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In January 2024, Sarah Woodall embarked on a weight loss journey that involved a combination of diet, exercise, and support from family and friends. One such friend was her next-door neighbor, Jacob Blink. Jacob and Sarah initially started competing to see who could take the most steps each day. These competitions eventually evolved into
neighborhood runs, but for Blink, a seasoned member of the Alabama Army National Guard with two Middle East deployments under his belt, there was a pleasant alternative to running that he thought Sarah may want to try.

Rucking is simple. You grab a backpack, add some weight to it, and walk. Why? Because it’s what you do in the Army, and as you age, which I’m told is the general preference after considering all alternatives, and your knees don’t work quite right anymore, rucking allows you to burn more calories than simply walking while still being gentle on those creaky joints.

The Army standard for rucking is a fifteen-minute-per-mile pace, and that includes carrying anywhere from forty-five to over one hundred pounds in the pack, plus a weapon. If Blink started with this information when trying to convince Woodall to ruck, it’s no wonder
Sarah was hesitant to jump into what was, for her, uncharted territory.

Sarah, an artist and marketing professional from Vestavia, has shed more than 130 pounds in eighteen months. The idea of adding more weight and walking with it was an experience that she was more inclined to leave in her past rather than turn back into a hobby, but when Jacob showed up for a morning run in November with a twenty-pound ruck prepared for her, she relented. That day, they walked for four miles. Sarah was hooked, and running was all of a sudden for the birds.

Sarah appreciates the opportunity to chat while moving at a slower pace, which helps the body maintain good and proper breathing. She also describes rucking as the perfect combination of burning calories and exploring with friends.

Jacob, an IT manager at Samford’s Brock School of Business, seems to prefer the peace and quiet of a daily 5:00 AM ruck in solitude, but if two’s company, three’s a crowd. Could Jacob keep his morning peace and have the crowd later on? He had a plan.

Enter GORUCK, a veteran-owned, global rucking brand. They design their own rucksacks and host basic training style events and distance races, including a twelve-miler in Birmingham this November that Jacob hopes to participate in as a group. However, GORUCK requires three members for a group to become an affiliate, so Jacob needed to persuade more neighbors to participate in rucking.

He found one right across the street.

Jordan May became the official third member to form what is now known as Bluff Park Ruckers. A legitimate local unit of the GORUCK community, Bluff Park’s own rucking group dons a logo that features a Tip-Top color scheme and sunset, created by none other than co-leader, Mrs. Woodall.

What does it mean to be an official GORUCK group? Well, you can walk together through Bluff Park, chat about how great Bluff Park is, and earn some sweet patches to stick on your rucksack. For example, the Bluff Park Ruckers held an 80s Mixtape Ruck one evening, and
participants received a mixtape patch (if they wanted it). When ruckers complete their first 5K with the club, they get a patch. Recently, the group hosted a ruck around Moss Rock and concluded at Vecchia Pizzeria. A pizza ruck! And participants got a patch.

Regularly, though, Bluff Park Ruckers meet at Shades Crest Baptist Church on Park Avenue at 5:45 on Thursday evenings. After an initial route that had limited sidewalk space, the path now makes a short loop on Lester, Cloudland, and turns on Rockview back to Park Avenue. This is where those with prior plans can dip out and head back to the church. But for those who have a little more in the tank, turn right and make another loop. The second time around, they take Lester down to Clearview, over to Savoy, and back up to Park just like the first go round. Then, it’s back to the church. The entire trek is about three miles total, and if you have enough weight on, you’ll feel every bit of those 15,000+ feet.

So far, participants have ranged anywhere from two to seventy-four years of age, eliminating most excuses for not trying it at least once. Strollers are not lacking, and a motorized wheelchair has even been spotted on Thursday evenings. Some participants carry very little weight. Some carry forty-plus pounds.

Discrimination doesn’t exist within the Bluff Park Ruckers, so Jacob and Sarah invite you to GO RUCK!