GORUCK builds camaraderie through challenges

Participants of the GORUCK light training at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., maneuver through a water obstacle, Aug. 26, 2016. GORUCK light is a snapshot of the type of training that Special Operations Forces participate in and all proceeds benefit the Green Beret Foundation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Louis Briscese)

GORUCK builds camaraderie through challenges

Participants of the GoRuck light training at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., get doused with water while doing pushups, Aug. 26, 2016. GoRuck light is a snapshot of the type of training that Special Operations Forces participate in and all proceeds benefit the Green Beret Foundation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Louis Briscese)

GORUCK builds camaraderie through challenges

Participants of the GORUCK Light training at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., endure through a 6-mile march, Aug. 26, 2016. GORUCK Light is a snapshot of the type of training that Special Operations Forces participate in and all proceeds benefit the Green Beret Foundation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Louis Briscese)

GORUCK builds camaraderie through challenges

GORUCK cadre “Mikey” motivates Jenny Gupton as she struggles to hold the rucksack over her head during the GORUCK Light training at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., Aug. 26. GORUCK Light is a snapshot of the type of training that Special Operations Forces participate in and all proceeds benefit the Green Beret Foundation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Louis Briscese)

GORUCK builds camaraderie through challenges

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt Natalie Floyd, NCOIC operations, 60th Force Support Squadron, Travis Air Force Base, Calif., checks in Senior Airman Alex Robinson, 60th Aerial Port Squadron for the GORUCK Light training at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., Aug. 26. GORUCK Light is a snapshot of the type of training that Special Operations Forces participate in and all proceeds benefit the Green Beret Foundation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Louis Briscese)

GORUCK builds camaraderie through challenges

Published Sept. 1, 2016
By Senior Airman Amber Carter
60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - “Failure is not an option. Others have been here and they’ve done what’s being asked of you and you can do it, too. Show up and show yourself that you know you have what it takes. Step into the unknown, where you have control over nothing except your attitude and gear. Master both and become a team,” was the advice given by Senior Airman Janiel Vazquez, 60th Force Support Squadron fitness special event coordinator, to participants in the GORUCK Light event Aug. 26 at Travis Air Force Base, California.

More than 30 individuals participated in the grueling 5 to 6-hour team-building challenge that can cover anywhere from 5 to 10 miles. Participants are not made aware of how far or how long they will be competing.

“GORUCK is an event that is inspired by the most elite training offered to Special Forces soldiers and led by Green Berets,” said Vazquez. “(It) is a team event and never a race. The cadre build each class into a team through collective conditions of mental and physical exhaustion.”

The event included marching more than six miles with weighted ruck sacks to a mud pit and tunnel crawl. After being sprayed by water trucks, they completed a Humvee pull and elephant walk, among other physical challenges.

“The goal of the event is to support a healthy lifestyle in an innovative way at any fitness level,” said Vazquez. “As well as present our participants with the opportunity to challenge themselves while cultivating new relationships founded on overcoming obstacles.”

The challenges can last longer and go on for greater distances if the team needs it in order to fully become a team.

“This year’s event was wildly successful,” said Vazquez. “Each and every person that came out conquered the challenge and left with a smile. That’s what it is all about.”

GORUCK Light is an annual event that offers more than your typical 5K.

“It’s not something you just do to do, it is a story, an experience,” said Vazquez. “We all want to be inspired, to overcome something we perceived as impossible or ‘too hard.’ GORUCK is a part of creating your story, it is about the teamwork, leadership, camaraderie, smiles and a gut-check worthy of Spec Ops training.”