Some wounds never bleed.
For thousands of veterans and first responders, the battle doesn’t end when the uniform comes off. On May 30 at Mont du Lac, hundreds will shoulder backpacks, walk the trails, and carry weight with purpose during The Ruck, a high-energy community event raising money for trauma recovery through 23rd Veteran.
On May 30, the trails at Mont du Lac will fill with people carrying backpacks stuffed with food, clothing, flags, and supplies. Some participants will walk two miles. Others will grind through ten. Families will push strollers. Veterans will walk beside civilians. Dogs are welcome. Music will echo through the hills.
But beneath the energy, laughter, and festival atmosphere is something far more serious.
The Ruck exists because too many veterans and first responders return home carrying invisible wounds long after their service ends.
The event is organized by 23rd Veteran, a nonprofit founded on the belief that trauma recovery requires more than simply talking about pain. Their approach focuses on rebuilding purpose, connection, physical health, confidence, and hope through action-based mental health programming.
The organization’s story begins with founder and executive director Mike J. Waldron.
Waldron served in the Marine Corps infantry during the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003. After returning home, he earned a business degree and eventually managed federal courthouses and buildings throughout the Midwest. Outwardly, life looked stable. Internally, it was a different story.
The years following combat were marked by severe anxiety, panic attacks, nightmares, emotional numbness, and the lingering effects of trauma. Like many veterans, he discovered that coming home physically did not mean the war had fully ended emotionally.
Then something changed.
After finding his own path back toward hope, happiness, and purpose, Waldron became determined to understand how trauma had altered his brain, and more importantly, how healing was possible. He left behind his federal career and began bringing together experts from multiple disciplines of mental and physical wellness.
That work eventually became what 23rd Veteran now calls Functional Mental Health.
Rather than focusing entirely on diagnosis or traditional talk therapy, Functional Mental Health emphasizes intentional daily behaviors proven to improve mental well-being. Exercise, human connection, nutrition, positive experiences, accountability, and purposeful discomfort all play a role in rebuilding resilience and emotional stability.
From that framework came the organization’s flagship 14-week recovery initiative: the 23V Recon program.
Developed alongside trainers, psychologists, and military professionals, the program takes a full-exposure approach that challenges participants physically, mentally, and emotionally while helping them rebuild confidence, purpose, and connection.
According to 23rd Veteran, the results have been remarkable.
Using assessment tools including the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale and PTSD evaluation metrics, the organization says many participants have experienced major improvements in quality of life, happiness, and trauma symptoms. Veterans who once isolated themselves have returned to work, strengthened relationships, re-engaged with their communities, and rediscovered hope.
One of Waldron’s proudest moments came when the Institute for Veteran and Military Families recognized the program as the nation’s “Best Venture Impacting Veterans.”
That mission is why people ruck.
Rucking, rooted in military training, simply means walking while carrying weight in a backpack. At The Ruck, that weight becomes symbolic. Participants are encouraged to fill their packs with food, clothing, or supplies for donation while raising funds to support trauma recovery programs for veterans and first responders.
The message is simple: Carry the burden. Feel your impact.
Over the last nine years, The Ruck and related events have grown into something much larger than a traditional fundraiser. According to 23rd Veteran, the organization has hosted 19 events, raised $1,387,594, and collected more than 30,000 pounds of donated food.
This year’s Duluth-area event combines challenge, community, and celebration.
The Duluth Ruck will be May 30, 2026 at Mont Du Lac
Participants can complete anywhere from one to five loops on a two-mile course at Mont du Lac. Those who complete all five loops earn the coveted “All The Way” patch. Everyone receives a finisher coin.
The day also includes vendors, music, food, beverages, awards, and a “Line of Honor” where participants can display photos of loved ones who served.
There is also a deeper emotional layer woven throughout the event.
Many participants are not just walking for fitness or fun. They are walking for friends lost to suicide. For brothers and sisters still struggling. For family members trying to reconnect with someone changed by service. For first responders carrying years of accumulated trauma behind brave faces.
And perhaps most importantly, they are walking beside the very people they are helping.
23rd Veteran intentionally creates an environment that is positive, welcoming, and uplifting. Veterans and civilians move together along the course instead of remaining separated by experience or misunderstanding.
That spirit reflects the organization’s core values: gratitude, compassion, and authenticity.
Gratitude for the moments and people that keep us moving forward. Compassion for those struggling beneath burdens we cannot always see. Authenticity honest enough to admit fear, pain, failure, and the need for help.
In a culture where many veterans still feel pressure to stay silent, those values matter.
The Ruck also arrives during a milestone year. The organization is celebrating its 10th anniversary helping veterans and first responders reclaim healthier, more connected lives.
When participants tighten their backpacks at the starting line on May 30, the purpose becomes clear.
Some people spend years carrying trauma, grief, isolation, anxiety, and memories they cannot escape. The people participating in The Ruck choose, for a few miles, to carry something too.
Not because it compares.
Because nobody should have to carry it alone.
