The GORUCK organization has several different events that they hold in major cities. Although most of the events are in the United States, they have started doing them in other European countries as well.
The founder, Jason McCarthy, along with many of the cadre, are former Green Berets. They are large supporters of the Green Beret Foundation and donate $10 of every entry fee for their various events. In addition to their donations to the Green Beret Foundation, their GORUCK Tough community of followers (all of whom have completed at least one GORUCK Challenge as a rite of passage) are continuously organizing philanthropic events to raise money for those in need.
The events themselves vary in nature. The GORUCK Challenge is their trademark event which is a team building exercise. It's described as 8-10 hours, 15-20 miles, under-promise and over-deliver. Participants are required to wear a rucksack filled with bricks and complete some considerable PT along with arduous tasks designed to mold you into a cohesive team while giving you a small taste of the Special Forces selection process.
There is so much more to the organization than I can appropriately sum up in a forum setting. One should visit
www.GORUCK.com for more information.
I've personally done one of the GORUCK challenges and I'm currently signed up for two more. My experience was fantastic. Ours started at 9:00pm and ended at 10:00 am, we were doing PT in a nearby river, carrying logs for miles without rest, and experiencing what the cadre refer to as, "Good Livin." It was brutal and painful but after the smoke clears you walk away with a feeling of accomplishment, timeless lessons, and many new friendships. I haven't had the pleasure of partaking in any of their other events although they sound very challenging and rewarding. I'm trying to participate in as many of their challenges as I can before I ship to OSUT in November.