Matt in TN

While we're waiting on picture processing, I figured I'd start sharing data: We had 167 total competitors over the weekend: 87 for the 5k and 80 for the 10k. 61 of those were Military (31 5k and 30 10k), and 8 were ladies (3 5k and 5 10k). 90% of the 5k people ran Race Class and 10% ran Combat Class, while 85% of the 10k runners went Race Class and 15% went Combat Class. We had people from 20 different states represented. The below map shows which states - the bigger the dot, the more people came from that state.

I just sent an email to all paid competitors with the final match details. Check your spam folders if you don't see it, and if you still can't find it let me know and I'll see what happened. Here's the most important part: Registration is between 6:30am and 7:30am on the morning of the match. You will sign a waiver and randomly draw your start time. If you do not get registered before 7:30am, you will not be allowed to shoot. Be there.

Today's final prize pack comes from Magpul Industries Corp. - who sent almost $1,100.00 worth of 30 rd .223 mags, 25 rd .308 mags, and 21 rd Glock 9mm magazines. I use Magpul exclusively in my AR10 and Glock, and as expected they are flawless! This gives us a grand total of $5,600.00 in prizes for the match - which will be given away in a completely random draw method during the awards ceremony. The prize really is the match itself, but everyone has an equal chance of taking home some great gear provided by our generous sponsors. BE SURE to thank them and help promote their products in return - or they most definitely will not see the benefit of continuing to do this in the future.

Samson Manufacturing donates so much to prize tables across the shooting sports, sometimes I wonder how they stay in business! This match is no exception, with two SXS-LW handguards coming from them. After seeing how well they did for Bryan Ray and Brian Vaught, I bought one for my daughter's M4gery a couple years ago. It went from a 1.5 MOA rifle to a sub-MOA rifle, all while getting lighter and cooler-looking to boot! Who else is running Samson gear, and what do you like about it? https://www.samson-mfg.com/

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 your 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 a bunch of 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.

I just found out our own Lacey Caroline is not only working her butt off all weekend to RO for you and running her own 10k race - but is bringing her guitar as well. Maybe if you guys are extra nice she will treat you to a mini-concert one night. At the very least - like her FB page and check out her webpage. Even better, buy some stuff from her website! https://www.facebook.com/LaceyCarolineOfficial/?__tn__=%2CdK-R-R&eid=ARDDsx--hJeOzYdC5uACHkISYfeZ9toZYOKdM2aqPQMxz0yXgAfwLF2lhP3V8GGcAU0W4bZln-uyTMmr&fref=mentions https://www.laceycaroline.com/home

Reminder: tomorrow at midnight is the last day to withdraw and receive a 50% refund. ANY WITHDRAWLS AFTER SATURDAY MARCH 2ND AT MIDNIGHT WILL RECEIVE NO REFUND. Still please do withdraw through Practiscore after that if you can't make it though. We have a ton of people on the waitlist who would love to have your spot if you can't be there!

Today's prize pack comes from Vortex Optics. They generously sent FOUR Crossfire Red Dots for a total value of almost $900.00! Be sure to thank them, and post up here if you run a Vortex product to tell everyone what you use and why you like it! http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/crossfire-red-dots-2-moa

Reminder: If you want a t-shirt, you MUST have your order in by 5pm this Friday, March 1st. T-shirts are only being sold online and shipped to you directly. There will be NO t-shirts for sale at the event. Direct link to buy the shirt is here: https://www.shredderlife.com/shop/2019-rockcastle-run-n-gun/

Today's prize table goodness comes courtesy of Nosler. They sent over $600 worth of reloading components, including 500 70gr RDF bullets, 500 85gr RDF bullets, and 500 pieces of .223 brass. I've used their Custom Competition bullets for years in my FAL and AR-10 with great success, but have yet to try the new RDF bullets. Nosler makes good stuff! https://www.nosler.com/rdf-bullet

Someone pointed out I forgot to include details in the Course of Fire about the obstacle at Stage 3. I've fixed that and uploaded updated COFs to the Practiscore site, so feel free to visit and download the latest copy. But if you just want to see that obstacle, here it is: Stage 3 Obstacle: Drop your rifle (and pack if wearing one), and navigate the stepped balance beam down the hill to the cave entrance. If at any point you touch the ground, climb back to the top of the hill and start over.

