The Endurance Course: What You Need to Know

The Endurance Course is a 2.5 mile obstacle course through the beautiful woods of Quantico. And passing it in a time limit is a mandatory requirement for completing OCS.

Check out this superb run-through of the OCS Obstacle Course and Endurance Course by our good friend and fellow Marine Tyler:

Here’s how it works:

• First, candidates run the Obstacle Course (O-Course) in boots and utes (just wearing boots and trousers)
• Then candidates put on gear, usually assault vest with canteens, and grab their rifles
• Next is the 2.5 mile run through the wooded trails
• Along the way, there will be many obstacles to navigate, such as rope climbing, a 20-foot high cargo net, multiple walls and logs to go over and under, and barbed wire to crawl under
• Lastly, several water obstacles will slow you down and can be very cold in the winter!

You will run the course several times, and be very familiar with the O-Course. Practice makes perfect, and only the final run counts for your official score.

How to train for the Endurance Course

While you run the course, it is not sprinting but a steady run with a ten pound rifle and maybe 20 pounds at most of gear, in boots. I highly recommend buying boots and slowly increasing intensity and distance in running in boots. Run on trails, on hilly terrain if preferable. I do NOT recommend running through water, as the friction is almost guaranteed to give you painful blisters that will impede your training.

A high-intensity Fartlek of 2.5 miles with box jumps, low crawling, burpees, lunges and similar exercises at the stations would emulate the E-course well.

Running with weight

Unfortunately, civilian gyms and parks frown on running around in military gear with rifles and assault gear. Please don’t run around with a rifle. You don’t need to.