1000 MILE RUCK ACROSS TEXAS. ONE MAN. ONE MISSION. LEARN MORE -> CLICK HERE

Why Ruck 1000 Miles

October 21, 2025•5 min read

Why would anyone walk 1,000 miles across Texas with a weighted pack on their back?

The Quiet Desperation

There was a time when I thought pain was something to escape.

When life got hard, I ran from the truth, from the people who loved me, and from myself. What started as a way to feel good became a way not to feel at all.

The drugs were my hiding place. For a while, they worked, until they didn’t.

There’s a point in addiction when the high stops coming but the hunger doesn’t. You’re stuck chasing a ghost that never stops moving. You know it’s killing you, but you can’t let go. I remember looking in the mirror and not recognizing the man staring back. My eyes were empty. My body was there, but my soul was gone.

That’s where addiction took me, to a place so dark that hope felt like a rumor.

Getting clean was brutal. It wasn’t one miracle moment; it was thousands of small, painful decisions to keep showing up. Meetings. Sweat. Silence. Starting over again and again until something finally stuck.

And that’s where I met Kenny.

He was one of the first men in my life who didn’t just talk about change, he lived it. He showed me that real life begins when you stop running and start building. He pushed me toward faith, toward fitness, and toward purpose.

He used to say, “You’ve been through hell, now use it. Turn that pain into power and put it to work for somebody else.”

That became my compass. My sobriety wasn’t just about staying clean; it was about building something real. And every time I leaned into hard work, physical challenge, or helping someone else, I found a piece of myself I thought I’d lost.

Recovery doesn’t end when you stop using. It begins when you start serving.

The Fire and the Road

This October, I’ll walk 1,000 miles across Texas. Forty days. Twenty-five miles a day. Solo and self-supported.

From Port Arthur where the Gulf meets the bayou, through small towns and open country, across the blackland prairies and into the Hill Country my family has called home for eight generations. Then west through the desert, up Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas, and on to Mount Cristo Rey overlooking El Paso.

No crew. No chase van. No shortcuts.

Just me, the road, and the weight on my back.

The idea for this ruck was born years ago, somewhere on the shoulder of another hard road, the Immortal 32 Ruck, a 75-mile march honoring the men who once walked from Gonzales to the Alamo knowing they wouldn’t return. I remember being out there at mile 42, dehydrated, beat down, and ready to leave my friend behind. But then I saw something familiar in him, a man who just needed someone to stay.

So I turned back.

That was the first moment I understood what all of this was really about. Not fitness. Not ego. Community. Grit. Purpose.

And now, years later, the 1,000-mile ruck is the next step in that same story, a bigger fire, a deeper test.

The Weight I Carry

The ruck I’ll carry isn’t filled with shame or regret. I laid those things down a long time ago.

Now it’s filled with something heavier: purpose.

It’s the weight of gratitude for the second chance I was given when I didn’t deserve one.
It’s the weight of memory for everyone still trapped in the same darkness I escaped.
It’s the weight of responsibility for the life I get to live and the message I’m meant to carry.

Every morning when I throw that pack over my shoulders, I think about the road behind me. The jail cell I once sat in. The meetings that rebuilt my foundation. The day I hit 22 years clean. The first time I stood in front of a group of men still locked up and told them they weren’t too far gone.

That’s the weight I carry. And it’s worth every ounce.

For Those Who Feel Lost

If you’re reading this and you feel stuck, if you’re tired of pretending, tired of scrolling, tired of the ache that won’t go away, this is for you.

I know what it’s like to wake up and feel like you’ve already failed. To stare at the ceiling wondering if it’s even worth trying again. To wish the noise in your head would finally stop.

But it’s not over.

You don’t need a perfect plan. You just need to take one honest step. Then another. That’s how I did it. One day, one mile, one choice at a time.

And when you find your way, you’ll realize something powerful. You can help others find theirs. That’s where real purpose begins.

The fire you walk through can light the path for someone else.

The Road Ahead

From the Gulf to the desert. From sea level to the summit.

The miles ahead will test everything I’m made of. My body will ache, my feet will blister, my shoulders will burn. My mind will wrestle with doubt. My spirit will be stretched thin. My patience, faith, and endurance will all be tested.

And that’s exactly why I’m going.

Because growth doesn’t come from comfort. It’s born in resistance, in friction, in the long quiet hours when no one’s watching and you have to decide who you want to be.

Out here, the road tells the truth. It doesn’t care about your plans or your pain. It doesn’t bend to your moods or your excuses. It just stretches forward, mile after mile, asking one question: Will you keep going?

That’s where life happens-in the step after doubt, in the mile after pain, in the place where you choose to move forward when everything inside you says stop.

This isn’t about glory. It’s about awakening.

It’s about remembering what’s real-faith, grit, connection, and purpose. It’s about stripping life down to the essentials and realizing that the hard road is the one that shapes you.

