Who: 96 shooters, myself included.
What: 2-Gun Cross-Country 5k Race
Where: Ben Lomond Gun Club, Ramah, Colorado
When: Saturday, August 8, 2020; 1:00 pm start - 6:30 pm finish, incl. Awards ceremony.
Conditions: Cloudy in the early morning but soon turned to being mostly clear and quite hot.
Division: Armored 5k
Gear: G17 w/ Holosun 507, WWSD “Rifleman” with XTR-II 1-8x scope and Vortex RDS in Warne 45࿁ mount. Safariland holster for multiple guns, Toaster/Tacos belt kit, pistol Taco mag pouches, and Shellback Tactical “Banshee” plate carrier.
Outcome: 63/96 overall w/ 50.545% of winner’s combined score (52.347% shooting & 48.743% running).
11/19 in Armored w/ 65.6924% of division winner’s combined score (59.4997% shooting & 71.885% running).
1h:31m:58.30s total time. 10 sec shooting penalties, no obstacle penalties.
Introduction:
I signed up for this match at the last minute. I’ve always hated running, probably because my heart and lungs don’t work right because of birth defects, but also it’s just so boring: put one foot in front of the other, repeat as needed, which isn’t my idea of fun. I’ve run a few 5k races in my time as well as a 10k. Once I even did a run that wound up being 12.5k, but that was when I was more than a decade younger than I am now and at half the elevation of the Big Ben Blast & Dash (B3D, henceforth). I’ve run two Spartan Sprints, but the last one of those I did was in 2014, the last race I ran and the last time I ran more than a mile.
I have done some athletic endeavours in the past: martial arts, weightlifting, hiking, rucking, and some other stuff but after getting injured a little over a week before my 33rd birthday I slipped into depression and stopped caring about physical fitness. I eventually got over the depression but I never got to the same level of fitness that I’d previously had.
A few things happened in 2020 that got me thinking a little differently about fitness though: first, I attended the Desert Brutality 2-Gun match in Chino Valley, AZ which was somewhat physically demanding. I had a ton of fun at the match but wished that I’d been more fit and up to the physical challenges of the match. Secondly, I got laid off from my job thanks to COVID-19. This, in and of itself, didn’t change my mind about fitness but it led to me getting another job that is not only more physically demanding (mostly in the form of lifting trash cans full of metal chips up and dumping them into disposal bins) but that I can also ride my bicycle to, weather permitting. The combination of the moderate physical workload and the bike riding has noticeably improved my fitness level and reminded me of how good it feels to be in better shape.
The big thing that got my attention in 2020 is the violence and threats thereof around America in the wake of the George Floyd murder. I’ve been outraged about state violence long before such was considered hip but I was really concerned about the widespread destruction of private property and the attacks on innocent individuals around America by The Mob… and the state’s unwillingness to stop it. My current fear is that the economic damage that is being done to America by the combination of reactions to COVID-19 and uncertainty about the 2020 federal election results will only worsen this trend.
There was a time in my life when I was spoiling for a fight; my medical problems denied me the chance to fight in my generation’s war and until quite recently that still bothered me. Now I no longer relish the idea of going to war (especially on behalf of the state) but my lack of earthly family connections, combined with my comfort with my own mortality mean that I am quite comfortable with the idea of defending those who I care about from The Mob that is on the march in America today. Comfortable, that is, except for my fitness level.
At my last 3-Gun match at the Weld County Fish & Wildlife range I was squadded with Mike Griswold. He was talking with other shooters about the Big Ben Blast & Dash, a combination of a 2-Gun match (i.e.: pistol & rifle) and a 5k race that was to take place in two weeks’ time. The idea of running even 5k (3.1 miles) was daunting to me at that point in my life but Mike pointed out some things that make the B3D not as bad, physically speaking, as it first appears: the run is broken up by shooting stages (not physically demanding) and obstacles (physically demanding, but at least a break from running), and both these things are bound to have lineups at them, a golden opportunity to rest for a few minutes here and there. I was told that last year’s match required running no more than about 0.3 miles at a stretch and that this year’s event would be similar in that regard.
A combination of Mike’s sales pitch for the match and my realization that I needed a gut check if I was to prepare for whatever bad times might be ahead made me decide to sign up for B3D a little over a week before the match. I wasn’t sure if I was ready for the challenge but I hoped that if I did poorly that it would at least convince me to start working on my weaknesses before it was too late.
Gear:
At the time of registration, I decided to “double down on the dumb” and sign up for Armored division. This division requires shooters to wear a plate carrier for the entire event. The plate carrier must weigh at least 15 lbs, not counting ammo, water, or anything else consumable. My plate carrier is a Shellback Tactical “Banshee”, a somewhat dated design that I’ve had since 2012 or ‘13 and have used in a few classes, workouts, and other practice sessions. With a water bladder pouch on the back, a Varusteleka “dangler”-style IFAK pouch, fully stocked, on the front and a Velcro-on shotgun side-saddle attached to the chest (in past years they had a shotgun stage with a supplied shotgun and I wanted to be prepared for that), this rig comes in at exactly 16 lbs, giving me a safety margin for my gear being permissible. At the last minute I also attached a MOLLE compass pouch to carry my stopwatch in (a stopwatch is required for the match) and looped its lanyard around the PALS webbing on the plate carrier as a dummy cord.
The Banshee has a Velcro-lined kangaroo pouch in the front that is meant for magazine inserts. I elected to buy some sticky-backed Velcro squares and stick these directly onto my magazines and then just slide the mags into this pouch, the idea being that the little squares of Velcro would catch on the inside of the pouch and hold them where I wanted them.
I decided to use my G17 with Holosun 507 sight for my pistol. This is the pistol I shoot the most thanks to 3-Gun and the red dot makes it very easy to use. Additionally, competitors are allowed to run Open guns in this competition so I thought it best to take advantage of this by using my most capable guns. I carried this pistol in a Safariland GLS holster; this holster has active retention (which is important while doing physical activity) and accommodates the red dot on my pistol. I’ve used this holster quite a bit and have been pretty pleased with it overall. I brought two Magpul 27-round PMAGs for the Glock and a OEM Glock 17 round mag as well, all loaded with my dwindling supply of 147 grain CCI Blazer. The match called for 90 rounds of pistol and I brought 95 rounds of loose ammo in addition to the 71 rounds that were loaded in the magazines for a total of 166 pistol rounds. As an aside, I calculated that I could save ¾ of a pound by carrying this quantity of 115gr 9mm instead of 147gr. Something to think about...
My rifle is a Frankengun that I built in 2018 with somewhat longer range performance in mind than my 14.5-16” guns. It has an 18” barrel and a Burris 1-8x XTR-II scope mounted to it. Since I started shooting Open division in 3-Gun this year, I also added a Vortex red dot to this rifle in a Warne 45° mount. This rifle weighs 8.8 lbs, a pig by today’s standards, but not terribly heavy in the grand scheme of things. I could shave weight off by using a different upper but I wanted the 1-8x scope for shots out to 400 yards that had been promised in the match description. Additionally, I’d made 400+ yard shots at two 3-Gun events in the month-and-a-half prior to B3D so I knew my zero was solid out to that range with the right ammo. Speaking of which, I brought Winchester 62 grain OTM ammo for this event for those longer range shots and Hornady Frontier .223 55 grain FMJ for closer-range “hoser” targets. Only 60 rifle rounds were supposedly needed but I brought almost twice this many after getting an email that the ROs had run the course to test it out and some had run out of ammo. I would also wear a dump pouch on my belt in case such a thing came in handy. A sling was recommended for this match and I brought a Magpul sling fitted with QD swivels.
I wore a pair of Mizuno running shoes, Wrangler cargo shorts, a surplus British army UBACS combat shirt with internal foam padding for the forearms and shoulders, and a short-brimmed patrol cap for clothing. There was give-and-take between wearing clothes optimized for running and optimized for shooting. There were water stations along the way to prevent heat/dehydration injuries but I brought a small runner’s “water grenade” just in case. I also brought a set of volleyball knee pads which I’d also used at Desert Brutality, reasoning that these were lighter than my Alta knee pads and they were less likely to chafe my legs or slip down while I was running. I brought my Peltor earmuffs as well as a pair of foam earplugs; I worried that the earmuffs might get knocked off on the obstacles and so I thought having the option to wear plugs instead was wise.
Match Day:
I woke up earlier than usual, perhaps due to nerves, but still got enough sleep before the match. I ate a banana, a bowl of oatmeal, and a cup of yogurt for breakfast along with plenty of water. I skipped my usual coffee but had a 5-hour energy shot instead.
