I recently completed the Gamut Challenge, a two-day event in Florida that combined running/rucking over 26 miles and rifle/pistol shooting across 16 stages.
Created by Bob Keller, a former Ranger, Green Beret and Delta Force operator, this event was more of a challenge than a competition, designed to test your physical and shooting abilities in a unique format unlike any other competition I’ve participated in.
Matt asked me to share my experience and insights from this adventure with readers of this site. If you’re a fan of the Everyday Marksman blog (like me!) and you believe in the mission of:
- Training “tactical” defensive shooting skills with the pistol and rifle
- Treating your marksmanship as a Martial Art
- Building and improving your Tactical Fitness
And most importantly using competition as a pathway of testing, refining and improving all these multidisciplinary skills then I think the Gamut Challenge is worth your time and attention.
Editor’s Note from Matt
I’d like to thank Caleb for writing this after action review up. He first sent me an email with a video attachment about his experience doing the Gamut Challenge. I was impressed enough that I asked him to do a full on written After Action Review. So enjoy, and thank you, Caleb!
What is the Gamut Challenge?
The Gamut Challenge is described simply on the website as:
… a two-day event consisting of over 20 miles of running or rucking, incorporating 16 different shooting scenarios with a variety of shooting positions.
Within these events you will have to navigate through obstacles, shoot from moving vehicles, shoot and move with both carbine and pistol, perform one man Close Quarter Battle (CQB) and engage multiple targets.
The Course Description PDF linked on their website goes into more details, including what equipment to bring and the like. At its heart, the Gamut Challenge is the twisted “Run & Gun” style brainchild of former Delta Force Operator Bob Keller.
The Gamut Challenge was based on some of Bob’s experience going through military Selection courses to join elite units like Special Forces (Green Berets) and Delta Force – and giving you a taste of what selection feels like.
The first way this event mirrors Selection is that the Gamut Challenge is very ruck-focused. That means you’ll have to carry a 35lb dry weight ruck for many of the promised miles over the weekend.
The second way the Gamut Challenge gives you a taste of Selection, is that the times and distances of all the running and rucking in the event are “unknown standards”.
In short, you won’t know what path you’ll be rucking or running or how long the distance is at any time – you’ll simply have instructions to follow a certain course. It could be 2 miles or 20 miles, and it’s up to you to pace yourself and do your best.
In fact, it’s my understanding that Bob purposefully keeps the details of the entire event somewhat secretive. There isn’t much information given out about stages and requirements- somewhat like Delta Selection. In that spirit, I’ll be intentionally vague in giving exact details for much of the challenge.
Scheduling
The Gamut Challenge is currently held twice per year and from talking with past competitors who had done previous challenges, it changes every time. This includes each of the shooting stages, and also the courses and routes for the rucking and running.
Finally, during the whole event, you’ll be required to carry at least your “fighting load” during all times. That means your pistol, your rifle, six magazines for each, and all your kit–obviously during the rucking portions but even for the runs, we were told to drop our rucks but make sure we carried everything else.
My Experience During the Gamut Challenge
My full experience is covered in the Gamut Challenge video posted to my Patriot Training Center channel:
The bottom line up front?
It was super fun and I’d definitely do it again and if I do, I plan to win it in the future.
It was my first time signing up, and with almost no information online, I didn’t know what to expect. In the end, out of 30+ competitors, I placed 8th, but could have made Top 3 if not for my biggest mistake (covered below).
What I Did Well
The one thing I did well training for this challenge was taking the physical training – specifically the rucking and running – very seriously.
As I stated in the video, anyone could complete this challenge with enough grit and a don’t-quit attitude (as evidenced by the oldest competitor at 65yrs old finishing), so if you just want a fun way to test yourself and have fun shooting, then go for it!
However, if you want to be competitive at all, you should take your physical training seriously.
I think the Martial Marksman Physical calculator is a great resource if you’re new to the idea of Tactical Fitness – which I would define as a constantly evolving blend of Strength, Power, Conditioning/Cardio and healthy body composition with an eye towards performance.
If you met all of the Martial Marksman minimum standards, you’d be able to easily finish the event. However, I don’t think it would be enough to place in the top 10, if you’re not focused more on exceeding the minimum conditioning targets.
