#crystaltidbit

Crystal Tidbit

We're extremely proud of Jonathan Hurtado, our Software Engineer, having completed nearly 40 GORUCK challenges!

I’ve done almost 40 GORUCK Challenges, which can range from 6 to 24 hours depending on the event.  I’ve completed a few Challenges back-to-back and even back-to-back-to-back (the longest was 79 hours including breaks).  On average, I have carried 40 pounds on my back, and have rucked in total over 500 miles (not counting the ones I’ve done in training).  The Challenges are team-based events and is what GORUCK is known for.  Selection deviates from that norm as it is an individual event.

On September 28th, 2017, I attempted the hardest endurance event in the world, GORUCK Selection. It’s a 48-hour endurance event based on the Army Special Forces Selection and Assessment test, and has earned its notorious moniker with an average pass rate of less than 5%. Each participant is required to bring a weighted rucksack (45 pounds without food and water) and pass a PT test (55 push-ups in 2 minutes, 65 sit-ups in 2 minutes, 5 mile run under 40 minutes, and 12-mile ruck march in under 3 hours and 30 minutes) before starting the event.

My goal was to finish Selection, but I unfortunately came up short as I quit 25 hours into the event. It was a humbling loss, and while I trained hard, it was apparent that my mental strength wasn’t as strong as I thought it was. I made it to the final two, which says something, and with some additional training, I’m confident that I’ll finish it next time. It was an excellent learning experience, and revealed some truths about myself that I wouldn’t have found otherwise.

The biggest takeaways from this experience is that if your ‘why’ for doing something is not strong enough, then it will not pull you from your weakest moments that will cause you to quit. The body will also lie to you in terms of your ability to do something when it’s pushed to a perceived limit, so you have to fight through that because you can always do more. And quitting can NEVER, EVER be an option. I learned that the hard way, but this experience will ensure that those lessons will be with me for the rest of my life.

Jonathan Hurtado Software Engineer Crystal Dynamics

Learn more at: news.goruck.com/event-news/selection-019-the-definitive-edition/