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RUCK YOUR BALLS OFF
Barbells For Bullies, GORUCK team up to build awareness, fight shelter overpopulation!
Where:
Participate from anywhere! The city, the 'burbs, the country, all you need is a pack (and a pup)!
When:
May 2025
Why:
On a mission to spay/neuter as many dogs as possible!
By promoting responsible pet ownership and spay/neuter initiatives, we can help control the amount of animals entering shelters and mitigate the staggering number of dogs and cats put down every year!
Every year in the US, 1.2 MILLION dogs are euthanized in shelters, mainly due to overpopulation. Most estimates put over half of the dogs euthanized as "pit-bull type" dogs, some as high as 1 million.
That's the population of Dallas, TX - 1.2 million - which perishes in shelters. Every. Year.
Why is Spay/Neuter Important?
One (1) unaltered female and her offspring can generate over 60,000 dogs in six years.
That means that one unaltered dog can fill every seat in Dodger Stadium within six years with their offspring....
If we want to stop unnecessary euthanasia for dogs in general, we need to cut it off at the pass, and spay/neuter in large numbers.
What's more, there are a variety of health and behavioral benefits that come from altering your pet - making them happier and healthier all around!
WHY RUCK?
What's more, is almost anyone can do it. You don't need to be a CrossFitter, Weightlifter, or Strength Athlete to get involved!
This event is open to anyone and everyone, and costs nothing to enter.
All we ask is that you create a fundraising page and share with your network. You can fundraise as a individual or get your team/gym involved! Click HERE for team leader best practices!
You can also join our WHOOP Team (code COMM-526D19) or use any distance tracking app (set to hike/ruck) and track your progress to win prizes!
Want an exclusive patch? Of course you do!
Individuals that raise $50 or teams that raise the equivalent of $50 per person/teammate will get one of these not-for-sale GORUCK x Barbells For Bullies Patches!
(Ex: Team has four members, you must raise $200 for everyone to get a patch)
This won't be a competition, exactly. But we do want to reward those of you that get out there and get after it.
If you use any distance tracking app (Map My Run, Strava Etc), and track your miles rucked (preferably with your dog), we will award the top participant with most miles rucked with some awesome swag from our sponsors (see below). We will also have incentives for milestone donation levels! Questions? Email us!
Sponsored in Part By
IMPACT:
Since November 2019 to date, we have:
548
HUMANS SIGNED UP
$53,887
DONATED
76
ANIMALS SAW A VET FOR THE FIRST TIME
279
DOGS ALTERED & MICROCHIPPED
We are rucking excited to be doing it again!
How To Get Involved
Share your Fundraiser Link to your network via email or via socials. It's super easy to use, intuitive, and FREE. If you have any issues, feel free to email us.
Join our WHOOP Team! If you have a WHOOP click the 3 bars in the upper left, then click join a team and use our team code COMM-526D19.
Don't have a WHOOP but want to give it a shot? Click HERE to get your first month FREE!
Download MapMyRun or STRAVA or any distance tracking app (it's free!) - STRAVA does integrate with WHOOP. This will help you track your miles and let us check who got out there and hustled for some awesome prizes from sponsors like CrossOver Symmetry, LALO Tactical and more! You can screenshot and send us the distance at the end of the month, with a hard deadline of 6/3/25
Log your miles or your activity in WHOOP! You don't need to be in the Adirondacks or Rockies to participate - you can log miles from anywhere - whether it's walking the Appalachian Trail or just down Main Street. Just grab a pack (And preferably a pup to accompany you) and start walking! And make sure you TAG US #RuckYourBallsOff2025 for a chance to be featured!
WHOOP & STRAVA
You can use your WHOOP paired with STRAVA to log your miles, and join our WHOOP group team.
Don't have a WHOOP? No problem, CLICK HERE to get the first month on us.
Fundraising Ideas:
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Get your gym or ruck club involved!
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Have your gym include a weekly ruck and get everyone involved!
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Make it your own! Some athletes are rucking 200m for every $10 raised, others have enlisted their friends and family to share their fundraising page.