The drive down to Ben Lomond was not one that I’d made before but getting there was pretty simple. I’d forgotten the gate code when I drove up and so I climbed out of my truck to walk over and ask. Before I could get more than ten feet from the truck someone was yelling it to me, so I guess I wasn’t the only one!
I had plenty of time to check in, weigh my armor, and hang out with folks there. I was surprised to see two members of the YouTube channel “Gun Thots” there, as I’d just learned about their channel and subscribed to it the week before. There were a few familiar faces from the local competitive shooting world as well as some folks I’d never seen before. This type of match seems to bring out a different kind of crowd with a different kind of gear; while non free-floated rifles with spray paint jobs aren’t totally unknown at 3-Gun matches, there were certainly more of them at B3D than at your usual 3-Gun match.
A match briefing was held an hour before each heat. I was there for the 1:00 pm heat so my briefing was at noon. I did some dynamic stretching while Dave Hartman delivered the briefing, after which we had to get ready to go.
I changed into the British combat shirt and took all my EDC items out of my pockets, save for my Leatherman multitool, in case it came in handy at the match, and my truck key. Everything else was left in my car to save weight and comfort. I had all of my rifle ammo in mags but I had to decide what to do with my pistol ammo, since I had only three magazines loaded (two Magpul 27 rounders and one OEM G17 mag) but my last 95 rounds of CCI Blazer in two boxes. I didn’t want any more weight on my hips than I already had so I decided to put the two boxes into the sleeve pockets of the combat shirt. These pockets are very big and are located high on the shoulders. I figured these would be out of the way and a spot where the weight of the ammo could be easily carried. My two 27 round mags went into mag pouches and my 17 round mag went into my right hip pocket.
I considered wearing a pair of Mechanix gloves but worried that they could compromise my grip on some of the obstacles so I left them in the truck. I also decided to wear foam ear plugs in lieu of muffs and a Spec-Ops “Recon Wrap”, which I normally use as a neck gaiter but decided to wear on my head like a do rag instead. I figured this would be lighter than my cap and cooler too. I wore another similar gaiter on my neck beneath the combat shirt’s collar.
With all my stuff on, I grabbed my rifle, attached the sling, and went off to the start point. There I had a bit of time to chat but I was the fourth shooter in my squad and so it wasn’t long before I was given my two minute warning. I put in my ear plugs and did a bit more last-minute stretching before it was my turn to go. Shooters in my heat were sent off in 5 minute intervals, starting with #60 at 1:00 pm sharp. As shooter #63 it was my turn to go at 1:15 pm.
Off and Running:
I was given the start command and began jogging. The first stretch of the race went about 100 yards before hooking around a corner behind some trees. I was determined to be jogging at least that far; it would be terribly embarrassing to have to slow to a walk within sight of the gaggle of spectators at the starting area! Luckily, I was not only still fresh at that point but also jogging downhill the whole first stretch. Less than 50 yards around that first bend, I was at my first stage.
Stage 1
All of the stages were quite simple, not only to keep the match moving smoothly but also to keep exhausted shooters from getting too confused. This stage was simply three different shooting positions (a spool, a VTAC barricade, and a wooden tank trap) and the shooter had to shoot three targets from each position, located at 100, 200, and 300 yards away. No real issues except that I was moving slowly (I had already planned to conserve my energy on the running portion of the match but should have pushed a bit on the shooting stages) and that my plate carrier interfered with the placement of my rifle stock.
54/96 Overall (40.7321%); 10/19 Armored (54.1775%), no penalties.
An Uphill Battle
I left Stage 1 and made my way downhill a little farther but the low point of the trail was soon reached and I had to start walking uphill. I made the decision early on that I wouldn’t waste energy running uphill and so I started walking pretty early on.
At the top of the hill were some shooting bays that were turned into physical challenges that were to be completed. Competitors that failed a challenge/obstacle would be assessed a 3 minute penalty. Those who didn’t even attempt would get a 5 minute penalty. The order of these is a little fuzzy to me but I recall a weighted wheelbarrow and a sled drag, both of which went about 40 yards before turning around. The sled drag was particularly gruelling. There was also a farmer’s walk with a pair of 75 lbs barbells (150lbs total) of about the same distance. A couple of bays beyond these obstacles was the next shooting stage.
Stage 2
This stage was very simple: there were seven pistol steel that had to be shot from 3 positions, left, right, and center, all on a line for a total of 21 hits. I drew my pistol and couldn’t find the dot at first before remembering that I’d turned the power down to save batteries. Upon realizing this, I had to crank up the power on the clock, wasting valuable time. I think I cleared this one with no misses but I still wasn’t hustling like I would have if I was well-rested. After this stage I got my first bottle of cold water and poured some on my head and drank some too. The rest of the bottle went into my dump pouch for later.
53/96 overall (46.1982%); 8/19 Armored (53.074%), no penalties.
As I left Stage 2 I decided to reload my pistol mag on the move. The grade was still uphill and I had no intention of trying to move too fast on it so I thought it would be more efficient to reload mags as I walked. I pulled my first box of ammo out of my sleeve pocket and reached for a magazine when the plastic tray slid out of the other end of the box and fell to the ground below, scattering 50 rounds of ammo into the gravel at my feet! Cursing, I bent down in the middle of the road and began picking rounds up off the ground and stuffing them into my partially depleted mag. The rest of the rounds I picked up and dropped into my dump pouch. I picked up the packaging from the ammo and got back on the move, my annoyance with the mishap tempered by the fact that it was also an opportunity to rest.
Further down the line was a bay with a balance beam made of railroad ties placed in a U shape. The shooter had to pick up two large jerry cans full of water and carry them while navigating the balance beam. I made it but turning the corners on the U made me nervous about falling and one of the ties would rock quite a bit when walking on it. It was at this point that the guy behind me caught up to me for the first time. I had started the obstacle before he got there but he was starting it just as I was finishing.
I took off at a jog from there, as the ground was levelling out a bit, and only started walking again when the grade steepened again. By that point I was walking up to a structure that housed the next stage.
Stage 3
The shooter started behind a VTAC barricade with four hanging steel downrange at about 100 yards. The shooter had to hit these targets once each from three different positions on the barricade for a total of 12 hits. The shooter would then abandon the rifle and draw the pistol and hit an array of steel on each side of the VTAC (I think there were six targets on each side for the pistol).
I went to abandon the rifle after just four hits on this stage and the RO had to remind me to shoot from two more positions. I also could (maybe?) have shot from a couple of prone positions on the VTAC instead of just one; I should have asked before starting.
67/96 Overall (36.5489%); 10/19 Armored (50.4994%), no penalties.
The Long and Winding Road
At this point I was giving the guy behind me rest periods by him catching up to me while I was shooting. I was directed to go back the way I came for a short period and then take a right turn and follow the road as it went uphill again, curving this way and that. At the top of a hill that I came to there was a wall that was perhaps 6’ tall that I had to climb over. They screwed 2x4s into the wall for footholds so the climb was actually very easy. The toughest part was that the armor made my upper body heavier than I was used to and when I swung myself over the wall I had to stop my momentum from making me fall off the other side! The road continued curving along, this time being downhill for a change. I ran across numerous shooters making their return leg of the trip, heading the opposite direction of me. I gave them a nod or a thumbs-up for encouragement as we crossed paths.
The downhill grade had me jogging briefly but even downhill was getting exhausting after the exertion that I’d already done. I turned to jogging for 20 steps and then walking for 20 steps for as long as I could before returning to strictly walking. I also kept looking over my shoulder for the guy who kept catching up to me and was surprised to see that he was a lot farther behind me than I would have thought; perhaps he’d had trouble on the shooting stage where he’d caught up to me? Regardless, I had reached my next shooting stage.
Stage 4
This was another rifle-only stage with a large spool on the right, a tank trap on the left, and a roof prop in the center. There were circular steel flashers at 100, 200, 300, and 400 yards downrange, each needing to be hit once from each position. The catch here was that the roof prop had to be the position that you ended on.
I started on the spool and once I got into position I was immediately concerned about hitting the head of a bolt that was protruding from the top of the spool. I had to keep that bolt in mind the whole time I was shooting from that position. The tank trap was as awkward as ever but I also got my hits from there. Moving on this stage was faster than I’d been before and I think I was finally realizing that hurrying on the stages was energy well spent.
On this stage the targets were freshly painted black and I could see where I hit, at least out to 300 yards. I noticed that I was hitting slightly to the left at longer range, even though a downrange windsock indicated that wind was blowing to the right. I clearly need to check my zero on this scope!
