August 31, 2023

#115: Fist bumps, Volleyball and Running With A Mouthful of Water - GORUCK Games 2023 Champions Carly Wopat & Matt Kempson, GORUCK Founders Jason & Emily McCarthy, Sandlot Founder B.J. Naedele

1 hour 18 minutes

Nobody cares what you can do fresh. The GORUCK Games takes grit, endurance and a willingness to run with a mouthful of water. Anything Special Forces are on the table.

To close out the 2nd Annual Sandlot Jax and GORUCK Games, Fran Racioppi and Jessie Graff dive into this two-part episode explaining all things GORUCK Games with the GORUCK founders that created them and the 2023 Champions who tackled the event head on.

GORUCK Founders Jason and Emily McCarthy, as well as Sandlot Technology Founder B.J. Naedele share the theory behind the games, the savage thought-process they took to design the events and why camaraderie is fostered through military-inspired training and a few fist bumps.

In the second part, 2023 Champions Carly Wopat and Matt Kempson shut down the games as they recap their personal journeys that included a 100 lb ruck run, false finishes, knot tying, hand-to-hand combat, and moving 3000 lbs of sandbags. Carly shares her career as a professional beach volleyball player and a firefighter, while Matt explains how building the foundation to his house was the key to winning the final event.

Learn more about Carly Wopat, Matt Kempson and the GORUCK Games.

Read the full episode transcription here and learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website. Subscribe to us and follow @jedburghpodcast on all social media. Watch the full video version on YouTube.

Highlights:

0:00 Welcome to the 2023 GORUCK Games Finals
2:01 All Special Forces training is fair game
5:38 Making the GORUCK Games grittier while welcoming the masses
8:46 The Sandlot App and the dehumanization of social media
15:33 Defining the “Fist Bump”
21:42 The hidden gem of the FitTalks
29:34 What to expect at the GORUCK Games Finals
34:15 Who is Carly Wopat? Volleyball player, firefighter, athlete
40:21 Matt Kempson leaves a legacy with knots
45:38 GORUCK Games events explained
56:57 Can you run with a mouthful of water, fight and hold sandbags?
1:12:04 Coming back next year?

Quotes:

“Anything that they would train us to do in Special Forces is fair game.” (2:24)
“What’s a fist bump worth? That’s what you do with your friends.“ (11:09)
“Everyone was probably like ok this volleyball girl is gonna tap out on the first endurance race.” (35:36)
“There’s a big difference between 3rd and 1st…I was on a mission.” (42:17)
“I can’t not do my best.” (49:44)
“I can't control how he’s gonna do. I can only control how I’m gonna do. I’m just gonna go until I die.” (1:00:00)

This episode is brought to you by Jersey Mike’s, Compass Workforce Solutions and GORUCK.

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By Fran Racioppi

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