Official Project Grit was built on that belief. We challenge mediocrity, embrace difficulty, and find connection through shared struggle. Every event, every ruck, every story comes back to one truth: we are built for more.

If this story hits something in you-if you’re tired of standing still or if you’re searching for a way back- stay connected. Join the Official Project Grit newsletter, follow along on the 1,000-mile ruck across Texas, or show up at one of our events.

Wherever you are, start walking. The road will meet you halfway.

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THE GRITTY FIFTY

A MODERN TEST BUILT ON AN OLD EXPECTATION

50 Miles | Weighted Endurance Ruck | 20 Hour Roosevelt Standard | 24 Hour Cutoff | 1st–3rd Placements | 989 Tribe Qualification

The Gritty Fifty exists for those willing to prove readiness across distance without negotiation.

THE GRITTY FIFTY- THE 5 W’S

WHO
Ruckers ready to stand inside a real standard. Participants carry required weight, manage their own pacing, and take responsibility for their preparation. No spectators. No shortcuts.

WHAT
A 50 mile weighted endurance ruck built around Theodore Roosevelt’s historic twenty hour standard. The event includes a double loop course with placements for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, a 24 hour overall cutoff, and a defined performance benchmark. A single 25 mile loop option is also available.

WHEN
Saturday, May 30, 2026
7:00 AM Start Time

WHERE
Lake Georgetown Goodwater Loop
Cedar Breaks Park
2100 Cedar Breaks Rd
Georgetown, TX 78633

The 50 mile distance is completed as a double loop, first clockwise, then counter clockwise. The 25 mile option completes one full loop. Participants should expect uneven terrain, exposed sections, changing trail conditions, and real miles that demand attention from start to finish.

WHY
Because standards matter. The Gritty Fifty exists to carry forward an old expectation, that capability should be proven under load and across distance. Less ceremony. More pressure. A modern test built on a historic line.

THE GRITTY FIFTY ROOTS

The Gritty Fifty is rooted in a forgotten standard from another era. In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt issued an order to test the readiness of U.S. Marine officers, a fifty mile march completed within twenty hours. It was not designed as a race or a spectacle. It was a measure of discipline, endurance, and the expectation that leaders should be capable of carrying themselves across distance when called upon.

A century later, that standard still stands.

The Gritty Fifty brings that test forward into the present. This is not a ceremonial ruck like the Immortal 32 Ruck, and it is not a traditional race chasing pace alone. There will be placements for first, second, and third, but the real opponent is the clock. Participants have twenty four hours to complete the full distance. Those who cross the finish inside twenty hours have met Roosevelt’s original benchmark and earn entry into the 989 Tribe, a recognition reserved for those who reach the historic standard. All others who finish inside the full cutoff are recognized as finishers. Distance still demands respect, but the line remains clear.

This is a weighted endurance rucking event. Nutrition, hydration, and worn gear do not count toward the required ruck weight. The standard is simple, arrive prepared, carry your responsibility, and manage your effort across the full distance.

The course demands steady movement, personal responsibility, and disciplined pacing. Participants manage their own preparation and learn quickly that the miles reveal the truth. Terrain, weather, and fatigue become part of the proving ground rather than obstacles to avoid.

Performance matters here. First, second, and third place finishers receive automatic invitation into the following year’s Immortal 32 Ruck. These are not free entries, and they are not shortcuts. They are earned opportunities to stand inside a harder tradition. Those who meet the Roosevelt Standard may also be entered into a lottery for future Immortal 32 Ruck selection, reinforcing that reliability over time earns access to greater challenges.

The Gritty Fifty exists in a different lane. Less ceremony. More pressure. A modern test built on an old expectation, that capability should be proven, not assumed. When the miles are done, what remains is more than placement or a finish time. What remains is proof that you stood inside a standard older than all of us and chose not to negotiate with it.

THE GRITTY FIFTY- RULES & STANDARDS

Distance and Cutoff

50 miles total distance. Participants have 24 hours to complete the course. Finishing inside 20 hours meets the Roosevelt Standard and earns entry into the 989 Tribe. Finishing inside 24 hours earns official finisher status.

Weight Requirement

Participants weighing over 150 pounds must carry a minimum of 20 pounds.
Participants weighing under 150 pounds must carry a minimum of 10 pounds.
Required weight must be inside the ruck. Nutrition, hydration, and worn gear do not count toward the required weight.

Placements

First, second, and third place will be recognized based on official finish time while meeting all event standards.

Immortal 32 Ruck Qualification Path

First, second, and third place finishers receive an automatic invitation opportunity into the following year’s Immortal 32 Ruck. This is not a free entry.
Participants who meet the 20 hour Roosevelt Standard may be entered into a lottery for future Immortal 32 Ruck selection.

Event Standard

This is not a casual walk. Participants are responsible for their own preparation, pacing, and equipment. The standard does not change for conditions, terrain, or fatigue. Show up ready to carry your responsibility across the full distance.

BUILT FOR MORE. PROVEN UNDER LOAD.

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