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Tag us on socials or use #RuckYourBallsOff2024 with your pictures for a chance to be featured on our socials
Incentives & Prizes
Of course we want to reward those of you that get out there and get after it. Individuals with the most miles logged in a distance tracking app will receive:
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Top male and Female Rucker: 1x CrossOver Symmetry Arm Care System, and a pair of GORUCK MAC V's
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You can also see our incentives below for individuals and teams that hit fundraising milestones!
Who We're Benefiting
Funds raised in the NE will go to:
The Pittie Project is a 501(c)3 non for profit program that provides free spay/neuter, vaccines and microchipping to anyone that owns a pitbull type dog. We focus on this type of dog because due to overbreeding and breed discrimination hundreds of thousands are euthanized in the United states every year and more than a third of any shelters in take is pitbull type dogs, yet make up less than half of their adoptions. The Pittie Projects Mission is to get into the communities and educate the public on the importance of spay and neuter. To reduce the amount of pit-bull type dogs in shelters.
Funds raised in the West will go to:
The SNIP Bus (Spay Neuter Imperative Project) is a 501(c)(3) low-cost mobile spay and neuter clinic. The bus works to actively prevent the suffering and death of unwanted animals due to overpopulation. The SNIP Bus’s volunteers and Board of Directors receive no compensation for their services and 100% of proceeds are used to purchase supplies to operate the bus at full capacity. The bus is independently funded through generous sponsors.
If you would like to nominate a spay/neuter initiative in your region, email us!
FAQs
Q: Do I need to ruck?
A: If you don't have a ruck, you can use a weighted vest, or whatever you're comfortable doing. The point of this event is to raise money and awareness and also stay active, as exercise has many benefits for people and pups alike.
Q: Can I make this my own by doing something like for every $x raised I will do y burpees or run z amount of meters?
A: Absolutely! We encourage people to make this their own and put their spin on it to keep themselves and their network engaged!
Q: Is there a place I can post to see if other people are doing this in my area and where we can meet up?
A: There sure is - HERE is a link to the Facebook Group.
Q: I don't have a dog, can I still participate?
A: Of course. You're allowed to ruck solo if you want.
Or what you can do is see if a local shelter has a "dog for the day" program where you could take a shelter dog out and about, give them a chance to meet people, and potentially get adopted. Plus, rucks are always more fun with company.
Q: Is there a competitive element or a way for me to win prizes doing this?
A: Sure. If you track your miles, we will be giving out a pair of MacVs and a Crossover Symmetry to the male and female with the most distance rucked.
Or, you could raise money via the links above, and earn all types of awesome gear from some of the biggest names in fitness - like GORUCK, Yeti, and more!
Q: If I sign up as an team am I still eligible for individual prizes?
A: No, it's one or the other. If you are signed up as a team, your team will earn the prizes listed in the pictures above. You will not earn both individual and team prizes.
Q: If I raise money via Facebook or Instagram does that count toward the fundraising total?
A: No, we are requiring people to raise via GiveLively as it gives us more transparency into who raised what amount.
Q: If my company offers a cybergrant or company match, will that count towards my fundraising total?
A: Yes! We would just need an email and some type of information about the donation confirming what amount they're matching. Many large companies like Merck, Disney, and other Fortune 500s offer this, so it's worth checking into. Once we have confirmation of what they'll be donating, we will manually add that to your total. IE if you raise $2200, but we have an email saying Employer A is donating $300, we will ascribe you $2500 total raised!
AMRAPS: As Many Rescues As Possible
Our goal, as an organization, is to help AMRAP: As Many Rescues As Possible. Whether it's small rescues organizations around the US or rescue pups in need, we're here to help as many as we can. Regardless of breed, age, or location, we exist to fight for the underdog, and want to create a fit and socially conscientious community that rallies around rescue. Whether it involves a barbell or not, if it's about fitness and community, count us in.
We're here to make a difference, and let you know we all can make a difference. One random act of kindness at a time.