Itching to get in a ruck, but looking for some motivation? You can do your own Star Course, using our ready-made hit lists. All you need is a ruck and some weight and waypoints for your city. No need to register through our website, do these on your own to stay fit and grounded during these times of uncertainty.
Remember: it is critical that you follow all mandates from your specific city or state, CDC guidelines for COVID-19, and maintain safe social distancing. Even if your city is sheltered in place, you are usually still permitted to go outside for exercise. Be sure to stay six feet away from others and refrain from touching your face and anything in public spaces.
How it Works:
STEP 1: Download the hit list for your city.
DOWNLOAD HERE. Choose from 5k, 10k, 15k or 12 Miles. If your city doesn’t have a hit list, create your own. Pick the waypoints for a 12 miler (scaling down the mileage to one of the shorter distances above is easy to do on your own), fill out this form and we will add it to the public folder as soon as possible so that others can complete it too.
STEP 2: Get a rucksack (or any backpack) and some weight.
10 lbs if you weigh under 150 lbs and 20 lbs if you weigh over 150 lbs or want more of a challenge. Check out Ruck Plates, the best weight to ruck.
STEP 3: Plot your route and go to the waypoints.
Take a picture at each for more fun. Share with us on social @goruck for bragging rights too.
STEP 4: Make it to all of the waypoints in the following prescribed time limits:
5k – 2.5 hrs; 10k – 3 hrs; 15k – 3.5 hrs, 12 mi – 5 hrs.
Tips For Staying Safe:
- If you’re rucking alone, go out during daylight hours and avoid any areas or neighborhoods that could pose danger. Bring your cell phone in case of emergency.
- If a waypoint is a location (park or beach or building) that is currently closed, pick a new spot nearby – do not break any laws or unnecessarily tax law enforcement now or ever.
- Bring plenty of water and snacks. Stores and restaurants may be closed in your area, so bring everything you need to stay hydrated and energized.
Good luck and get rucking! Check out the Star Course Hit lists here.
I don’t see an SF course on the sprint series. Is there one coming or can I DIY?
If there is not a course in our state within the guidelines can we create one?
Hey Heather, check step 1. They outline how to do that.
Hey Jenna, check step 1. They outline how to do that.
if city is on lockdown, can we just use our Bike trail to get the 12 mile in?
also is the sprint more of a run/jog with ruck sack?
Hi Bobby, the Sprint is just the name for the shorter courses – you can still ruck at your pace without running. As for the bike trail, this is on the honor system so you do what you need to do to earn it. Otherwise, you can wait to do it when the lockdown restrictions are eased up. Stay well!
Hi Heather. You can take any of the waypoints for the SF Hit Lists to make a shorter course that works for you. The new submissions are for cities that do not have any Hit Lists. Stay well!
Hi all – for Jax Beaches Star Course – the attached doc left off the Beaches Veterans Memorial Park way-point. Stay safe everyone!
Is this challenge for April or extends until further notice? Love the idea!
Good morning! Awesome quarantine ruck challenge!
Was wondering, is it on the person who comes up with the hit list to make sure that the route hits the requisite mileage, or on the individual rucker to plot the route (using the hit list as a guide, maybe not going in the prescribed order) so that they hit the spots and the miles? I want to write up a hit list for my city, but we’re a small city and so I end up plotting either too long or too short a route. Is it alright if the route is maybe a quarter mile longer than advertised, say doing 3.35 miles total for a 5k?
Given the DIY nature of the event (love it BTW), can we lift the age restrictions? My sons Eagle Scouts and have been begging to do a Challenge, but are not yet 18. This would be right up their alley.
Hey in my region (West Germany) is not a ruck club. Can I create a then a curse too without a club?
Are there any specific dates to do this?
From page Plaque Doctor Patch – “You can earn these anytime, at a minimum, during April and May. If the quarantine lasts longer, so will the timeline. We’ll keep adapting with you.”
No mention anywhere of needing a club but there is mention of, “… if doing the course alone.” So, go for it.
Do more. Document the mileage as accurate as you can. Anybody following you will have been informed and warned.
From page Plaque Doctor Patch – “You can earn these anytime, at a minimum, during April and May. If the quarantine lasts longer, so will the timeline. We’ll keep adapting with you.”
Yes, of course! We’ve had lots of younger participants do a Star Course with a parent or guardian. Given the current climate, it makes most sense to ruck with immediate family members you are quarantined with to reduce exposure. Please be safe and have fun!
You do not need a ruck club to do these events. If you need a Hit List for where you live, use the form in the blog to submit waypoints for a 12 mile route. Also, there is a great ruck club in Munich. If you are interested in starting a ruck club one day, check this page out: https://www.goruck.com/how-to-start-a-goruck-club
Thanks Simon! Your info is spot on. 🙂
Yes, we usually budget a little over the required mileage to make sure the minimum is hit.
I will check that out, thanks!
I dont see Orlando.
Thank you. I care for an elderly person and my son is rooming with two high risk people, and with no one able to verify how long the virus stays in the air, neither of us could risk going into town.
The option of using less traveled paths is a thoughtful, wise decision on the part of goruck.
How many way points do you need for the 5K, 10K and 15K courses? What should you figure as the average minute pace per mile be between way points?
Mess around with google earth, you can plot a route on there and it’s generally very accurate. A good tool for pre-planning.
Does the design your own need to be difficult in terms of route? I live at the beach in N.J. and there are a ton of great way points, but the route would still be an out and back straight line.
Does anyone know if a list has been created for St Simons Island or Jekyll Island?
2 of us did the Star Course in Olomouc, CZ. It was such beautiful day. We look forward to get the patch and t-shirt 😉
If we live in a rural area, is it okay if we use one of our biking/hiking trails to do our waypoints? Thanks
Will completing one of these courses count as completing an Official GoRuck event?
Check again, I see that Orlando was added in late March. If it was you who submitted waypoints for your city, thank you!
Depends on your city and what waypoints allow for a safe/pedestrian-friendly route. Feel free to check out other Hit Lists in the public folder as examples.
That’s fine, do what works best for you and your city if you are submitting the waypoints. Just make sure to design a safe and pedestrian-friendly route.
Yes, do what works best for you and your personal situation. Stay well!
Hi there! I noticed a Hit List for St. Mary’s but not for your area. Use the form in the blog above to create your own Hit List which can be shared with others.
Wow! ?? That’s great news. Well done! Stay well!
Yes, do what you have to do. Just submit waypoints for the trail!
Well, you will earn a special patch!
There are no routes or waypoints for my area, so I was going to fill out the form for DIY route. The form asks for a ruck club, but I do not belong to one because I am new to rucking. Do I need to belong to a group to do a DIY?
Hi Jason, you do not need to belong to a ruck club to fill out the DIY form. Most folks who do the DIY course creation route are ruck clubs but not everyone. Please submit your waypoints via the form and if you are interested, you can find more info on ruck clubs here: https://www.goruck.com/whats-a-goruck-club
Just trying to figure out the waypoint submission. I made 2 maps (can’t do more than 8 waypoints on google maps, so I needed to break it up) if you have any tips you have for me that would be awesome, the routes go through parks so I don’t have addresses just coordinates.
I made this one for Columbia, SC – completed it this past weekend, was tough as heck: https://docs.google.com/document/d/12fI4el6pIkTjhQYHFqf7oro8R9A7cHf9_WdfzPoYSAY/edit?usp=sharing
Thanks for the challenge. Just got my GR1 and weight plate last week. I’ve been using a barbell weight in a backpack I’ve had for years to get used to rucking first a while now. This challenge was just what I needed. I Completed a 10k ruck on my own (limited to certain route due to circumstancrs) to earn my patch. Please consider more of these DIY rucks!
Anyway to still order patches? Missed yesterday’s cutoff?
