GORUCK Constellation Food & Nutrition

As you hopefully know by this point your GORUCK Constellation event is going to last roughly 10 – 12 hours. In addition classes have traveled upwards of 8 to 10 miles during the night. GORUCK does not provide food for you at these events so you will absolutely want to bring your own.

Food That Refuels & Energizes

GORUCK Constellation is interesting in that it lasts as long as a GORUCK Tough event but is hardly as physically demanding. Although this might seem “easier” when choosing food it actually makes it more difficult. During a Tough event your body will be fueled by adrenaline and there is very little down time to get tired.

Constellation couldn’t possibly be more different. The training scenarios are broken up with classroom sessions lasting roughly thirty minutes. Some Constellation courses have had their “classroom” sessions taught in parking lots while others have occurred in crossfit gyms and other warm environments. Either way the classroom sessions are a great time to see what time it is (watches and phones are allowed) and realize how tired you are.

At our first GORUCK Constellation event we brought four protein bar with us. This was easily enough food to sustain the body through the night but there was no caffeine in sight. At our next Constellation event we’ll bring either energy gels (with caffeine) or some cold brew coffee. Something to make sure the body stays alert and in good spirits.

Food That Makes You Happy

It’s always nice to bring one extra special something to eat and share with the group. Whether it’s a bag of skittles or some homemade cookies (we’ve seen and eaten some) snacks like that are sure to make friends and put a smile on the faces of your team. Although by no means required bringing one thing to share can strengthen the team and assist teammates you didn’t know were suffering.

Testing Food

One of the most important things you can do before an event is test your food on your body. When you go for a longer ruck during training bring some food with you and eat it. Pay attention to your body and how it reacts to the food during exercises. You want to make sure that whatever you bring to the event does not make your stomach.

If you find something that seems to work then try it out right before a workout and pay attention to how it sits in your stomach. While there isn’t too much physical activity at GORUCK Constellation events there’s still some and it can sneak up on you. Running between alleys, jumping into dumpsters, having to change routes at a moments notice… all you need is one little change of plans and you might be running right after eating.

Packing Food

While you don’t need anything special to hold your food you might as well invest in a dry bag to stash your food in. If you 2 liter bottle of soda breaks in your pack then it will be protected… and a dry bag also keeps them all together.

What Do We Bring?

GORUCK Constellation events last 10 to 12 hours and are usually under 10 miles. They aren’t as intense as the GORUCK Challenges and don’t require as much food to sustain your body. At a GORUCK Constellation we would bring the following:

• Protein Bars: 3 – 4
• GU/Chewies (with Caffeine): 2
• Coffee: 2
• Candy: 1

Why the candy? As we mentioned above a quick way to make friends is to break out some candy halfway through the event and share it with your team.

Conclusion & What’s Next

Don’t stress about your food for your upcoming GORUCK Constellation event! As we mentioned… they’re not GORUCK Challenges so you don’t need to dial in your food as tight. Make sure you bring enough and you can always stash some extra in your car. That’s right… due to the nature of the GORUCK Constellation events you can even stop by your car if necessary during one of your scenarios if you hae time. If you have something special that works well for you consider leaving a comment… we love hearing what people are bringing!

Check out the following pages for more information about the GORUCK Constellation event: