Ask the Expert: Making military fitness challenges safer

December 16, 2020 - Defence Stories

Q: I take great pride in staying in good shape and I have done a number of the fitness challenges organized by the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). These events are physically and mentally demanding and I have been injured several times training for and completing these events. Thanks to the changes that were made to this year’s Iron Warrior event, I was able to successfully complete the competition. Were these changes specifically made to reduce the risk of injury for participants? An Iron Warrior

A: Dear Iron Warrior: Congratulations on successfully completing this very demanding event! As you know, there are a number of fitness challenges offered by the CAF including: Iron Warrior, Mountain Man, Bushman and Iceman. These events were designed to “test your mettle.” But for several years now, Canadian Forces Health Services Group personnel have expressed concerns about their potential to cause injuries, as you have experienced firsthand. In some cases, this could have lifelong personal and career-altering consequences.

So this year, after asking his medical staff for their advice, Colonel Eric Landry, the Commander of 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, decided to change the format of the Iron Warrior event in the hope that this would reduce the number and severity of the injuries experienced by participants. These changes included:

1. reducing the distance of the ruck march from 32k to 26k;
2. lowering the length of the portage from 4.5k to 2k;
3. shortening the sprint finish from 5k to 2k;
4. decreasing the weight participants must carry from 40 lbs plus food and water to 30 lbs including food and water; and
5. giving participants the option of wearing running shoes or combat boots.

While these changes reduced the physical load for this event by approximately 25%, they did not considerably alter the challenging nature of this competition. Most importantly, they did significantly reduce the number and severity of injuries sustained by participants. We’ve seen an approximately six-fold reduction in injuries, with none of the competitors under these new rules requiring emergency assessment or hospital admission. Not only is this a great step forward for injury prevention, these changes and results inspired the leadership at CFB Gagetown to also reduce the physical demands of their 2020 Bushman event.

The bottom line: Military Fitness Challenges are intended to “make” and not “break” the military personnel who participate in them. The changes military leaders are making to these events are making them significantly safer while keeping them challenging. Injury prevention is everyone’s responsibility. But CAF leadership has the greatest influence on keeping members safe when they include injury prevention in their planning and decisions. As this real example demonstrates, good things happen when leaders become agents of change.

Dr. Darrell Menard OMM MD, Dip Sport Med
Dr. Menard is the Surgeon General's specialist advisor in sports medicine and has worked extensively with athletes from multiple sports. As part of the Strengthening the Forces team he works on injury prevention and promoting active living.

Strengthening the Forces is CAF/DND’s healthy lifestyles promotion program providing expert information, skills and tools for promoting and improving CAF members’ health and well-being.