After clearing the first two positions, I leapt onto the roof prop and after settling into my position, I was immediately scalded by the authentic shingles that were on this prop. I had to keep squirming around, trying to find a solid position that didn’t result in burning my legs or my support hand. A glove on my left hand would have made this position a lot more tenable. As it was, I spent too much time avoiding getting burnt and I wasn’t able to hit my final target before timing out.
57/96 Overall (27.6239%); 10/19 Armored (41.0287%), 10 sec penalties.
Crawling, Throwing, And Getting Passed
As I left Stage 4 I was surprised to see that there were no less than three other shooters standing at the stage, waiting for me to finish, or just walking up to it. I once again got a downhill respite, as the path leading immediately up to the shooting area was a high point of the terrain. This momentum was interrupted by a section of culvert, perhaps 40 or 50’ long, that the shooter was required to crawl through. I was concerned about my ability to fit into such obstacles, especially with armor and other gear on, but even with all that I could still crawl on all fours without snagging or weird contortions. As I crawled through I noticed that my knee pads were a little too low to provide protection while crawling and so I hiked them up a bit after getting out the other side.
After leaving the culvert I had another slight downhill grade to jog along. While the previous path had been all gravel roads, this section of the course was a trail mowed into the grass. This soft surface was a bit of a pain since the grass would tend to snag on my shoes and slow me down somewhat. Still, it was one of the easier sections of the course.
At the end of the mowed grass trail the gravel road resumed. The road led the shooter to a structure that had four ropes tied horizontally at chest level (on me; I’m 6’3”) and a sandbag in front of one end of the row of ropes. The shooter had to lift the sandbag over the rope, duck under the rope, and then repeat until all four had been cleared. Then the sandbag was returned to the start by the same process. This obstacle might have been the point where I really slowed down for the rest of the day; I started out reasonably strong but was noticeably slower by the time I was done. I slung my rifle on my back and the barrel snagged on the ropes more than once too.
After the sandbag toss, I began down another trail that was mostly uphill. As I reached the crest of the hill, I looked over my shoulder and saw that the guy behind me was done with the sandbag toss and would likely overtake me soon. After cresting the hill, the slope became downhill again, albeit at a gentler grade than it had been going up (at least, that was my perception). I went back to jogging 20 steps and walking 20 but the heat, dryness, and exhaustion was really getting to me at this point and the guy who started after me passed me and I’d never see him again during the actual race. The guy after him also passed me on this long stretch too but at this point I was too focused on my exhaustion to really care about it.
At the end of the trail was another obstacle that I wasn’t sure how to navigate: there were multiple hay bales and deer-shaped archery targets in staggered rows with a barbed wire crawl at the end. The RO at the end called instructions to me but with my foam earplugs in I couldn’t hear him at all. He could tell I was unsure of what to do so he jogged over and told me that I just had to crawl under the barbed wire; the hay bales and deer targets were just an everyday part of the archery range, not part of the obstacle.
The crawl was not too hard but I snagged my bladder carrier on the wire at first. I lowered my head and shoulders and didn’t have trouble after that. I also noticed, to my annoyance, that I’d hiked the knee pads too high and now I was still getting inadequate protection from them! While I crawled, I got passed by yet another shooter. I emerged out the other end and the RO offered me a paper cup of water which I eagerly took. He then offered me another bottle of water which reminded me that I still had a partial one left in my dump pouch. I declined his offer and began walking off down the trail.
The trail was uphill again so I was back to walking. At one point my hips began to really feel fatigued as did my diaphragm (not the same as my lungs or heart working hard, which they were; I could literally feel fatigue in the diaphragm muscle, perhaps another first for me) and so I stopped in the road to place my hands on my knees and take five deep breaths before resuming my walk. I also tried to think of clever plays on the event name of “Blast & Dash” but I could think of no synonyms for “blast” that rhymed with “trudge”, “slog”, or “limp” so I abandoned the effort.
At the crest of the hill I saw a cluster of bays where I was to go next. On the downhill grade I returned to jogging in intervals. At Stage 5 I caught up to the last guy who passed me, giving me the only opportunity of the match to break out my stopwatch and get a “free” break of a minute or more. At this point I’d drunk the last of my bottle and asked the RO for another. He gave me an ice-cold one from the cooler and I opened it and drank. I tried pouring some on my head but some of it splashed off and landed on the ocular lens of my scope, oops! I then poured some onto the nape of my neck and down my back. The response to this was a combination of the momentary paralysis that often accompanies sudden contact with very cold water and pleasant relief from the oppressive heat; an odd pair of sensations that I’m not sure I’ve ever felt at the same time before.
Stage 5
The shooter ahead of me finished his run and then it was my turn. I blew as much water off my scope’s lens as I could before stepping into the start box which started the clock. The RO watched me struggle with a rifle magazine in my plate carrier and waited until it suddenly ripped free and struck me in the lip before reminding me that I was supposed to start this stage with my pistol. Gee, thanks! I put the rifle mag back and had to draw and load my pistol.
This stage had three pistol steel that had to be shot once each, then a mandatory reload was performed, and the process was repeated twice more for a total of nine hits. If I’d remembered what to do on this stage I would have taken the 17 round magazine from my right pocket with my right hand before even drawing the pistol and then started by loading that mag. As it was, I shot with the two mags on my belt first and then had to switch the pistol to my left hand so that I could use my right to grab the final mag out of my pocket. I then also had to do a left-handed reload before shooting my last three shots.
After abandoning the pistol I then had to shoot four hanging steel at about 50 yards and a fifth hanging steel at about 100 with the rifle. This was repeated from three shooting positions, one off of a large tire, one off of a tank trap… and the other one off a barricade that I must admit I can’t remember the exact identity of. At this point fatigue was really taking its toll on me and details like that are vague. I do recall hugging the tank trap in such a way that my ejection port was occluded and I had a malfunction when I fired. A simple tap/rack fixed the problem (this might have been the first malf I’ve had with this rifle in over 2000 rounds) and my next shot also didn’t cycle. This time, the problem was simply that I’d run out of ammo so I performed my only on-the-clock rifle reload of the match and drove on. As I moved to the last barricade, I recall picking up my spent mag and placing it in my dump pouch on the clock.
52/96 Overall (41.6623%): 8/19 Armored (50.3802%), no penalties.
#DYEL
After recovering my pistol and mags, I ran to the next bay which required carrying a beer keg about 40 yards to a cone, going around the cone, and then bringing the keg back. I cleaned the keg onto my shoulder and carried it that way but it was awkward and tiring for my arms to hold it there. Still, I could see no better way to carry it so that’s what I endured. The next obstacle was the same thing but with an Atlas stone. My technique was similar for carrying it and the challenges were also comparable.
The next challenge was a tire flip. The last tire that I flipped was at a 2014 Spartan Race and that was perhaps the heaviest tire I’ve ever even heard of. I managed to flip it but that was at a point in my life when I was powerlifting with a zealous amount of dedication… and it was still really tough! I was intimidated by the tire in front of me and took a moment before flipping it but it really wasn’t that hard. The next bay down was Stage 6.
Stage 6
The shooter starts in a box with four very small hanging steel downrange about 50 yards which must be shot offhand, unsupported. I got the rifle loaded and, thanks to a combination of fatigue and the armor interfering with my stock, I assumed a somewhat bladed, traditional offhand stance and proceeded to hit all the rifle targets almost effortlessly! I then dumped the rifle, ran to a pistol shooting area, and drew, loaded and shot all the targets (perhaps 12 total?).
Not much to comment on here; the pistol went well and I could have gone faster. The rifle stance was not what I normally practice but it worked well!
47/96 Overall (38.4153%); 8/19 Armored (51.49%), no penalties.
Stage 7
The next stage was the next bay over and was very similar in layout but the rifle shots were to be taken from a metal frame with an X made from cargo straps, pulled taut on the frame. There were four medium and two small targets to be engaged at 100 yards with the rifle touching the straps somewhere. The straps actually provided reasonably good support for the rifle and the hits weren’t hard to get. The rifle was then abandoned and the shooter would then move to a pistol shooting area and knock down a plate rack and then hit some static steel. Here I had my only pistol misses of the match on the plate rack. I had to remind myself to tighten my grip and then I resumed making my hits.
35/96 Overall (46.4292%); 6/19 Armored (54.7342%), no penalties.
Ya Knew This Was Comin’
After that stage I headed off towards another mowed path in the grass towards the gravel road. Upon reaching the gravel I started loading my pistol mags again from my dump pouch. I finished off the loose rounds in the pouch and then took the last box of ammo from my sleeve pouch. Not wanting to repeat dropping rounds again, I took care to slip the tray into my dump pouch and then place the empty tray and box in my cargo pocket. I did fumble one round while loading a mag and as I bent down to retrieve it I noticed that the red cross patch from my medical kit had fallen off right at that moment. If I hadn’t dropped that round I would have lost that patch!
