Last weekend, on April 13th, the University of Minnesota Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (UMN AROTC) program would host, their annual Norwegian Foot March. Cadets, service members, and those looking to challenge themselves would travel to Arden Hills, Minnesota to compete in this grueling race. While many competitors had traveled from areas all across the state of Minnesota, there were many competitors hailing from adjacent states as well, with participants showing up from the far corners of North Dakota and Michigan. This year would see a staggering number of participants, with well over 500 individuals either participating in the ruck or run of the course. This is compared to the just over 400 individuals that participated last year, as both the event continues to grow in popularity and the UMN AROTC program continues to swell with cadets the same.
The Norwegian Foot March is a 30 km (18.6 mile) march with a rucksack of at least 11 kg (24 lbs.). The march was originally conducted in 1915 by the Norwegian Army to test the endurance and ability of their soldiers to move quickly over a sustained distance. The ability to maneuver a large contingent of soldiers over a great distance with necessary supplies, able to quickly fight and meet their enemies, was of great strategic interest to the Norwegian armed forces. Since then, the march has become a popular physical and mental endurance test among the armed forces of many nations. Service members who complete the event in time can earn the foreign Norwegian Foot March badge, which many nations allow to be worn on service dress uniforms. Participants who complete their first march can earn the bronze version of the badge, the silver version upon completion of two marches, and gold upon successful completion of five marches.
The event was opened with an invocation and remarks by retired Lieutenant General Steve Lanza. The Professor of Military Science of the UMN AROTC program, Lieutenant Colonel John Nguyen also gave opening remarks as well. Key to the success of the event was the dedicated cadre of the UMN AROTC program, along with a dedicated senior cadet class.
“Planning started back in September of last year (2023), so about six or seven months of planning. Loose planning began back then, but work and coordination every day became required in the last month or two. Planning included coordinating with various companies we contracted out and communicating what we needed from them along with general expectations, coordinating timelines, and various rehearsals before the event. We went out to AHATS (Arden Hills Army Training Site) several times with one of the companies to coordinate when it came to the day of the vent. The biggest thing at the start was documenting the process of planning it. Last year, a Captain in the program had done a lot of the planning for it, but for next year and subsequent years they’ll have the information required for planning it and not restarting from scratch every year.”, said Cadet Matthew Long, a senior MSIV cadet who was primarily tasked with coordinating and planning for the event.
When asked why the UMN AROTC program could hold the event, Cadet Long believed that because the University of Minnesota has a large enough program, they have the capacity, funding, and support to execute this event. Many programs around the country and in the region have significantly smaller programs, let alone senior cadet classes. Not only that, but the Norwegian Foot March is a great way to reach out to the community along with giving the senior cadet class opportunities in planning and managing larger events and operations.
Hopefully, the UMN AROTC program will be able to hold another successful Norwegian Foot March next year and continue to grow in popularity and attraction.
