Special Forces Challenge - Day One of Selection
Get ready for a soul-challenging, body-breaking grinder as we kick off a military inspired event like no other.
Date and time
Location
Northern Virginia 4-H Educational & Conference Center, 4h Center Drive, Front Royal, VA, USA
600 4h Center Drive Front Royal, VA 22630Refund Policy
Agenda
6:00 AM - 7:00 AM
Event Registration
7:00 AM - 7:30 AM
Safety and 1st Event Brief
7:30 AM - 8:00 AM
Move to Start Line and Individual Warm Up
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
RFL Test
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Prepare for the Swimming Assessment
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Swimming Assessment
12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
Prepare for the BET (Battle Efficiency Test)
12:30 PM - 3:30 PM
BET
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Prepare for the Battle Run (a.k.a., Hounds and Hares)
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Battle Run / Hounds and Hares
6:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Post Activity Administration
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Good Food, Prize Giving, and Socializing
About this event
- 14 hours 30 minutes
Special Forces (SF) Challenge - Day One of Selection
Inspired by the Special Air Service (SAS) Selection Course this is your opportunity to test your training, strength, endurance and most importantly resolve as you tackle a series of demanding military physical assessments.
Prove to yourself that you have what it takes to be part of the elite Special Forces team by completing all activities to the minimum standard (or just finishing them is ok too). This is You vs You vs The Standards.
Proceeds from this event will help under-privileged children attend the 4-H summer camp and impact their lives through experiences and exposure to outdoor activities.
Your path to completing the SF Challenge - Day One of Selection begins with a
1.5 mile timed run to test your cardiovascular (VO2 max) fitness.
This is followed by Push Ups, Sit Ups and Pulls Ups to assess your core and upper body strength.
After this first gate you will carry on and conduct a swimming assessment. This is not to a fitness test or a test of your swimming skills but it is to ensure that you can survive a fall into water. As such, this will be completed in clothing but without shoes.
The swimming assessment consists of a water entry followed by treading water for 3 minutes then a 50y swim and 15y underwater swim.
You will then complete a 5 mile timed ruck march finishing in under 72 minutes and carrying a minimum combined 70lbs load.
At the completion of the ruck you will drop your pack but not weight vest and complete a 25y body drag, 75y fireman's carry and 20' rope climb.
The final activity is a 5 mile run wearing a 20lbs wieght vest.
Individually, all of these activities are difficult but when done consecutively they are the
SF Challenge - Day One of Selection.
Anyone who signs up has our respect. Period.
It also doesnt matter what happens on the day as everyone will receive some really cool swag.
If your goal is to complete the event then you will be challenged by the constant physical exertion, which is designed to get you passed your comfort level so you can see how much you have left to give.
You are welcome to move at a pace comfortable to you and bypass any task at your discretion. You can adjust the loads you need to carry and may use devices such as bands to assist with the events. You are also able to eat and rest as much as you like, move around and interact with your support crew.
In order to 'PASS' the day (we call this receiving a Ticket to Day Two of Selection (Please note that there is no Day Two for this activity):
- You will need to complete all events to the minimum standard.
- Not eat or consume anything other than water.
- Not move around after events or interact with anyone except staff.
- Not take pain killers or stimulants.
It is likely that only a small percentage of people will successfully complete this to the required standard and earn a Challenge Coin.
Additionally, for those seeking to pass the day then once the process commences you will receive no positive or negative reinforcement. The staff are there for safety and coordination only so you will need to find the drive and determination within you in order to complete the SF Challenge - Day One of Selection.
Frequently asked questions
Activity Location: Northern Virginia 4-H Educational & Conference Center 600 4h Center Dr, Front Royal, VA 22630
Yes. Ample parking is available and you will be directed where to park.
You will need to bring the following: shoes for running, shoes/boots for walking, shorts and tee-shirt for running, one pair of trousers and a long sleeve shirt for swimming, one pair of trousers and a long sleeve shirt for walking, hat, sports socks and walking socks, change of underwear.
You will need a backpack for the Ruck Walk capable of carrying a load greater than 50lbs. You will need either a chest rig, webbing, plate carrier or weight vest. If you do not have any of those then we will provide you with a weight vest. This must be able to support a load of 20lbs.
In order to pass there is only one attempt recorded. However, if you cannot complete the task on the first attempt or you go beyond the cut-off time then you will simply carry on to the next event. You can also elect not to undertake any activity for any reason and/or modify it as required.
We believe that the true testament of your character is about signing up and taking on this challenge. This is why the swag is not for finishing but is for showing up.
Yes. There will be ample water stations provided throughout.
Yes. There will be multiple toilets/changing areas available.
Yes. After you finish we will gather together at an informal prize giving ceremony with food provided.
Yes. There will be plenty of tasty food for participants and spectators.
We will happily greet you at the finish line with a beer! At the moment, we are determining if we can make alcohol available for purchase. However, you are welcome to bring your own and we will provide ice.
Not specifically for this event. We recommend a running heavy program similar to training for a marathon. This should be supplemented with body weight resistance exercises, pack walking and some swimming. https://www.buildingtheelite.com/ have information about training for this type of event.
Webbing is the name for the equipment carried by soldiers. This has largely been replaced by body armour (a.k.a., plate carrier). This is used to carry all of your magazines, water, radios and other personal equipment. As most people do not have this then a weight vest is sufficient.
The reasoning behind the inability to eat etc. is that it creates an additional layer of stress for SF Candidates. It also mimics a situation that they are likely to encounter during combat operations, which is the ability to keep going and performing at a high standard despite limited food.