I was walking uphill again and soon was back on that hill that I’d jogged down earlier after climbing the 6’ wall but this time I was the poor sod who had gravity working against me. At one point on this hill I stopped again, rested my hands on my knees and took several deep breaths so that I’d have the strength to keep moving.
I could see another shooter gaining on me and at the top of the hill was a chest-high wall to climb over. I did this easily (the weight of the armor throwing me off a little again) and as I dismounted the wall that shooter caught up to me. Since there was a water station there I stopped for a cup of what turned out to be Gatorade (I think mine had a bug in it; I was too exhausted to care what the lump was that I swallowed with the drink) and let him pass.
The top of the hill was somewhat flat and I could go back to intervals of jogging 20 steps. When the hill started dropping it was the steepest downhill of the day and it was quite easy to jog the whole way down. Of course, what goes down must come up, and I started an uphill walk at the bottom. At the top of the next hill was the final stage.
Stage 8
I got to this stage just as the last guy to pass me was getting done. The obstacle before the stage was a short set of monkey bars that the shooter had to swing from, hand over hand, from one end to the other. The bars were short enough that I think I got across in four grasps. I was intimidated by these bars, as I’d fallen off of a similar obstacle at my last Spartan Race and I was relieved that I made it this time, especially wearing armor.
This stage was simple: there was a wall with four windows in it and seven targets downrange. Shoot all seven from each window for a total of 28 shots. I found these targets to be very easy and I went through them quickly. I performed a reload before the last window as I’d be one round short otherwise. When I finished, the RO informed me that I was one of three people to finish that stage with no misses that day (at least one of those people, I later learned, was running a PCC).
18/96 Overall (65.2271%); 2/19 Armored (85.7063%), no penalties.
The End In Sight
I had been told that the stage after the monkey bars was the last one so I didn’t bother to reload my mags on the run. Instead, I just jogged down the hill to the spot where I was to cross over to the very final stretch of the race. This started with a somewhat gentle uphill grade followed by a flat path to a chest high wall. I willed myself to jog to the wall, knowing that I was almost done but my legs wouldn’t obey! I kept walking but couldn’t find the strength to speed up. After clearing that wall (I anticipated the balance issue this time) I then could find the strength to jog and did so for the last 100+ yards to the finish line.
The Best Part About Wearing Armor
I set my rifle down against the outside of the clubhouse and picked up a bottle of water that I’d left there before starting out. I drank greedily and one of the staff suggested that I go inside and take advantage of the AC. I did so and sat down on the couch and removed my armor. I caught my breath fairly fast and didn’t really feel too beaten up either. This suggested to me that the heat and mental aspect of the race were possibly even more harsh than the physical. After relaxing for a few minutes I took my gear to my truck and peeled off my sweat-soaked shirt and changed into another one. I then went back to the burger buffet to get a much-needed post-workout meal.
I’ve never been so well-fed at a match or a race before! First there were burgers with all the fixings and brats along with chips, cookies, brownies, and beverages (there would also be excellent brisket, potato salad, cole slaw, and baked beans served later on). I chowed down while talking to some other competitors who were similarly glad to be eating on a couch with AC instead of running down a hot dusty road.
I had never been to Ben Lomond Gun Club before and I was nothing but impressed with their facility. It’s in a very nice part of Colorado (which is saying something), their clubhouse is clean and nicely furnished with couches and tables that we greatly appreciated after the run. The range is huge and varied, with long-range rifle setups, competition-oriented bays, an archery range, a designated black powder area, and more. It also speaks well of them that they let a somewhat radical match like this one take place at their facility.
The People of 2-Gun
3-Gun isn’t going anywhere and nor should it; it’s built a very solid following around not only the USA but also other parts of the world. That said, I’ve started attending 2-Gun events with simpler stages and more physical challenges and this format seems to attract a slightly different kind of person than 3-Gun for whatever reason. I think we need both sports to reach the greatest number of shooters out there and I think there will be significant crossover between the two worlds.
As evidence of this, consider some folks I talked to after B3D: I spoke with one guy who was an avid triathlete and who also likes shooting. He lamented that many triathletes are not friendly towards guns so he really doesn’t have anyone in those circles to discuss his other hobby with. Similarly, not many shooters are into triathlons and he has few conversations about that at shooting matches. He’d been to his first 3-Gun match several years prior to B3D and his second 3-Gun match a few weeks prior. He seemed really pleased to find a match where there were folks who were into both blasting and dashing.
The guy who started after me and was the first to pass me also came over and chatted me up. He’d flown in all the way from Washington D.C. to participate in the match. When he said he was “from D.C.”, I assumed that he’d moved to CO (like so many others do), but he was just taking a little vacation to do this kind of shooting. The fact that he was willing to fly so far just for a one day competition suggests that there are folks out there who are hungry for this kind of match.
Another competitor I talked to actually quit because he couldn’t bring his heart rate down after the first leg of the run. While that’s never a good thing to hear, he blamed himself for not preparing adequately. He said that, in spite of his bad experience, he wanted to come back next year, better prepared.
As for myself, I had thoughts along the lines of “why am I doing this to myself?” during the actual event and I joked afterwards, when asked if I’d come back next year, with “ask me in six months when I’ve forgotten how much it hurt”. In reality, I already knew that I wanted to try and do better and I’m already planning on making it to the 2021 Big Ben Blast & Dash. Perhaps next year’s goal could be to get at least 50% of the winner’s running score.
What Went Right
What Could Have Gone Better
Stuff I Had That I Was Glad For
Stuff I Had That I Wish I Didn’t
Stuff I Didn’t Have That I Wish I Did
Stuff I Didn’t Have That I Was Glad For
Lessons Learned
Conclusion
I made it! That was really all I asked of myself and I did. I expected the experience to be a suckfest and, while it was, I did endure it and I’m glad that I did. I think that using B3D as an audit of my fitness and dedication is something that I’ll start to do from now on. I should be in better shape and I want to not have to worry about whether or not I can go and do something like this in the future. I’m glad that I did this match and I plan to do it again.
What: 2-Gun Cross-Country 5k Race
Where: Ben Lomond Gun Club, Ramah, Colorado
When: Saturday, August 8, 2020; 1:00 pm start - 6:30 pm finish, incl. Awards ceremony.
Conditions: Cloudy in the early morning but soon turned to being mostly clear and quite hot.
Division: Armored 5k
Gear: G17 w/ Holosun 507, WWSD “Rifleman” with XTR-II 1-8x scope and Vortex RDS in Warne 45࿁ mount. Safariland holster for multiple guns, Toaster/Tacos belt kit, pistol Taco mag pouches, and Shellback Tactical “Banshee” plate carrier.
Outcome: 63/96 overall w/ 50.545% of winner’s combined score (52.347% shooting & 48.743% running).
11/19 in Armored w/ 65.6924% of division winner’s combined score (59.4997% shooting & 71.885% running).
1h:31m:58.30s total time. 10 sec shooting penalties, no obstacle penalties.
Introduction:
I signed up for this match at the last minute. I’ve always hated running, probably because my heart and lungs don’t work right because of birth defects, but also it’s just so boring: put one foot in front of the other, repeat as needed, which isn’t my idea of fun. I’ve run a few 5k races in my time as well as a 10k. Once I even did a run that wound up being 12.5k, but that was when I was more than a decade younger than I am now and at half the elevation of the Big Ben Blast & Dash (B3D, henceforth). I’ve run two Spartan Sprints, but the last one of those I did was in 2014, the last race I ran and the last time I ran more than a mile.
I have done some athletic endeavours in the past: martial arts, weightlifting, hiking, rucking, and some other stuff but after getting injured a little over a week before my 33rd birthday I slipped into depression and stopped caring about physical fitness. I eventually got over the depression but I never got to the same level of fitness that I’d previously had.
A few things happened in 2020 that got me thinking a little differently about fitness though: first, I attended the Desert Brutality 2-Gun match in Chino Valley, AZ which was somewhat physically demanding. I had a ton of fun at the match but wished that I’d been more fit and up to the physical challenges of the match. Secondly, I got laid off from my job thanks to COVID-19. This, in and of itself, didn’t change my mind about fitness but it led to me getting another job that is not only more physically demanding (mostly in the form of lifting trash cans full of metal chips up and dumping them into disposal bins) but that I can also ride my bicycle to, weather permitting. The combination of the moderate physical workload and the bike riding has noticeably improved my fitness level and reminded me of how good it feels to be in better shape.