Prizes are continuing to roll in. Hornady sent over $600 worth of gear for the prize table, including their Lock-N-Load Iron Press! Be sure to thank them for their support - most importantly as a note in your order when you buy some of their great gear. And post up here if you have some Hornady gear you like to tell everyone about it! https://www.hornady.com/reloading/presses/lock-n-load-iron-press#!/

Reminder: tomorrow at midnight is the 30-day deadline to get a full refund if you withdraw. Here's the full cancellation policy, which is non-negotiable: 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.

T-shirts will ONLY be available online from https://www.shredderlife.com/shop/2019-rockcastle-run-n-gun/ Only one run will be made, you must order by March 1st to get one, and they will be shipped directly to your house. Big thanks to Shredder Industries for making this so easy on Match Directors! And there is the added bonus that $1 from each shirt sale goes to support Generation III Gun, a not for profit company founded to promote competitive shooting for Juniors (http://generation3gun.com/).

You guys can thank Bryan Ray for this: We're adding a rope climb as a "bonus" obstacle. Finish your race, take of your gear, and head over to the rope IF YOU SO CHOOSE. If you can climb the rope and ring the bell, we'll knock 10 minutes off your run time. This will be a 1.75" diameter poly rope 12' - 15' high. Climbing a rope is an important real-world skill, and I want to reward those who can do it! Speaking of obstacles - I also want to give a great big THANK YOU to Bryan Ray and his son Thomas, Ben Wolf, Ashley Edgcombe, Matt Webb, and my dear wife Lisa for spending a cold rainy Sunday with me building obstacles. The wall, the barbed wire crawl, and the balance beam are all on-site and available for training if you want to head up there - just check in with the Lodge first before wandering the property. I'm really happy with how the balance beam turned out. What started as a lame obstacle because I couldn't think of anything else that fit the geography there turned into something that I think is going to be really challenging for people. We'll see!

I've had a couple questions about scoring and rules. When in doubt, read the "Rules & Procedures" PDF available for download on the Practiscore Match Page. But here are the three big ones: 1. Your rifle must be UNLOADED when not actively shooting. If you are found with a round in your chamber or a magazine inserted in your rifle while running, you will be DQ'd and not allowed to finish the course. Bolts can remain closed to keep the dirt out, but you can NOT have a magazine inserted (even an empty magazine). 2. You CAN carry a loaded pistol in a secure holster, but if at any point in the course that loaded pistol comes out of the holster and hits the ground, you are DQ'd and cannot finish the course. This happens to some poor soul at almost every match, so be sure your holster is secure before you load up and go. If you carry your pistol unloaded and it falls - we'll just laugh at you and tell you to pick it up. YOU weigh the risks and rewards, and make your own decision on how to carry your pistol. You will NOT be given time to "load and make ready" before starting a shooting stage - you'll have to do that after the buzzer goes off. "Loaded" for the sake of this match means anything in the pistol - even a loaded magazine with an empty chamber. 3. Half of your score will be based on your net run time (overall run time minus any wait time you have), and half will be based on your shooting scores from all stages combined. So you must BOTH run fast and shoot well to score well. RNG Veterans - have I forgotten anything? RNG Newbies - do you have any questions or concerns?

The Wall is built. I don't understand why Trump is having such a hard time with this - it only took me a couple hours. You think I can get some of that $20 million gofundme money??? Here's a few ways you might use to get over. Get creative, and you can totally do this!

