along the course. Those who pay attention, can think clearly, and can put to use what they've seen or heard will be rewarded. That's all I'm going to say about that for now. Any questions???

Reminder: This Thursday, August 8th at midnight is the deadline to withdraw from the match and still get a full refund. Any requests for withdrawal that come in after that will only get a 50% refund until August 24th, and then zero refund after August 24th.

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 2017 (the names are different, but the basics are the same this year) that will give you a better idea what to expect:

Follow-up: these gentlemen are donating their time to support 5th Group and the Special Forces Association. Please do take a minute to visit their websites and support them however you can in return! For example - Buddy Jewell has a new album out: Shine On. Check it (and his others) out here: https://www.amazon.com/Shine-Buddy-Jewell/dp/B07P4M71M1/ref=sr_1_12?hvadid=78408976903181&hvbmt=bp&hvdev=c&hvqmt=p&keywords=buddy+jewell&qid=1564150340&s=dmusic&sr=1-12

I'm thrilled to announce Buddy Jewell has committed to play Saturday night at the Lodge, along with his son Buddy Grey (with Grand Division) and Jonathan Wells. Details are still in the works, but it's likely that some of this will spill over to Friday night - but the main idea is for the entertainment to start about the time the final runner comes in, keep you guys busy while I tabulate scores, and then really kick into overdrive after the awards ceremony is complete. Buddy Jewell was the winner of Season 1 of Nashville Star and multiple time winner on Star Search: https://www.buddyjewell.com/ Buddy Grey and Jonathan Wells are rising stars in the Nashville scene: https://www.jonathanwellsmusic.com/ https://www.granddivisionmusic.com/

Wake-up call: match day is only 8 weeks away. If you haven't been training already, you really should be! For those of you who have never done anything like this before, post up here every single time you do something to prepare - CELEBRATE every small victory! They really matter. For old RNG veterans who train 6 days a week already, post up your training plan and a weekly update - both to keep you honest and to let others know what is possible. Photo by Lisa Stennett I'll start: I'm doing an 8 week "Intermediate 10k" training plan from https://www.verywellfit.com/10k-training-intermediate-runner-schedule-2911612 I chose it because I want to increase the number of interval training and "tempo run" days over my previous training plan to try to get my speed up. I'm adding tire flips, jumps, and drags on the "easy" days because last year's Legion match unceremoniously pointed out I need more strength training. The long runs on the weekend I'm going to add a weight vest and try my best to make trail runs instead of just plain road runs, and the "cross training day" will be swimming.

Here's where we stand with registration so far. I'm surprised we have more people going Tier One than last year - but we also have more going Lightfighter. Operator seems to be the least popular, but still has a pretty solid showing.

The full Rules & Procedures document is downloadable from Practiscore when you register, but since many of you won't take the time to read it before registering tomorrow for fear of not getting in, here are the important parts: There are three equipment classes to reflect the different ways Green Berets fight: “Lightfighter” in which you can carry whatever you want, but are limited to one pistol and one rifle; “Operator” in which you must wear body armor with plates installed (front and back at a minimum), and are still limited to one pistol and rifle; and “Tier One” in which you must FINISH the race with a pack weighing at least 45 lbs (not including your main rifle and pistol) – but that pack may (and should) contain ANYTHING that can give you an advantage. The only limit is that pistol targets must be engaged with pistol rounds, and rifle targets must be engaged with rifle rounds. Want to carry a PCC? Be our guest. Think a scoped bolt gun or different upper in 6.5 Creedmore will give you an advantage? Go for it. You can even carry a shotgun to engage steel pistol targets if you want (birdshot only). Any weapons carried must be IN ADDITION to a primary rifle and pistol, and weight of the pack must be stand-alone (a plate carrier would not be included or required, for example). Packs may be removed prior to shooting, as that is how 5th Group would generally do it as well – but this will be done on your run time and BEFORE any wait time starts. Shooters will be disqualified (DQ’d) and not allowed to finish the course for the following violations: dropping a loaded pistol, having a loaded rifle anywhere EXCEPT at a shooting stage after the "beep", pointing a loaded weapon at someone, or having a Negligent Discharge (ND). It is solely the judgement of my Staff that I trust if these should occur, and if you argue with an RO you will lose. We will be shooting steel targets, so no penetrator, steel core, or green tip ammo will be allowed. To be safe - if a magnet sticks to the bullet, leave it at home. Any active or former 5th Group should contact me directly to register at mstennett@twlakes.net - I'm saving several slots for you guys and your match fee is half-price. Thanks for all you do!