The big thing that got my attention in 2020 is the violence and threats thereof around America in the wake of the George Floyd murder. I’ve been outraged about state violence long before such was considered hip but I was really concerned about the widespread destruction of private property and the attacks on innocent individuals around America by The Mob… and the state’s unwillingness to stop it. My current fear is that the economic damage that is being done to America by the combination of reactions to COVID-19 and uncertainty about the 2020 federal election results will only worsen this trend.
There was a time in my life when I was spoiling for a fight; my medical problems denied me the chance to fight in my generation’s war and until quite recently that still bothered me. Now I no longer relish the idea of going to war (especially on behalf of the state) but my lack of earthly family connections, combined with my comfort with my own mortality mean that I am quite comfortable with the idea of defending those who I care about from The Mob that is on the march in America today. Comfortable, that is, except for my fitness level.
At my last 3-Gun match at the Weld County Fish & Wildlife range I was squadded with Mike Griswold. He was talking with other shooters about the Big Ben Blast & Dash, a combination of a 2-Gun match (i.e.: pistol & rifle) and a 5k race that was to take place in two weeks’ time. The idea of running even 5k (3.1 miles) was daunting to me at that point in my life but Mike pointed out some things that make the B3D not as bad, physically speaking, as it first appears: the run is broken up by shooting stages (not physically demanding) and obstacles (physically demanding, but at least a break from running), and both these things are bound to have lineups at them, a golden opportunity to rest for a few minutes here and there. I was told that last year’s match required running no more than about 0.3 miles at a stretch and that this year’s event would be similar in that regard.
A combination of Mike’s sales pitch for the match and my realization that I needed a gut check if I was to prepare for whatever bad times might be ahead made me decide to sign up for B3D a little over a week before the match. I wasn’t sure if I was ready for the challenge but I hoped that if I did poorly that it would at least convince me to start working on my weaknesses before it was too late.
Gear:
At the time of registration, I decided to “double down on the dumb” and sign up for Armored division. This division requires shooters to wear a plate carrier for the entire event. The plate carrier must weigh at least 15 lbs, not counting ammo, water, or anything else consumable. My plate carrier is a Shellback Tactical “Banshee”, a somewhat dated design that I’ve had since 2012 or ‘13 and have used in a few classes, workouts, and other practice sessions. With a water bladder pouch on the back, a Varusteleka “dangler”-style IFAK pouch, fully stocked, on the front and a Velcro-on shotgun side-saddle attached to the chest (in past years they had a shotgun stage with a supplied shotgun and I wanted to be prepared for that), this rig comes in at exactly 16 lbs, giving me a safety margin for my gear being permissible. At the last minute I also attached a MOLLE compass pouch to carry my stopwatch in (a stopwatch is required for the match) and looped its lanyard around the PALS webbing on the plate carrier as a dummy cord.
The Banshee has a Velcro-lined kangaroo pouch in the front that is meant for magazine inserts. I elected to buy some sticky-backed Velcro squares and stick these directly onto my magazines and then just slide the mags into this pouch, the idea being that the little squares of Velcro would catch on the inside of the pouch and hold them where I wanted them.
I decided to use my G17 with Holosun 507 sight for my pistol. This is the pistol I shoot the most thanks to 3-Gun and the red dot makes it very easy to use. Additionally, competitors are allowed to run Open guns in this competition so I thought it best to take advantage of this by using my most capable guns. I carried this pistol in a Safariland GLS holster; this holster has active retention (which is important while doing physical activity) and accommodates the red dot on my pistol. I’ve used this holster quite a bit and have been pretty pleased with it overall. I brought two Magpul 27-round PMAGs for the Glock and a OEM Glock 17 round mag as well, all loaded with my dwindling supply of 147 grain CCI Blazer. The match called for 90 rounds of pistol and I brought 95 rounds of loose ammo in addition to the 71 rounds that were loaded in the magazines for a total of 166 pistol rounds. As an aside, I calculated that I could save ¾ of a pound by carrying this quantity of 115gr 9mm instead of 147gr. Something to think about...
My rifle is a Frankengun that I built in 2018 with somewhat longer range performance in mind than my 14.5-16” guns. It has an 18” barrel and a Burris 1-8x XTR-II scope mounted to it. Since I started shooting Open division in 3-Gun this year, I also added a Vortex red dot to this rifle in a Warne 45° mount. This rifle weighs 8.8 lbs, a pig by today’s standards, but not terribly heavy in the grand scheme of things. I could shave weight off by using a different upper but I wanted the 1-8x scope for shots out to 400 yards that had been promised in the match description. Additionally, I’d made 400+ yard shots at two 3-Gun events in the month-and-a-half prior to B3D so I knew my zero was solid out to that range with the right ammo. Speaking of which, I brought Winchester 62 grain OTM ammo for this event for those longer range shots and Hornady Frontier .223 55 grain FMJ for closer-range “hoser” targets. Only 60 rifle rounds were supposedly needed but I brought almost twice this many after getting an email that the ROs had run the course to test it out and some had run out of ammo. I would also wear a dump pouch on my belt in case such a thing came in handy. A sling was recommended for this match and I brought a Magpul sling fitted with QD swivels.
I wore a pair of Mizuno running shoes, Wrangler cargo shorts, a surplus British army UBACS combat shirt with internal foam padding for the forearms and shoulders, and a short-brimmed patrol cap for clothing. There was give-and-take between wearing clothes optimized for running and optimized for shooting. There were water stations along the way to prevent heat/dehydration injuries but I brought a small runner’s “water grenade” just in case. I also brought a set of volleyball knee pads which I’d also used at Desert Brutality, reasoning that these were lighter than my Alta knee pads and they were less likely to chafe my legs or slip down while I was running. I brought my Peltor earmuffs as well as a pair of foam earplugs; I worried that the earmuffs might get knocked off on the obstacles and so I thought having the option to wear plugs instead was wise.
Match Day:
I woke up earlier than usual, perhaps due to nerves, but still got enough sleep before the match. I ate a banana, a bowl of oatmeal, and a cup of yogurt for breakfast along with plenty of water. I skipped my usual coffee but had a 5-hour energy shot instead.
The drive down to Ben Lomond was not one that I’d made before but getting there was pretty simple. I’d forgotten the gate code when I drove up and so I climbed out of my truck to walk over and ask. Before I could get more than ten feet from the truck someone was yelling it to me, so I guess I wasn’t the only one!
I had plenty of time to check in, weigh my armor, and hang out with folks there. I was surprised to see two members of the YouTube channel “Gun Thots” there, as I’d just learned about their channel and subscribed to it the week before. There were a few familiar faces from the local competitive shooting world as well as some folks I’d never seen before. This type of match seems to bring out a different kind of crowd with a different kind of gear; while non free-floated rifles with spray paint jobs aren’t totally unknown at 3-Gun matches, there were certainly more of them at B3D than at your usual 3-Gun match.
A match briefing was held an hour before each heat. I was there for the 1:00 pm heat so my briefing was at noon. I did some dynamic stretching while Dave Hartman delivered the briefing, after which we had to get ready to go.
I changed into the British combat shirt and took all my EDC items out of my pockets, save for my Leatherman multitool, in case it came in handy at the match, and my truck key. Everything else was left in my car to save weight and comfort. I had all of my rifle ammo in mags but I had to decide what to do with my pistol ammo, since I had only three magazines loaded (two Magpul 27 rounders and one OEM G17 mag) but my last 95 rounds of CCI Blazer in two boxes. I didn’t want any more weight on my hips than I already had so I decided to put the two boxes into the sleeve pockets of the combat shirt. These pockets are very big and are located high on the shoulders. I figured these would be out of the way and a spot where the weight of the ammo could be easily carried. My two 27 round mags went into mag pouches and my 17 round mag went into my right hip pocket.
I considered wearing a pair of Mechanix gloves but worried that they could compromise my grip on some of the obstacles so I left them in the truck. I also decided to wear foam ear plugs in lieu of muffs and a Spec-Ops “Recon Wrap”, which I normally use as a neck gaiter but decided to wear on my head like a do rag instead. I figured this would be lighter than my cap and cooler too. I wore another similar gaiter on my neck beneath the combat shirt’s collar.
With all my stuff on, I grabbed my rifle, attached the sling, and went off to the start point. There I had a bit of time to chat but I was the fourth shooter in my squad and so it wasn’t long before I was given my two minute warning. I put in my ear plugs and did a bit more last-minute stretching before it was my turn to go. Shooters in my heat were sent off in 5 minute intervals, starting with #60 at 1:00 pm sharp. As shooter #63 it was my turn to go at 1:15 pm.