I'm having a "Run N Gun Work Day" at Rockcastle on Sunday, February 10th. All are welcome to lend a hand and help, and in return you'll get to see and practice on these things. I'll even have a small kayak on-hand to be sure the shooting lanes work for the boat stage. If there's time you can even run the (unmarked) course if you'd like for practice. You'll be digging post-holes to make a more sturdy barbed wire crawl at Doe Valley and a stepped balance beam at the Cave, assembling and setting the wall at the powerline cut, and clearing around the pond and testing for the boat stage. And depending on storm damage, possibly clearing some trees from the trail if needed. Or deciding to leave them as natural obstacles. You can come for an hour or all day - anything will be appreciated! Just let me know so I'm not out in the woods for hours while you're waiting at the Lodge and looking for me.

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: https://youtu.be/hq52C43sXD4

Tactical Tailor committed to send $500 worth of gear to be an obstacle sponsor - but then actually sent me almost $1,300 worth of gear. So I'm bumping them up to a full Stage Sponsor, of course! They sent 3 each of their covert rifle cases, shooters mats, and gym bags - and they look to be super high quality! Be sure to thank them and don't forget to look to them if you need any great RNG gear. https://www.tacticaltailor.com/

Some of you planning ahead and paying attention noticed a small blurb in the Course of Fire (downloadable on the Practiscore match page): "Get yourself and all your gear over a 6’ high wall" and had some questions and concerns. I'm posting here to make it fair for everyone. Yes, there will be a 6' high wall. Getting over a wall is a very real-world applicable skill and is something I definitely want to test. It will be vertical - no angles. It will have NO ropes, steps, handholds, etc. - it's just a wall. It will be 8' wide to allow more than one competitor to go over it at a time. But still - if you're struggling with the wall and another competitor comes up behind you, give them some room and learn from how they get over - then copy them! There is no "bypass" or "take the penalty and go on" provision for this or any other obstacle. You must complete it in order to continue. My ROs on-site have the authority to modify the challenge on a case by case basis as necessary - but only in very extreme situations (such as if a competitor has no arms). Make plans to figure out a way to do this, using only the gear you carry and your body itself. You are more than welcome to use a ladder - but you have to carry that ladder throughout the entire course! My hope is that everyone easily flies over the 6' wall this year, and we raise it to an 8' wall next year. Here are some good examples for techniques you might want to try:

I am pleased to announce Resiliency Outreach, Inc. will have three shooters running with the Staff on Friday, and CEO and former 5th Special Forces Group Sergeant Pat Russell will be on hand to talk about his various projects helping veterans on Saturday and Sunday. Money is always appreciated, but there are many other ways you can help if you want to get involved. Check out https://resiliencyoutreach.org/ for more information.

So you want to know who you're up against? We have 157 total competitors (81 5k and 76 10k), including staff. 23 of these nuts are going to run both races for the "15k Challenge". We have people coming from TWENTY different states to our little piece of Kentucky at what I like to call "Disneyland for Grownups" - better known as Rockcastle Shooting Center. Below are some basics on the competitors. If you haven't already, please visit your match management link on Practiscore and be sure your information is complete and correct. It will help me do more things like this going forward!

Being a small part of someone else's "life changing event" has been the biggest surprise and is now my favorite part of hosting these matches. FB settings made sharing this difficult, so I faked it with a screenshot and permission from Jackson. This dude poured every ounce of energy and willpower he had into the course last year - and now he's down 70 lbs and crushing triathlons! Who will be next???

Just a reminder - registration opens at 10:00am central time tomorrow morning. The 5k sold out in 17 minutes last year. Get in while you can! 5k link: https://www.practiscore.com/5k-rockcastle-run-n-gun-2019/register?fbclid=IwAR0uc0KuRLvd_dYoJGpAKgvGgQgEj0O0tLtFacROgY_Z2sKKz36Q1vXdj4M 10k link: https://www.practiscore.com/10k-rockcastle-run-n-gun-2019-clone-1/register?fbclid=IwAR34-UcIOSizv5IxPAuQ0bU1WypupMl4CGL2uBXFyxjT6CVtSUmtDRXIMIc