Reminder: Registration opens this Saturday at 10:00am Central Time. Be near a computer with a credit card in-hand if you want to get it – these sell out quickly! And for those who have never done a RNG before, or who have never run a Legion match before: don’t underestimate the difficulty. For a 5k road race, the winner will usually finish in 13-15 minutes. Average runners will take 20-30 minutes. Walkers will take 45-60 minutes to finish. Last year at the Legion match, the FASTEST 5k finisher was on the course for 85 minutes. The AVERAGE course time was 136 minutes, and the poor guy who trudged the entire course was out there for 215 minutes (3 ½ hours!). Typical winning 10k road race times are around 30 minutes, with average runners finishing in an hour or so. Our fastest 10k guy was on the Legion course last year for 129 minutes (over 2 hours!). The average course time for everyone was 3 ½ hours, and our hardest-working-refused-to-quit dude came in at just under 5 hours. Weather was a HUGE factor last year, so it MAY not be that bad this year. But we will still have those famous Kentucky hills, lots of people carrying heavy loads, getting lost, and stopping to shoot along the way. I’m not saying this to scare you off – just the contrary. If you put your mind to it, YOU CAN DO IT. But pace yourself, bring plenty of hydration and nutrition, and anything else you think you might need to finish the course. No one would EVER underestimate the guys from the 5th Special Forces Group. Don’t even think of underestimating the Legion 9/11 Memorial Match they put on either.

Registration will open at 10:00am CST on Saturday, July 6th. Payment will be required in full when you register: $100 for the 5k, or $150 for the 10k. These sell out in minutes every year, so make plans to be near a computer with your credit card in hand at that time to be sure you get in. If you are active duty (ESPECIALLY if you are deployed), I will cut you some slack. Reach out to me and let me know what your situation is and I'll see what I can do to help to get you registered. Active duty folks get priority at this match. Here's the link for the 5k registration: https://www.practiscore.com/5k-legion-9-11-memorial-run-n-gun-2019/register And here's the link for the 10k registration: https://www.practiscore.com/10k-legion-9-11-memorial-run-n-gun-2019/register You will need a free Practiscore account to register. Don't wait until July 6th to try to sign up for an account!

And thanks for Bryan and Brian for all their work to put on a great match!

I had a great meeting with a couple of my SF counterparts this weekend, and we now have some of the basics nailed down. Here's what we know so far: 1. Registration will open in early July. I'll give a "two week warning" with a specific date and time. Plan to be close to a computer then with credit card in hand as these sell out VERY quickly. 2. We will have a 5k-ish run on Saturday with 5 shooting stages and a $100 match fee, and a 10k-ish run on Sunday with 7 shooting stages and a $150 match fee. 100% of the match fee will go to the Special Forces Association, Chapter 38. 3. There will be several other opportunities for fun around that weekend - the guys are going for more of a "family atmosphere" or "carnival feel", so think about bringing your families and be sure to look out for these other things. 4. All stages will be shot "blind" in that you won't know what you are doing until you run up on the stage and receive the stage brief. 5th Group doesn't know exactly what they're in for until they arrive onsite, so neither will you. Vignettes will be published ahead of time so you can understand the events each stage is based on - but that is more to share the stories and remember the heroes than it is to give you intel on shooting details. Photo by Lisa Stennett

Someone asked me for more details on the charity this match benefits: The Special Forces Association essentially takes care of the SF guys' families while they are gone - hopefully temporarily, but sometimes forever (in the case of the Gold Star Families). A water heater goes out while one of the guys is in Syria? SFA buys his wife a new water heater. A soldier is injured and stuck in a hospital in Germany/KSA/whoknowswhere? SFA buys his wife a plane ticket to visit him. An injured hero comes home and can't get around his own house because it's not handicap-friendly? SFA is there to help. Basically all the things Big Army doesn't do that fall through the cracks - SFA takes up the slack. Chapter 38 is the local chapter who takes care of SF soldiers at Ft. Campbell, so all your money stays local and supports the guys we all know. More info on the SFA in general can be found here: http://www.specialforcesassociation.org/ This is a National Association, with local Chapters assigned to each area. Anyone with direct knowledge PLEASE feel free to correct me or add to my description - this is the best I can do from my limited involvement so far. Any misrepresentations are due to my own ignorance.