Off and Running:
I was given the start command and began jogging. The first stretch of the race went about 100 yards before hooking around a corner behind some trees. I was determined to be jogging at least that far; it would be terribly embarrassing to have to slow to a walk within sight of the gaggle of spectators at the starting area! Luckily, I was not only still fresh at that point but also jogging downhill the whole first stretch. Less than 50 yards around that first bend, I was at my first stage.
Stage 1
All of the stages were quite simple, not only to keep the match moving smoothly but also to keep exhausted shooters from getting too confused. This stage was simply three different shooting positions (a spool, a VTAC barricade, and a wooden tank trap) and the shooter had to shoot three targets from each position, located at 100, 200, and 300 yards away. No real issues except that I was moving slowly (I had already planned to conserve my energy on the running portion of the match but should have pushed a bit on the shooting stages) and that my plate carrier interfered with the placement of my rifle stock.
54/96 Overall (40.7321%); 10/19 Armored (54.1775%), no penalties.
An Uphill Battle
I left Stage 1 and made my way downhill a little farther but the low point of the trail was soon reached and I had to start walking uphill. I made the decision early on that I wouldn’t waste energy running uphill and so I started walking pretty early on.
At the top of the hill were some shooting bays that were turned into physical challenges that were to be completed. Competitors that failed a challenge/obstacle would be assessed a 3 minute penalty. Those who didn’t even attempt would get a 5 minute penalty. The order of these is a little fuzzy to me but I recall a weighted wheelbarrow and a sled drag, both of which went about 40 yards before turning around. The sled drag was particularly gruelling. There was also a farmer’s walk with a pair of 75 lbs barbells (150lbs total) of about the same distance. A couple of bays beyond these obstacles was the next shooting stage.
Stage 2
This stage was very simple: there were seven pistol steel that had to be shot from 3 positions, left, right, and center, all on a line for a total of 21 hits. I drew my pistol and couldn’t find the dot at first before remembering that I’d turned the power down to save batteries. Upon realizing this, I had to crank up the power on the clock, wasting valuable time. I think I cleared this one with no misses but I still wasn’t hustling like I would have if I was well-rested. After this stage I got my first bottle of cold water and poured some on my head and drank some too. The rest of the bottle went into my dump pouch for later.
53/96 overall (46.1982%); 8/19 Armored (53.074%), no penalties.
As I left Stage 2 I decided to reload my pistol mag on the move. The grade was still uphill and I had no intention of trying to move too fast on it so I thought it would be more efficient to reload mags as I walked. I pulled my first box of ammo out of my sleeve pocket and reached for a magazine when the plastic tray slid out of the other end of the box and fell to the ground below, scattering 50 rounds of ammo into the gravel at my feet! Cursing, I bent down in the middle of the road and began picking rounds up off the ground and stuffing them into my partially depleted mag. The rest of the rounds I picked up and dropped into my dump pouch. I picked up the packaging from the ammo and got back on the move, my annoyance with the mishap tempered by the fact that it was also an opportunity to rest.
Further down the line was a bay with a balance beam made of railroad ties placed in a U shape. The shooter had to pick up two large jerry cans full of water and carry them while navigating the balance beam. I made it but turning the corners on the U made me nervous about falling and one of the ties would rock quite a bit when walking on it. It was at this point that the guy behind me caught up to me for the first time. I had started the obstacle before he got there but he was starting it just as I was finishing.
I took off at a jog from there, as the ground was levelling out a bit, and only started walking again when the grade steepened again. By that point I was walking up to a structure that housed the next stage.
Stage 3
The shooter started behind a VTAC barricade with four hanging steel downrange at about 100 yards. The shooter had to hit these targets once each from three different positions on the barricade for a total of 12 hits. The shooter would then abandon the rifle and draw the pistol and hit an array of steel on each side of the VTAC (I think there were six targets on each side for the pistol).
I went to abandon the rifle after just four hits on this stage and the RO had to remind me to shoot from two more positions. I also could (maybe?) have shot from a couple of prone positions on the VTAC instead of just one; I should have asked before starting.
67/96 Overall (36.5489%); 10/19 Armored (50.4994%), no penalties.
The Long and Winding Road
At this point I was giving the guy behind me rest periods by him catching up to me while I was shooting. I was directed to go back the way I came for a short period and then take a right turn and follow the road as it went uphill again, curving this way and that. At the top of a hill that I came to there was a wall that was perhaps 6’ tall that I had to climb over. They screwed 2x4s into the wall for footholds so the climb was actually very easy. The toughest part was that the armor made my upper body heavier than I was used to and when I swung myself over the wall I had to stop my momentum from making me fall off the other side! The road continued curving along, this time being downhill for a change. I ran across numerous shooters making their return leg of the trip, heading the opposite direction of me. I gave them a nod or a thumbs-up for encouragement as we crossed paths.
The downhill grade had me jogging briefly but even downhill was getting exhausting after the exertion that I’d already done. I turned to jogging for 20 steps and then walking for 20 steps for as long as I could before returning to strictly walking. I also kept looking over my shoulder for the guy who kept catching up to me and was surprised to see that he was a lot farther behind me than I would have thought; perhaps he’d had trouble on the shooting stage where he’d caught up to me? Regardless, I had reached my next shooting stage.
Stage 4
This was another rifle-only stage with a large spool on the right, a tank trap on the left, and a roof prop in the center. There were circular steel flashers at 100, 200, 300, and 400 yards downrange, each needing to be hit once from each position. The catch here was that the roof prop had to be the position that you ended on.
I started on the spool and once I got into position I was immediately concerned about hitting the head of a bolt that was protruding from the top of the spool. I had to keep that bolt in mind the whole time I was shooting from that position. The tank trap was as awkward as ever but I also got my hits from there. Moving on this stage was faster than I’d been before and I think I was finally realizing that hurrying on the stages was energy well spent.
On this stage the targets were freshly painted black and I could see where I hit, at least out to 300 yards. I noticed that I was hitting slightly to the left at longer range, even though a downrange windsock indicated that wind was blowing to the right. I clearly need to check my zero on this scope!
After clearing the first two positions, I leapt onto the roof prop and after settling into my position, I was immediately scalded by the authentic shingles that were on this prop. I had to keep squirming around, trying to find a solid position that didn’t result in burning my legs or my support hand. A glove on my left hand would have made this position a lot more tenable. As it was, I spent too much time avoiding getting burnt and I wasn’t able to hit my final target before timing out.
57/96 Overall (27.6239%); 10/19 Armored (41.0287%), 10 sec penalties.
Crawling, Throwing, And Getting Passed
As I left Stage 4 I was surprised to see that there were no less than three other shooters standing at the stage, waiting for me to finish, or just walking up to it. I once again got a downhill respite, as the path leading immediately up to the shooting area was a high point of the terrain. This momentum was interrupted by a section of culvert, perhaps 40 or 50’ long, that the shooter was required to crawl through. I was concerned about my ability to fit into such obstacles, especially with armor and other gear on, but even with all that I could still crawl on all fours without snagging or weird contortions. As I crawled through I noticed that my knee pads were a little too low to provide protection while crawling and so I hiked them up a bit after getting out the other side.
After leaving the culvert I had another slight downhill grade to jog along. While the previous path had been all gravel roads, this section of the course was a trail mowed into the grass. This soft surface was a bit of a pain since the grass would tend to snag on my shoes and slow me down somewhat. Still, it was one of the easier sections of the course.
At the end of the mowed grass trail the gravel road resumed. The road led the shooter to a structure that had four ropes tied horizontally at chest level (on me; I’m 6’3”) and a sandbag in front of one end of the row of ropes. The shooter had to lift the sandbag over the rope, duck under the rope, and then repeat until all four had been cleared. Then the sandbag was returned to the start by the same process. This obstacle might have been the point where I really slowed down for the rest of the day; I started out reasonably strong but was noticeably slower by the time I was done. I slung my rifle on my back and the barrel snagged on the ropes more than once too.
After the sandbag toss, I began down another trail that was mostly uphill. As I reached the crest of the hill, I looked over my shoulder and saw that the guy behind me was done with the sandbag toss and would likely overtake me soon. After cresting the hill, the slope became downhill again, albeit at a gentler grade than it had been going up (at least, that was my perception). I went back to jogging 20 steps and walking 20 but the heat, dryness, and exhaustion was really getting to me at this point and the guy who started after me passed me and I’d never see him again during the actual race. The guy after him also passed me on this long stretch too but at this point I was too focused on my exhaustion to really care about it.
At the end of the trail was another obstacle that I wasn’t sure how to navigate: there were multiple hay bales and deer-shaped archery targets in staggered rows with a barbed wire crawl at the end. The RO at the end called instructions to me but with my foam earplugs in I couldn’t hear him at all. He could tell I was unsure of what to do so he jogged over and told me that I just had to crawl under the barbed wire; the hay bales and deer targets were just an everyday part of the archery range, not part of the obstacle.