Just like strength, you’d want to build a reserve of conditioning for this event if you hope to be competitive. For example, your 1-mile run time – at max effort – should not be a flat 8:00 mins… the same with rucking with an 8-Mile Ruck with 35lbs at the Army standard 15/min mile pace in 2hrs… you’d want to train above those standards to be competitive.
I did not think I would win first place my first time competing, however I wanted to place in the Top 5, with my goal of Top 10 guaranteed.
Having ZERO idea what that would require, but because I have a strength background, am somewhat athletic from a lifetime of Martial Arts and mixed strength/conditioning training, I knew my biggest weakness would be the rucking/running.
On Ruck Training
For rucking, because I’m 5’5” (on a tall day) and weigh around 145lbs, even meeting the minimum Army standards of 15 min miles is impossible for me just “marching” (walking). As an example, I can’t currently walk unweighted (no ruck) faster than about 15:40 min miles. Additionally, there are plenty of studies that show once the load you’re carrying exceeds 30% of bodyweight – performance is severely impacted – which my low bodyweight doesn’t help either.
By way of comparison, a 6+ft tall, 180-200lb male might be able to comfortably walk a 13-14 min mile pace with a 35lb ruck that represents only 17-19% of his body weight.
I’ve never been one to worry or subscribe to lack of genetic potential or care about any of these things, but physics does have a say in these matters.
The point is that I had zero idea of exactly how hard this event would be, what exact mileage I would be running or rucking, other than 20 miles over two days in some combo of the two, or what other physical challenges would be present, so I decided to prepare for everything with a focus on my ruck/run times.
To do this, I followed a structured base building phase of running, then a focused multi-week program of running training for speed in the 2 and 5 mile distances, then a final 12-week program from Terminator Training designed for people training up for SFAS Selection.
I figured that because Green Beret Selection involves many of the same requirements as the Gamut Challenge, my goals were the same goals that candidates for SFAS are told to train up for. There’s the minimum standard for Green Beret Selection then the “actual” goal times recommended by SFAS leadership recently updated in 2024.
To borrow a phrase I’ve heard the Spec Ops guys say, “Exceeding the Standard is the Standard”. That would be my guiding north star in training.
In short, I had a successful train up with no injuries and completed almost every workout session over multiple months as planned. I’d have to double check my training logs, but probably less than 10 sessions overall were modified or in the rare case skipped entirely due to family emergencies, work travel, sickness, etc.
In the end, I improved my 2-mile run time to 13:09, did my first sub-6 mile in my life at 5:55 mins, and improved my 5-mile run time to 38:05. While I didn’t have time to test it again specifically, my last 4.79 mile tempo run before a planned deload was holding 7:31 min or less mile splits.
I actually did not get a chance to test my 12-mile Ruck time, but did a 10 mile ruck with 45lb dry weight + water, etc. in 2hrs 26 mins (14:40/mile pace) in early January. I’ve never done an Army Combat Fitness Test, but I was doing sets of 340+lbs Trap Bar Deadlifts for 3-5 reps during normal strength training blocks. I also completed a 400lb 1RM before starting any of this run/ruck focused training, which would easily max the deadlift on that test and my 12-week SFAS training prep included a lot of weighted carries.
If there was any area to improve on, it would be my ruck times – driving those down as much as possible.
The biggest roadblock for my train up was simply having time to train.
I actually really enjoy the process of training, so I would have doubled my training time investment if I had been able. However, I not only work from home as the owner of multiple businesses, but I have two children under four years old, family responsibilities, etc. I’m already up at 4 AM for work and end around 4 PM most days. Combined with the other responsibilities of life, I could really only carve out 1hr or less per day Monday to Friday and two hours on Saturday for longer ruck sessions.
I averaged about six hours per week of training (strength/Gym + all endurance) and around 20-22 miles of combined rucking/running per week during the highest load weeks.
Because I was training less time than I would have liked, I tried to compensate for the rucking by carrying at least 45lbs dry (most times my ruck would weigh 50lbs before water). That’s higher than the required 35lb minimum load, which helps, but you just can’t beat time on your feet for this type of endurance training.
