Memorial Day Murph Challenge: Honor, Suffer, and Grow Stronger

The Memorial Day Murph. So here we have the setup and the workout.

You may have heard of the Memorial Day Murph. This is about showing up. We practice what we preach. Busy guys juggling work, family, faith, spirituality, and a burning desire to be better men.

We’re taking on the Murph today not to impress, but to honor—to push ourselves to remember what matters. Let’s get after it.

It sounds good, Jose. So with this Murph challenge, what was the first thing that was going through your mind before we even started?

I knew it was gonna suck because it’s wearing a 20-pound ruck, then running a mile, doing 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air squats, and then finishing up with another mile run—all while wearing that 20-pound ruck.

Yeah, same here. I knew it was gonna suck a little bit, but in some ways, I was looking forward to it because it’s a challenge. I like pushing the body. I like pushing the mind. So I thought it was a cool idea—and it was your idea, not my idea.

It was my idea. That’s true.

Well, now this idea you got—the Memorial Day Murph—where did this whole idea even come from? Like, why are people doing it?

So my wife and I both served in the Air Force. I did 10 years, she did six years. We would often go to these fitness challenges. We were both part of a CrossFit gym, and we learned about the Murph, which is to pay tribute to Lieutenant Michael Murphy, who honorably died in the line of duty on June 28, 2005 in Afghanistan.

And so we’re doing this to challenge ourselves, to push ourselves to our limit. But it’s also about camaraderie, esprit de corps, and doing something as part of the community that’s going to challenge you and be bigger than yourself.

Exactly. Yeah, it’s partially about yourself—pushing yourself—but it’s also a great way just to remember people who have served our country. Cool idea.

So you start off with the run. Steve, what was going on in your mind when we just first started with the run?

The run—I actually wasn’t too worried about it because of my background competing in triathlons and being into mountain biking. I knew I had a good aerobic base, so the run wasn’t really what concerned me.

For me, I’m not the biggest runner, but I did train a little for this. Honestly, the run was actually the easiest part.

Oh yeah. 100 pull-ups.

Personally, for me, that was the hardest part. Took me forever to do it—but I did it. Steve killed it. He did it in like five minutes or less. It was insane. What did you think?

That’s actually where I thought I was going to bottom out. Surprisingly, even though my background is more endurance-based, the pull-ups were a little easier than I anticipated. Now, I say that cautiously—it wasn’t easy by any means. I had to be strategic. I had to pace myself. I started out with, I don’t know, 15 pull-ups or something, then gave myself time. But I was surprised—it wasn’t too bad.

Then we have the push-ups.

Let me tell you—200 push-ups with a 20-pound rucksack on your back gets pretty dang tough after like 25 or 30. And we both work out. We did not train for this, by the way. We just wanted to do it. What did you think about the push-ups?

Yeah, the push-ups—I think after the run, which was definitely the easiest part, and the squats, which we’ll talk about next, push-ups were number three on the toughness scale. The pull-ups were killers, but the push-ups were tough, too. I had a little bit of gas left in the tank to go a bit above the 200, so I didn’t feel too bad. But again, it came down to pacing.

Yeah. No way I would’ve made it if I started out with 50 push-ups straight. I would’ve been toast.

And as you can see there—we’re both struggling. Mainly me. But hey, that’s part of it. You can do this too.

The squats—the air squats to me were actually the easiest thing.

Not because they’re easy, but because you’re using your big, powerful leg muscles. Very manageable. I think we did them in sets of 30 or 25, and it was sucky—but in a good way. What do you think, Steve?

I agree. The squats weren’t too bad. Pacing was key, as always. Plus, we were well-prepared for them because in our hybrid training—mountain biking, hiking—we use our legs all the time. So even if we had trained, I don’t think we’d have needed to change much for that part.

Then ending it with another mile run.

My legs felt it. A little tired. How were yours?

Pretty freaking tired. That was tough—especially when you’re already exhausted. Dying a bit.

Why do you think suffering through this specific workout is such a meaningful way to show respect?

Well, I think you can remember people and what the military does for us—which we often take for granted—but when you physically push yourself to pay tribute to someone, it becomes real. It’s one thing to think about it. It’s another to feel it through an event like this.

Exactly. It reminds you—hey, we’ve got it pretty darn good. You can do this too. It’s a lot of fun, and you might as well challenge yourself while you’re young and alive.

Yeah. Push yourself. It makes you stronger—physically, yes—but also mentally and emotionally. We talk about that a lot with grit hybrid training. It’s not just about being fit or YouTube-famous. It’s about being present. Being strong so you can be present at work, with your family, with your purpose.

Exactly. It’s key.

We hope you enjoyed this episode—watching us (mainly me) suffer because Steve’s a crazy endurance athlete.

Getting there! Until next time—stay gritty. Take care.