The crawl was not too hard but I snagged my bladder carrier on the wire at first. I lowered my head and shoulders and didn’t have trouble after that. I also noticed, to my annoyance, that I’d hiked the knee pads too high and now I was still getting inadequate protection from them! While I crawled, I got passed by yet another shooter. I emerged out the other end and the RO offered me a paper cup of water which I eagerly took. He then offered me another bottle of water which reminded me that I still had a partial one left in my dump pouch. I declined his offer and began walking off down the trail.
The trail was uphill again so I was back to walking. At one point my hips began to really feel fatigued as did my diaphragm (not the same as my lungs or heart working hard, which they were; I could literally feel fatigue in the diaphragm muscle, perhaps another first for me) and so I stopped in the road to place my hands on my knees and take five deep breaths before resuming my walk. I also tried to think of clever plays on the event name of “Blast & Dash” but I could think of no synonyms for “blast” that rhymed with “trudge”, “slog”, or “limp” so I abandoned the effort.
At the crest of the hill I saw a cluster of bays where I was to go next. On the downhill grade I returned to jogging in intervals. At Stage 5 I caught up to the last guy who passed me, giving me the only opportunity of the match to break out my stopwatch and get a “free” break of a minute or more. At this point I’d drunk the last of my bottle and asked the RO for another. He gave me an ice-cold one from the cooler and I opened it and drank. I tried pouring some on my head but some of it splashed off and landed on the ocular lens of my scope, oops! I then poured some onto the nape of my neck and down my back. The response to this was a combination of the momentary paralysis that often accompanies sudden contact with very cold water and pleasant relief from the oppressive heat; an odd pair of sensations that I’m not sure I’ve ever felt at the same time before.
Stage 5
The shooter ahead of me finished his run and then it was my turn. I blew as much water off my scope’s lens as I could before stepping into the start box which started the clock. The RO watched me struggle with a rifle magazine in my plate carrier and waited until it suddenly ripped free and struck me in the lip before reminding me that I was supposed to start this stage with my pistol. Gee, thanks! I put the rifle mag back and had to draw and load my pistol.
This stage had three pistol steel that had to be shot once each, then a mandatory reload was performed, and the process was repeated twice more for a total of nine hits. If I’d remembered what to do on this stage I would have taken the 17 round magazine from my right pocket with my right hand before even drawing the pistol and then started by loading that mag. As it was, I shot with the two mags on my belt first and then had to switch the pistol to my left hand so that I could use my right to grab the final mag out of my pocket. I then also had to do a left-handed reload before shooting my last three shots.
After abandoning the pistol I then had to shoot four hanging steel at about 50 yards and a fifth hanging steel at about 100 with the rifle. This was repeated from three shooting positions, one off of a large tire, one off of a tank trap… and the other one off a barricade that I must admit I can’t remember the exact identity of. At this point fatigue was really taking its toll on me and details like that are vague. I do recall hugging the tank trap in such a way that my ejection port was occluded and I had a malfunction when I fired. A simple tap/rack fixed the problem (this might have been the first malf I’ve had with this rifle in over 2000 rounds) and my next shot also didn’t cycle. This time, the problem was simply that I’d run out of ammo so I performed my only on-the-clock rifle reload of the match and drove on. As I moved to the last barricade, I recall picking up my spent mag and placing it in my dump pouch on the clock.
52/96 Overall (41.6623%): 8/19 Armored (50.3802%), no penalties.
#DYEL
After recovering my pistol and mags, I ran to the next bay which required carrying a beer keg about 40 yards to a cone, going around the cone, and then bringing the keg back. I cleaned the keg onto my shoulder and carried it that way but it was awkward and tiring for my arms to hold it there. Still, I could see no better way to carry it so that’s what I endured. The next obstacle was the same thing but with an Atlas stone. My technique was similar for carrying it and the challenges were also comparable.
The next challenge was a tire flip. The last tire that I flipped was at a 2014 Spartan Race and that was perhaps the heaviest tire I’ve ever even heard of. I managed to flip it but that was at a point in my life when I was powerlifting with a zealous amount of dedication… and it was still really tough! I was intimidated by the tire in front of me and took a moment before flipping it but it really wasn’t that hard. The next bay down was Stage 6.
Stage 6
The shooter starts in a box with four very small hanging steel downrange about 50 yards which must be shot offhand, unsupported. I got the rifle loaded and, thanks to a combination of fatigue and the armor interfering with my stock, I assumed a somewhat bladed, traditional offhand stance and proceeded to hit all the rifle targets almost effortlessly! I then dumped the rifle, ran to a pistol shooting area, and drew, loaded and shot all the targets (perhaps 12 total?).
Not much to comment on here; the pistol went well and I could have gone faster. The rifle stance was not what I normally practice but it worked well!
47/96 Overall (38.4153%); 8/19 Armored (51.49%), no penalties.
Stage 7
The next stage was the next bay over and was very similar in layout but the rifle shots were to be taken from a metal frame with an X made from cargo straps, pulled taut on the frame. There were four medium and two small targets to be engaged at 100 yards with the rifle touching the straps somewhere. The straps actually provided reasonably good support for the rifle and the hits weren’t hard to get. The rifle was then abandoned and the shooter would then move to a pistol shooting area and knock down a plate rack and then hit some static steel. Here I had my only pistol misses of the match on the plate rack. I had to remind myself to tighten my grip and then I resumed making my hits.
35/96 Overall (46.4292%); 6/19 Armored (54.7342%), no penalties.
Ya Knew This Was Comin’
After that stage I headed off towards another mowed path in the grass towards the gravel road. Upon reaching the gravel I started loading my pistol mags again from my dump pouch. I finished off the loose rounds in the pouch and then took the last box of ammo from my sleeve pouch. Not wanting to repeat dropping rounds again, I took care to slip the tray into my dump pouch and then place the empty tray and box in my cargo pocket. I did fumble one round while loading a mag and as I bent down to retrieve it I noticed that the red cross patch from my medical kit had fallen off right at that moment. If I hadn’t dropped that round I would have lost that patch!
I was walking uphill again and soon was back on that hill that I’d jogged down earlier after climbing the 6’ wall but this time I was the poor sod who had gravity working against me. At one point on this hill I stopped again, rested my hands on my knees and took several deep breaths so that I’d have the strength to keep moving.
I could see another shooter gaining on me and at the top of the hill was a chest-high wall to climb over. I did this easily (the weight of the armor throwing me off a little again) and as I dismounted the wall that shooter caught up to me. Since there was a water station there I stopped for a cup of what turned out to be Gatorade (I think mine had a bug in it; I was too exhausted to care what the lump was that I swallowed with the drink) and let him pass.
The top of the hill was somewhat flat and I could go back to intervals of jogging 20 steps. When the hill started dropping it was the steepest downhill of the day and it was quite easy to jog the whole way down. Of course, what goes down must come up, and I started an uphill walk at the bottom. At the top of the next hill was the final stage.
Stage 8
I got to this stage just as the last guy to pass me was getting done. The obstacle before the stage was a short set of monkey bars that the shooter had to swing from, hand over hand, from one end to the other. The bars were short enough that I think I got across in four grasps. I was intimidated by these bars, as I’d fallen off of a similar obstacle at my last Spartan Race and I was relieved that I made it this time, especially wearing armor.
This stage was simple: there was a wall with four windows in it and seven targets downrange. Shoot all seven from each window for a total of 28 shots. I found these targets to be very easy and I went through them quickly. I performed a reload before the last window as I’d be one round short otherwise. When I finished, the RO informed me that I was one of three people to finish that stage with no misses that day (at least one of those people, I later learned, was running a PCC).
18/96 Overall (65.2271%); 2/19 Armored (85.7063%), no penalties.
The End In Sight
I had been told that the stage after the monkey bars was the last one so I didn’t bother to reload my mags on the run. Instead, I just jogged down the hill to the spot where I was to cross over to the very final stretch of the race. This started with a somewhat gentle uphill grade followed by a flat path to a chest high wall. I willed myself to jog to the wall, knowing that I was almost done but my legs wouldn’t obey! I kept walking but couldn’t find the strength to speed up. After clearing that wall (I anticipated the balance issue this time) I then could find the strength to jog and did so for the last 100+ yards to the finish line.