My estimate to win the competition, as far as physical performance, would be to double that training load/weekly time investment aiming for around 40-50 miles per week of combined running/rucking.
The bottom line is that my running and overall conditioning improved dramatically, I’ve never been in better all around shape which is awesome. I also retained a lot of my base level strength, even though the focus in the preceding 12-16 weeks was very much endurance focused.
My Biggest Mistake and What I’d Do Differently Next Time
It’s always good to do an AAR (After Action Review) of these types of events to see what you could have done better.
For the physical training, there are really only two major things I’d do differently.
First, I would have done more “Full Dress Rehearsal” rucks/runs.
I did most of my running and rucking outside around my neighborhood, without much privacy from neighbors. Even the trail runs/rucks on Saturday were in populated areas. Because of this I just wore workout clothes and my ruck because I didn’t want to freak people out running around with a rifle. I eventually purchased the cheapest treadmill I could find and did only one full loadout – with kit, pistol, rifle, ruck, etc – in the basement during the final training session.
Doing some of your workouts with all your gear is helpful because this reveals how your gear is going to work for you when doing these long movements. Plus, you get to experience how the weight of your ruck, AND how all of your kit (holsters, belt, chest rig, etc) feels.
Probably most importantly, you also learn how to carry your rifle while rucking and running. Even when you do the run portions of the event, you drop your ruck, but you’re still wearing all your kit. In my case, the gun belt, the chest rig, and the pistol and rifle. There’s no easy way to carry all that and run and ruck. More practice would help.
Gear Breakdown
In the above below, I break down all the gear I used during the challenge. I basically ran a variation of my “SHTF Modern Minuteman Kit” which was put together for much the same reasons as described in multiple places on the Everyday Marksman blog for extreme scenarios.
The fact is that 99% of the time, I train with my rifle pretty “slick”. That means without extra kit, much like most of our students who take our rifle classes–running just one extra magazine out of a back pants pocket–as that’s somewhat more realistic to the majority of defensive rifle scenarios for civilians in our currently functioning society.
However, I do look forward to the opportunity to train in and test out my kit and gear, like the Gamut Challenge provided.
Belt System
Matt has an excellent article on battle belt setups, and his progression towards a more lightweight belt system. I’ve found my evolution of belt setups to mirror that same path. The system I like the most thus far is the Inner/outer belt setup as described in Matt’s article, and my own consisted of a WPS/Blue Alpha Gear MOLLE 1.75” double belt system with a Safariland 6354DO ALS Red Dot Holster (using a Safariland UBL Mide-Ride mount to clear the belt line with Trex Arms Thigh Strap), one Spiritus Systems JSTA Pouch (with a Esstac 556 KYWI (Kydex Wedge Insert) and one Spiritus elastic mag pouch), one Esstac 1+1 Rifle/Pistol Mag Pouch, and one 40-degree Angled Single Pistol mag pouch.
This gave me the ability to carry two rifle mags and up to 3 pistol mags on my waistline.
Chest Rig
Normally, if I had time to put on a battle rattle type kit it would be because I would know I’m about to get into a fight (with a rifle nonetheless), so I would probably opt for a plate carrier for additional ballistic protection. However, for the Gamut Challenge, I decided to use a chest rig for two reasons.
One, because I normally use the plate carrier, I haven’t gotten much training time with the chest rig. Two, because I wanted to skip the weight penalty of wearing plates.
I ran a simple Haley Strategic D3CRX Heavy Chest Rig with kydex inserts. This gave me the ability to run 4 rifle mags and two pistol mags. I really didn’t use the other pouches, except for one for my phone which I needed during various checkpoints in the Challenge.
Weapons
As far as actual guns, I used a Glock 17 Gen 5 MOS with Holosun 507Comp, upgraded with C&H Precision mounting plate, and a Johnny Glocks flat faced competition modified Glock Performance Trigger.
For a “rifle”, I used our brand-new PTC Armory AR-15 pistol prototype that we just finished before the competition and the first stage of the match was the very first time I fired this gun (more on that mistake below). This is because I was super eager to test this new prototype across multiple shooting challenges and various distances from up close and fast to over 100yds and this was a great opportunity to do so.
