Behind Enemy Lines

Green Beret Challenge has continued to be one of the best-rated OCR companies on Mud Run Guide according to readers. The small company has quickly made a name for itself and reputation for quality well-produced events. On Friday, Mark Ballas the founder of the race organization announced a new 24-hour event in the companies lineup called Behind Enemy Lines. According to Ballas,

According to Ballas,

“The premise of “Behind Enemy Lines,” 24 hours of Green Beret Challenge is distinctly different from any of the endurance offerings currently on the market. My intent is for the participants to walk away with some new life skills, not just a 24-hour beat down. There is always a reason or end state to what we do with the GBC. And for these events, some unique takeaways…”

Behind Enemy Lines will offer three versions, (or mission sets):  Clandestine Operations, Urban Assault, and the Survival & Evasion mission set. Ballas went on to tell Mud Run Guide that each event will have some similarities, but some vast differences as well making each event different and exciting. Below is the formal description of the event from the Green Beret Challenge team. 

About Behind Enemy Lines

Ever wonder what it would be like to be a Green Beret for a day? 24-hours of GBC is designed to allow the participants to experience a day in the life of a Green Beret. Regardless of which mission set you have chosen or being offered (Clandestine Operations, Urban Assault or our Survival & Evasion mission sets), we will expose each participant to real training and missions.

Phase I will provide a little taste of what goes on at Special Forces Assessment & Selection (A&S) most folks will never get to see or understand. Expect to be tested both individually as well as collectively. Our “base camp” will host individual & team building events just like the Special Forces “Green Beret” candidates encounter at the remote training facility nestled in the hamlets of North Carolina. After the initial fitness evaluation similar to the Army physical fitness test, attendees will be evaluated on various individual and collective tasks and assessed by a real Special Forces veteran. This is a MUST PASS phase. The follow-up phases of each mission set are drastically different in scope and will be not be publicized to ensure we maintain the integrity of the event. The participants will receive all necessary information, performance standards, packing lists, event timeline, etc., upon completing the registration process.

What we can tell you; as the journey unfolds, the teams will have to adapt to an ever changing scenario that will require sound judgment, a bit of uncertainty and a lot of excitement. – Team GBC

We asked Ballas who this event is geared toward and if there were any fitness requirements for the event. He told MRG that the event is geared toward anyone in OCR. He added that there are some eligibility standards during phase 1 but emphasized they are nothing difficult and should not stop participants from signing up.

Ballas did mention a 4-mile road march in 1 hour (cadre led), Army PT with 70% min standard for push-ups, sit-ups, and a 2-mile run. For those looking to take on a new challenge especially those who enjoy the endurance side of OCR, this is a unique opportunity.

Green Beret Challenge currently has two scheduled events; September 16-17, 2016 in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and December 3-4, 2016 at our new Texas home, the Y.O. Ranch Headquarters, Mountain Home, Texas. In 2017 the company is looking to expand to six events.


For more information and how you can register check out our Green Beret Challenge page. 

Are you ready for the 24-hour challenge? 

Share this post!