2018 Rockcastle Run N Gun 5&10k, March 17-18

[Matt in TN]

Just a reminder - registration opens tomorrow morning at 10:00am central time. This match sold out in 20 minutes last year, so make plans to be there if you want to get in!

Also - please note this is being run as TWO SEPARATE MATCHES: the 5k on Saturday and the 10k on Sunday. You can sign up to run in either, or both. But be sure you sign up for the correct match!

Here is the link for the 5k registration: https://practiscore.com/5k-rockcastl...-2018/register

Here is the link for the 10k registration: https://practiscore.com/10k-rockcast...-2018/register

[Matt in TN]

Wow - the 5k sold out in 11 minutes. I am humbled, and excited, and will do my best to meet and exceed your expectations!

Be sure to get on the waitlist if you didn't get in. We normally have several cancellations as we get closer to match day for various reasons.

We still have 39 10k slots left. Who's up for a bigger challenge?!?!

https://practiscore.com/10k-rockcast...-2018/register

[Matt in TN]

Seeing as how we have people from 21 different states registered already - I'll let you in on a little secret: Kentucky has hills!!!

Here's an elevation map of the 5k Course:



And here is the 10k Course elevation map:

[Matt in TN]

I am pleased to announce that Glock will be sponsoring the obstacle at Stage 3: "Glock's Slide To The Pit Of Despair", and will be providing a pistol certificate for the prize table.

https://us.glock.com/

[Matt in TN]

I am excited to announce Nosler has signed on as a sponsor of the obstacle on Stage 2: Nosler's Over Under.

https://www.nosler.com/

[Matt in TN]

I am thrilled to welcome Vortex Optics to our match as a Stage Sponsor! I'm putting them on Stage 1: Vortex Optics' Grenade!!!

Their optics are supposed to be bombproof - let's see how they do with grenades. :-)

http://www.vortexoptics.com/

Edit: I had some issues with the Vortex logo showing up on some platforms, so made my own pic from last year's match. Pretty sure that says "Strike Eagle" underneath all the mud! Photo credit: Lisa Stennett

[Matt in TN]

Alright - you know all the shooting stages, so let's talk about obstacles. Here's the obstacle for Stage 1: The Samson Manufacturing "Down & Dirty":

Crawl under barbed wire, move through three mud pits, and climb up the inside of a tube with the assistance of a weighted rope. Once at the top, use that rope to pull up the 30lb kettlebell attached to the end of the rope. Shout “FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!” and throw the kettlebell and rope back down the tube for the next guy. If you’re at the bottom of the tube and hear “FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!”, dodging flying kettlebells just because part of this obstacle.

If you ran last March, this is identical to that obstacle with the addition of a rope in BOTH tubes, and weights on the ropes to be sure they go back down for the next guy to climb up - and of course having to haul the weight up and tire out your arms just before shooting. You can thank Bryan Ray for that small piece of evil - as the sponsor's representative he got to help design the obstacle!

Samson is also providing SEVERAL of the steel pistol targets for this match, and are a HUGE supporter of the shooting sports across the board. Be sure to thank them when you place your next order!

http://www.samson-mfg.com/

[Matt in TN]

Because I'm a giant nerd I love to look at data in different ways. The map below shows all the states that currently have people registered (22 total) - the larger the dot, the more people from that state are registered.

If you've been thinking "I'd really like to come, but it's just too far" - there's probably somebody coming further than you! We still have 13 10k slots left. Get in now while you still can!

https://practiscore.com/10k-rockcast...-2018/register

[Matt in TN]

Someone asked about what kind of ages I've been seeing in the registration so far in another thread, and I thought the answer was cool enough to share with everyone. So, as of today, here's how it shakes out:

5k Average Age 38
5k Max Age 71
5k Min Age 12
5k Median Age 36

10k Average Age 37
10k Max Age 61
10k Min Age 24
10k Median Age 32

I really would have thought the average age would be much lower. And I can't tell you how happy I am to see the extremely wide spread of ages involved. This is so cool!!!

All Ages by kotengu1, on Flickr

[Matt in TN]

The obstacle at Stage two is fairly simple: Nosler's Over/Under. You'll have two obstacles you have to go over that will be set at a convenient nut-busting height, and three obstacles you have to crawl under - alternating to force you down, up, down, up, down. The "under" obstacles will be various types of fencing stretched between posts, as someone pointed out crawling under and/or through fences is a very "real world applicable skill".

Thanks to Nosler for providing $500 in bullets or ammunition to the prize table, and please note that "simple" does NOT always equal "easy"!

https://www.nosler.com/