As usual - the best place by far to stay up to date and informed of all the discussions of this event is the Facebook Event Page at https://www.facebook.com/events/603980326679388/. Click "Interested" or "Going" and check your notification settings and you should be dinged any time anything new is posted there. Maybe. Hell - FB is a big phat mystery to me most of the time so I just do the best I can! For anti-FBers I will try to repost what I think is important here, so here goes: This Match celebrates the traditions of the Green Beret’s and the legacy of Special Forces from WWII to present. Stages are based on the history of 5th Special Forces Group from Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq to the destruction of IS and the current fight. Participants will be challenged both mentally and physically to balance both their intellect and skills on the clock, or against the threat. This match is an opportunity to test rifle and pistol skills in stages based on combat situations faced by members of The Legion throughout their history. Both a 5k(ish) with [TBD] shooting stages and a 10k(ish) with [TBD] shooting stages will be offered, so you can choose your level of challenge. Match fees will be a little bit higher this year to better benefit the SFA: $100 for the 5k and $150 for the 10k. Proceeds from this match will be donated to the Special Forces Association, Chapter 38 – an organization dedicated to supporting the Soldiers and families of the Special Forces Community. For an idea what you might expect, check out last year's match video at https://youtu.be/_Y-38wzV29A or match pictures by Lisa Stennett at https://www.flickr.com/photos/163548466@N06/albums/72157699713389221/page1 WHAT YOU NEED: Minimum Rifle Round Count: TBD (10k) or TBD (5k) Minimum Pistol Round Count: TBD (10k) or TBD (5k) (Recommend carrying 2 x minimum rnd count. Also, there will be a side matches you can shoot as well) - Rifle that can reach out to 300 yds - Rifle sling - Enough rifle magazines to hold the minimum rifle round count at least - Enough rifle magazine pouches to hold your rifle magazines - Pistol with secure holster (must cover trigger guard) - Enough pistol magazines to hold the minimum pistol round count at least - Enough pistol magazine pouches to hold your pistol magazines - Headlamp for navigating the cave to/from the shooting portion (you cannot use a weapon mounted light for navigating the cave) - Tac light (pistol mounted or hand held) for the shooting portion in the cave - Clear Eye Protection - Hearing Protection TIMELINE: 7 SEPT 0630 - Registration 0730 - Shooters Meeting/Safety Brief 0800 - First Runner TBD - Awards Ceremony 8 SEPT 0630 - Registration 0730 - Shooters Meeting/Safety Brief 0800 - First Runner TBD - Awards Ceremony Questions - post on this event page as you're probably not the only one with the question. Or you can contact: Match Director Matt Stennett mstennett@twlakes.net All pictures by Lisa Stennett

Outstanding - welcome! Keep the weekend of September 7th open. The Legion 9/11 Memorial Run N Gun will be held at Rockcastle Shooting Center as a benefit for the Special Forces Association, Chapter 38 (to benefit the troops of the 5th Special Forces Group out of Ft Campbell). More info will be posted here in the next month or two.

This will be my last post on this match and I'll let it die a good death: One of my measurements to see if the match had an appropriate difficulty level is what I call the "DNF Rate" - in other words, how many people could not finish each stage in the required 3 minute par time. If everyone finishes every stage, the match is probably too easy. A 50% DNF rate for a single stage is not a deal-breaker, but a 70% DNF rate means the stage is too hard. And if we have MANY stages with a high DNF rate, that means the overall difficulty level is too high. The graphs below look at this in two different ways. The top graph shows me how many people DNF'd each stage (for example, 38% of the 5k competitors could not complete The Rifleman stage). The bottom graph shows me how many people had multiple DNF's (for example, 22% of the 10k competitors finished the match with only one DNF). I am happy to report NOT ONE SINGLE COMPETITOR DNF'd every single stage of their match. Sometimes that happens, and it's never fun. So overall, I think this was about the right difficulty - or maybe a smidge on the "too easy" side. I was a little surprised that The Rifleman is still the most DNF'd stage we have - that tells me I need to leave it in there awhile yet.

Here's the official compilation video of the 2019 Rockcastle Run N Gun 5k & 10k. Share it with your friends and family to give them a 4 1/2 minute glimpse at the awesomeness you accomplished last weekend, to try to talk someone new into trying it next year, or to give our sponsors some well-deserved love. Big thanks to Rockcastle Shooting Center, Nosler, Tactical Tailor, Magpul Industries Corp., Samson Manufacturing, Dillon Precision Products, Inc, Vortex Optics, and Hornady. Photos by Lisa Stennett and Megan Dudley. Music by Steve Vai.

More pics: these come from Megan Dudley, wife of match winner Logan Dudley. As before, feel free to use them but please credit Megan when you do. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mmdudley/albums?fbclid=IwAR2AcPrcJGKhyhdql8aOiL7_UQSb79GI79K2nu_oYKF0po0AvKo6W5ENbeA

And the last piece of data: the equipment summary. I did collect rifle manufacturer data, but the list was just too long to put into a simple pie chart - it seems like there was pretty much one of everything!

The photos my wife took are now up at https://www.flickr.com/photos/163548466@N06/albums/72157707498359015/with/32500620447/ As always, feel free to use these however you like, but PLEASE CREDIT LISA STENNETT AS THE PHOTOGRAPHER if you do. Especially if they get used for any commercial function. There were a few other photographers out on the course, and I hope to have links to their photos here soon. Taking, editing, and posting this many pictures is LOT of work - so please show your appreciation to all of them!