Same here…
I recall when I ordered the 12miler patch it was going to be good for April & May, I’d like to know why they pulled everything from the site.
Same here. Thought good for May too.
I’d love to know on this one, too. I thought they were going to be extend this offering till quarantining was lifted.
I just tried to order the Quarantine 12 Miler patch, but I get to a page that tells me “Page not Found”. Are these still available. Based on the comments above, they were going to be available April and May. Is that still the case?
Is there any way we can still order patches and T-Shirts for this event? I understand I waited too long for the original run, but hey the lockdown is still going strong out in in Riverside, CA. This will be my 15 year old daughters first event and she has been kicking my butt training. Hope you can help out.
Just completed a 15K in Myrtle Beach this past weekend, Several people looking to order patches and shirts.
Just received the below response from GoRuck support via email:
Hello,
Thank you for reaching out and the last day to purchase the the Plague Doctor and Biohazard Patches and T-shirts was April 30th.
But please checkout this month’s rucking challenge here: https://www.goruck.com/patch-10-000-steps-in-their-shoes-2-pack/
Please let me know if you have any other questions and thank you for you
My son and I trained for and just completed a 15K ruck here in Menifee, CA, but I see that we cannot order quarantine patches. I thought we could earn these patches in April and May during quarantine. Were we supposed to purchase the patches before earning them? I hope GORUCK reconsiders the April 30 deadline.
I just learned about this event from someone who just recently (like this week) had their course accepted and put in the list. I was REALLY excited about the patches! I really hope they reconsider this, so disappointing. 🙁
We are planning to have the quarantine patches back on the site again soon!
We are planning to have the quarantine patches back on the site again soon!
We are planning to have the quarantine patches back on the site again soon!
We are planning to have the quarantine patches back on the site again soon!
We are planning to have the quarantine patches back on the site again soon!
Submitted a DIY star course 10K hit list a while ago. Are you still honoring requests?
Thank you Emily.
Thank you for bringing the patches back!!!! T-shirts would be another great add to help us wear and promote GoRuck!
Just found out about this event and I’m excited to complete it! I’m also excited to build my patch collection. I’ve seen in previous comments the patches would be available again soon, will these be in the normal patch section of the site or are they in a different location?
Just completed the 12mile DIY Quarantine Star Course with spouse and two kids. It has been a fantastic experience to do this together as a family! Thanks for the inspiration GORUCK! Kids are pushing me to start a club in our area!
Can I still order a patch & shirt? I can’t find them in the online store.
Sorry for the redundancy, I just saw Emily’s previous answers to a similar question.
Did one today and will be watching the site for the patches/shirts!
that’s great news. How about the Plague Doctor T shirts? those as well?
Same question as Ryan above. I’m waiting for the patches to show up on the website so I can get them for my daughter and I. Any update on when they will be back on the site? Will they be in the same spot as all the other patches?
Since quarantine is still in effect in areas/possible retracting of re-open phases, are the plague patches still available to earn?
I’m also curious about this. A buddy and I are going to do this in a couple days.
Round 2?? Would love to see this re-open, what’s the possibility?
So technically we could do this in Canada ?? to right? But I’m in the Bush, and I do 5k in an hour. Is this how you earn the patch? I’m so noob
Is this still open? The form isn’t available to create a new course. Thanks!
The Form Link to create your own hit list in STEP 1 is not available.Thanks!
The Sprint Series patch is still available. https://www.goruck.com/products/patch-biohazard-sprint-series-diy-star-course?_pos=1&_sid=5c854d653&_ss=r
Yes you can do this in Canada! There are a couple of hitlists up for Canada. The point isn’t just to ruck a 5k, this is to explore your city a little more, find interesting spots around town.
I am also interested in creating one due to nothing in my area. Form is not available.
Looks like this was set up to run earlier in 2020. Is it still something we can do/earn the patch? My whole family now has rucks:) We’d be doing tampa, OKC, and Nashville 12 M