Rucking Around in Vancouver
At age 39, Scott Carstensen is many things: a husband, a father, and a self-described poet. He works for Timberline Controls and Marine, an electric manufacturing company. He also happens to be the founder of the Vantucky Ruck Club.
Since January, the Vancouver man has gone out every day at 4 p.m., hiking — or rather, rucking — four-to-five miles at a time with a weighted backpack, drawing crowds through a Facebook page dedicated to his activity.
Rucking is a growing form of ‘social exercise’ which allows calories to be burned faster than simply walking — while meeting new people or catching up with friends.
“It didn’t take much effort physically,” Carstensen said of the early stages of setting up the Vantucky Ruck Club. Although, he said, it did take several weeks before the first person came out, even with a social media presence. “It feels very grassroots. It’s a community-building thing,” Carstensen said.
Rucking has grown in popularity since the inception of GORUCK, a national rucking organization. GORUCK was founded in 2008 by Jason McCarthy, a former Green Beret. The organization has several chapters in nearly every prominent U.S. city, as well as a global presence spanning from Australia to Europe.
Carstensen said he also got the idea for starting the local Vancouver chapter from his service in the Army. “Sometimes we’d walk for four or five miles at a time,” he said. Camaraderie and commitment to health are a few of the things he has hoped to to take from his military background and apply to the club.
“I started it because I needed to do something for my own fitness, (and I wanted to) have people come along for the ride, have their own journey,” Carstensen said.
Carstensen says the social aspects of rucking are part of what has made it so popular. Although most of the people who accompany him are friends, he has met new people as well. A typical daily turnout at the rucks is around five people, he said.
He described himself as a mediator of sorts in the club. “At this point, I’m definitely the leader,” he proclaimed. He even mentioned a young man who forces him to speed up his own pace whenever he comes to a rucking event. “The drive is what counts,” he said.
Carstensen expressed tentative interest in becoming officially recognized under GORUCK. “I like the idea of it being more home-grown, but I wouldn’t be opposed to it,” he said about Vantucky Ruck Club. “It’s just so small right now.”
According to Kit Klein, partnership manager for GORUCK, the national rucking group, GORUCK’s founder wanted to make a ruck that was “tough enough for Baghdad, but sleek enough for Manhattan.”
Klein explained the process for becoming a local GORUCK chapter: “We currently have an overarching umbrella term, GORUCK Firebases. These Firebases are ruck clubs, gyms, and more.” The GORUCK organization is also involved in other ambitious endeavors such as Ruck University, a rucking instruction school affectionately referred to by Klein as ‘Ruck U’.
“Ruck U was a way to teach more people about the basics of the sport of rucking and how to grow it within their communities,” he said. In addition, the group organizes a yearly Firearms Day, where seasoned instructors provide a safe training environment for people of all skill levels to learn about guns and gun safety.
But Carstensen’s goals for the Vantucky Ruck Club seem more focused around self-improvement than popularity or recognition. “I’m just focused on my own health,” he said.
Both Carstensen and Klein attribute the success of their respective groups to word-of-mouth. “GORUCK has grown because of its badass customers and their love for our brand,” said Klein. Carstensen has a different take on rucking’s popularity: “It’s free, affordable, and accessible.”
Carstensen admitted that maintaining the group’s presence on Facebook is the easiest of his responsibilities as the de facto leader. “The Facebook thing is cool because a lot of people come out.” The hardest part, to him, is the physical requirement: “It’s about getting out there and challenging yourself.”
Carstensen remains optimistic about the future of the club. “The endgame would be a sustainable club of people,” he said. Whether or not that plan includes GORUCK remains to be seen.
Despite the grueling workload, Carstensen said he doesn’t see himself becoming bored with rucking anytime soon, especially given the positive impact on his health. “I love it. I’m feeling the changes. The fruit is there,” he said.
The club has no formal membership process, but updates on events are posted weekly by Carstensen on the Vantucky Ruck Club Facebook page. Children and bikes are welcomed. GORUCK also has a website for more information on national rucking events.
Carstensen’s advice for skeptics is to simply give rucking a fair chance: “Just come out and give it a shot.”