The Best Part About Wearing Armor
I set my rifle down against the outside of the clubhouse and picked up a bottle of water that I’d left there before starting out. I drank greedily and one of the staff suggested that I go inside and take advantage of the AC. I did so and sat down on the couch and removed my armor. I caught my breath fairly fast and didn’t really feel too beaten up either. This suggested to me that the heat and mental aspect of the race were possibly even more harsh than the physical. After relaxing for a few minutes I took my gear to my truck and peeled off my sweat-soaked shirt and changed into another one. I then went back to the burger buffet to get a much-needed post-workout meal.
I’ve never been so well-fed at a match or a race before! First there were burgers with all the fixings and brats along with chips, cookies, brownies, and beverages (there would also be excellent brisket, potato salad, cole slaw, and baked beans served later on). I chowed down while talking to some other competitors who were similarly glad to be eating on a couch with AC instead of running down a hot dusty road.
I had never been to Ben Lomond Gun Club before and I was nothing but impressed with their facility. It’s in a very nice part of Colorado (which is saying something), their clubhouse is clean and nicely furnished with couches and tables that we greatly appreciated after the run. The range is huge and varied, with long-range rifle setups, competition-oriented bays, an archery range, a designated black powder area, and more. It also speaks well of them that they let a somewhat radical match like this one take place at their facility.
The People of 2-Gun
3-Gun isn’t going anywhere and nor should it; it’s built a very solid following around not only the USA but also other parts of the world. That said, I’ve started attending 2-Gun events with simpler stages and more physical challenges and this format seems to attract a slightly different kind of person than 3-Gun for whatever reason. I think we need both sports to reach the greatest number of shooters out there and I think there will be significant crossover between the two worlds.
As evidence of this, consider some folks I talked to after B3D: I spoke with one guy who was an avid triathlete and who also likes shooting. He lamented that many triathletes are not friendly towards guns so he really doesn’t have anyone in those circles to discuss his other hobby with. Similarly, not many shooters are into triathlons and he has few conversations about that at shooting matches. He’d been to his first 3-Gun match several years prior to B3D and his second 3-Gun match a few weeks prior. He seemed really pleased to find a match where there were folks who were into both blasting and dashing.
The guy who started after me and was the first to pass me also came over and chatted me up. He’d flown in all the way from Washington D.C. to participate in the match. When he said he was “from D.C.”, I assumed that he’d moved to CO (like so many others do), but he was just taking a little vacation to do this kind of shooting. The fact that he was willing to fly so far just for a one day competition suggests that there are folks out there who are hungry for this kind of match.
Another competitor I talked to actually quit because he couldn’t bring his heart rate down after the first leg of the run. While that’s never a good thing to hear, he blamed himself for not preparing adequately. He said that, in spite of his bad experience, he wanted to come back next year, better prepared.
As for myself, I had thoughts along the lines of “why am I doing this to myself?” during the actual event and I joked afterwards, when asked if I’d come back next year, with “ask me in six months when I’ve forgotten how much it hurt”. In reality, I already knew that I wanted to try and do better and I’m already planning on making it to the 2021 Big Ben Blast & Dash. Perhaps next year’s goal could be to get at least 50% of the winner’s running score.
What Went Right
- There were no injuries that I heard of. This is the norm for shooting matches but not trail runs or obstacle races, in my experience. Combining a bunch of strangers with guns getting together and doing intense physical activity should be a recipe for injuries but there were none that I’m aware of, for which I’m thankful.
- My goal was to not quit or get injured, which I accomplished. As I write this part the day after the match, I don’t even feel too beaten up, something that I had worried about too.
- I came away from the match feeling encouraged to improve instead of feeling defeated, which is how races often make me feel.
- The management of the race seems to have been superb; I heard no complaining about anything and heard no whispers about errors on anyone’s part.
- I got more experience with my plate carrier. I’ve worn it for classes, practice sessions, and even some workouts but I’d never done this kind of run-and-gun with it before.
What Could Have Gone Better
- My fitness could easily have been better. I’ve been very lazy for the last few years and about all I’ve done of late is ride my bike to work and do the minor amounts of lifting heavy things that my day job requires. I ought to start hiking more, at the least, and doing some more to improve my cardio.
- About the only complaint I have about the match is that all of the pistol targets were super easy. I think that 10-20% of the pistol targets should have been more challenging, either by making them smaller or farther away.
- I should have asked ROs for a reminder of what to do on stages before stepping into the start box, which automatically started the timer. This would have cut down on my “shooting time” significantly and added a negligible amount to my “running time”.
Stuff I Had That I Was Glad For
- A rifle zeroed out to the distances we were shooting to. A solid zero is a wonderful thing, especially if you can confirm that zero at longer ranges.
- A LPVO. Magnification helped a lot at this match and I was also able to dial it down when I needed to.
- My British UBACS combat shirt. The long sleeves protected my arms from getting burnt by the roof prop and the sun and the padded forearms acted as elbow pads without all the suckyness that is inherent in normal elbow pads. The padded shoulders seemed to help with the weight of the armor and slung rifle and the mesh material helped keep me cool (at one point I really noticed that the sweaty material of the shirt on my back was getting cool as I walked) and prevent chafing from the plate carrier.
- Volleyball knee pads. These stayed in place, more or less, and protected me while shooting from kneeling or while crawling. I wish these were a little bigger, as I alternately got them either too low or too high, but overall they were a win.
- A grip stop. I used this over and over to solidify my position on barricades and it also helped keep a comfortable grip on the rifle while walking or jogging.
- Lightweight running shoes. I’ve had the same shoes for years and they seem to work fine. They are comfortable and lightweight and haven’t worn out yet.
- A dump pouch. I used it for not only its intended purpose (i.e.: spent mags) but also water bottles and loose ammo, the latter was also easily retrieved from the pouch.
Stuff I Had That I Wish I Didn’t
- The offset RDS on my rifle. I never used it once and so it was just extra weight.
- Bulky plate carrier shoulder straps. My Banshee is a dated design and the shoulder straps are heavily padded with a big quick-release buckle up front. This really interferes with stock placement and I frequently fought this at the match.
- Knee pads. Now wait a minute, didn’t I just get done saying that I was glad I had these? Well, they did offer protection but I also felt a bit of uncomfortable pressure in my legs that might have been from the knee pads. I can’t say for sure, but I think that movement would have been easier without them.
Stuff I Didn’t Have That I Wish I Did
- Long pants. I wore shorts to try and remain cool in the August heat but I think that I could have kept from burning myself on the roof prop with long pants. Also, I think that I could maybe have ditched the knee pads if I’d worn long pants and not suffered for it.
- Gloves. I don’t know if they would have hurt me on certain obstacles but I know they would have benefitted me on that scalding hot roof prop. My hands also got filthy from crawling through obstacles and I could have kept them cleaner with gloves.
- An actual rifle mag pouch or chest rig. Stuffing mags into the kangaroo pouch on the Banshee was the worst of both worlds in that it made them too hard to retrieve upwards but too easy for them to fall down inside of the pouch where they couldn’t be easily retrieved.
- A third pistol mag pouch. It would have come in handy on the stage with three mandatory pistol reloads.
- In-ear hearing protection that allows voices to be heard. Decibullz makes such a thing for a good price and I shoot 3-Gun with a guy who is sponsored by them. Next time I see him I’ll ask him about a discount code.
- A cooler. I would have liked to have some frozen water bottles to carry in pouches up against my body for both cooling and for drinking once they’d melted a bit. I could have also brought a couple of post-race celebratory beers to drink.
Stuff I Didn’t Have That I Was Glad For
- A flimsy holster. At least two people broke their holsters on the clock and either had to fix them then and there or improvise. My Safariland GLS is nothing fancy but it held up quite well.
- More weight on my belt. My belt was pressing a bit on my hip muscles and making them tire out. I’m not sure if there’s a belt out there that could eliminate this or if there’s just no getting away from the fact that weight on the hips is a killer, but I’m getting to the point where I think extra weight should go on a vest, not a belt.
Lessons Learned
- The last stage, which was pistol only, was far and away my best stage. Pistol shooting is what I need to work on the least.
- There were rankings for shooting only and running only on Practiscore and in running only I was 82/96. If I could build more endurance I would do better next time.
- At this type of match, take the time to ask the RO of a stage questions before stepping into the start box. Adding thirty seconds of talking to an aggregate hour and a half of running is nothing. Taking five seconds to get reminded of something you could have asked about is far more damaging on a shooting stage with a 150 second par time.
Conclusion
I made it! That was really all I asked of myself and I did. I expected the experience to be a suckfest and, while it was, I did endure it and I’m glad that I did. I think that using B3D as an audit of my fitness and dedication is something that I’ll start to do from now on. I should be in better shape and I want to not have to worry about whether or not I can go and do something like this in the future. I’m glad that I did this match and I plan to do it again.
