A few days back, I came across the story written by Matt E for The Firearm Blog about the Wolverine 5K Tactical Race. This event is a Red Dawn-Themed event which takes inspiration from the movie “Red Dawn” that featured Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, Jennifer Grey, Ben Johnson, Harry Dean Stanton, Ron O'Neal, William Smith, and Powers Boothe in 1984 and had a 2012 remake. It is about a group of students called the “Wolverines” that engaged in guerilla warfare when the USA was invaded by the Soviet Union with the support of its Cuban and Nicaraguan allies.

The movie had an influence in pop culture, having been referenced in different films, television, and even some the biggest video game titles such as “Call of Duty” and “Home Front” with the 2012 remake borrowing heavily from the latter.

The "Wolverines" in Red Dawn (1984)

So what about the Wolverine 5K Tactical Race? According to the official website, the organisers describe the event as:

This ‘Red Dawn’ themed adventure race will be a test of orienteering skills using map and compass, speed & endurance, tactical tasks, diverse marksmanship skills using precision rifle, carbine and handgun in several live fire scenarios. This race can be completed solo or as a team of 4.  Go HARDCORE competing for best score or just RECREATIONAL fun.

Individuals and teams should know how to use MGRS (Military Grid Reference System) maps that is used by NATO for the land navigation purposes of the race.  Also required are shooting skills with precision rifle, carbine, and pistols which also means shooters are well versed with the 4 universal firearms safety rules.

For individuals and teams, they can participate in these divisions:

Hardcore: 1/2 sandbag weight carried (40lbs). 15 pound body armor with plates worn and carry personal carbine and handgun entire event.  No GPS.  Prizes awarded.

Recreationalist: 1/4 sandbag weight carried (20lbs).  Body armor optional. GPS allowed. No prizes awarded. Weapons carry optional.

Female participants are given an optional 25% weight reduction.

For the Teams, team members are scored individually. Team score will be an average of all team members and they must remain as one unit during the entire event.

Participants can get disqualified during the race in 4 ways. One is that they quit in the middle of the race and they ring the bell just like in the when one quits during training in the Navy SEALs.  Another is when they miss the safety brief. A serious ground for disqualification is a firearms safety violation and tampering with the sandbag weight.

It would be interesting to see if there are some airsoft events organisers who will adopt this format or a similar event that has components of a Wolverine 5k. Sometimes competitions or events in airsoft do not necessarily have to be force on force or just shooting at targets. Events like the Wolverine 5K also test the mental and physical stamina of participants which is always a good thing in the development of a person.

Is there already a similar event like the Wolverine 5K in airsoft? There is one which is even more grueling than the Wolverine 5K. The GFPoint hosted by Gunfire in Poland is a 25 kilometre race that tests the orienteering and shooting skills of airsoft players. Traditional held during the winter season, which makes it even more challenging, it was supposed to be held for the first time in the summer season this year but was cancelled due to the ongoing Covid-19 Pandemic.

Photo source: Red Dawn (United Artists)