Because it’s a pistol, it has a 11.5” short barrel. However it’s still a sub-MOA AR-15 that shot a .946 MOA group during our proof testing before leaving the shop. Equipped with a SB Tactical Pistol Brace, Frank Proctor adjustable sling, Holosun HS515CM Red Dot and Surefire 1640DF Scout Light Pro Dual Fuel tactical light, this was an extremely light and capable setup that performed amazing for me.
The Ruck
Finally, I used a GoRuck Rucker backpack with the GoRuck hip belt. I loaded mine with old steel body armor plates and extra ammo to meet the 35lb dry weight requirement and used a Source 3L bladder for hydration.
More details on how I ran everything and my thoughts on the gear setup are in the video.
Physical Challenges
The other only physical challenge I wasn’t prepared for was the Obstacle Course (which I had never done), specifically the rope climb. For the rope climb, I didn’t have a chance to learn the “correct” technique that most obstacle course racers or crossfitters use where you use your legs to unload your arms. So when I did the rope climb I just muscled my way up. In the end, it was fine and I had a respectable 7.5 min or thereabouts obstacle course time (others struggled as a worst case and the best case was a new course record set that day slightly over 5 mins). But yes, rope climbing is a skill I should have practiced, though it didn’t hold me back much.
For the shooting part of the competition my biggest mistake was DRAMATICALLY underestimating the time penalties for missed shots. In short, every miss adds a LOT of time to your score. As you can see from my results, my eighth place finish would have soared to a top 3 finish if I had just 50% less misses.
My BIG Mistake: Underestimating the Shooting Challenges
The bottom line is that I was a bit arrogant, and I assumed I could easily outshoot any of the stages. I did my daily dryfire routines with pistol and rifle, however I was not able to consistently do live fire at the range even once per week during the trainup. This was a mistake.
Since I underestimated the time penalties of misses, and because I wanted to test the new AR-15 pistol prototype design we had been working on at PTC Armory that was finished a day before this competition. My head armorer zeroed it for me and I literally had never shot this AR-15 before the first stage of the competition. I did some dryfire of course in the hotel room the night before, but that’s it.
The end result of this was that the specific combo of red dot, mount and this AR-15 really punished me at closer than zero distance and I missed a LOT of the 3” circle targets that Bob is a fan of. As the event continued, I figured out my hold-overs much better, but this is NOT something you want to figure out on the fly! You should practice tons of ready-up drills with a high level of accuracy (again, 3” dots) from various distances 5yds, 10yds, 15yds, etc. with both your pistol and rifle so you know all your holds subconsciously for those distances.
If you look at the ultimate winner of the event, his ruck and run times still beat me by over an hour for two-days, but he was also an excellent shooter. He barely added an hour to his total time in misses (over 16 shooting stages), while I added 7 hours.
In short, prepare physically, but even if you’re a good shooter do not underestimate how badly misses will affect your total score. Take accuracy very seriously, more seriously than USPSA or even IDPA style shooting where (most times) misses still score, but lesser points. For many of these stages, misses don’t score and only add to your total time. That also doesn’t mean “be super slow and get all your hits” – because every stage has a par time and any targets not shot are counted as misses if you don’t finish in time too.
The Ultimate Challenge for Martial Marksmen
I found the Gamut Challenge to be one of the most enjoyable shooting competitions I’ve ever done! I still remember the very first IDPA match I ever shot, and as I was reloading between stages I realized I couldn’t wipe the big smile off my face because I was having so much fun.
In the same way, at multiple times during the Gamut Challenge – I would look around, sweating under the sun, humping my ruck up a steep, sand-covered hill, lungs burning, shifting the weight of my rifle and couldn’t stop smiling because it was so much fun and I was so thankful to God I get to do stuff like this.
It provided a very challenging and mentally stimulating blend of all the fundamentals that are important to being a prepared American citizen – the modern embodiment of a “well regulated” militia – from mentality, physical fitness, athleticism, marksmanship with both a pistol and rifle and pushing yourself past your limits to try and meet an unknown standard.
If you’d like to experience a fun challenge, get a taste of selection and have a ton of fun doing it, then I highly recommend checking out the Gamut Challenge. Especially if you’re a fan of the Everyday Marksman and the topics often discussed here, I think you should give it a look.
