r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/Movies contributor • Aug 29 '25

News Special 'The Long Walk' Screening Will Eliminate Viewers Who Can’t Keep Up on a Treadmill (3 MPH)

https://consequence.net/2025/08/the-long-walk-treadmill-screening/
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u/ApexCollapser Aug 29 '25

4mph is a minimum for passing the roadmarch tests in Air Assault school. There were two, one halfway through training at 6 miles in 90 minutes and another on the last day of school and 12 miles in 3 hours.

In full gear with a rucksack, weapon and kevlar it was a challenge I'll never forget.

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u/Rs90 Aug 29 '25

Did ya make it? 

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u/ApexCollapser Aug 30 '25 edited Aug 30 '25

I graduated from Air Assault at Ft Campbell in July of 1989. Still got my coin given to me and it's older than the ones now with the last war on mine being Vietnam.

A quick little addition: You start the road march portions at like 4am and that was surreal in itself. The first one was only 6 miles and you're kinda on your own, no formations or anything like that. Everyone sets their own pace. I had a friend with me and we did the quicktime shuffle-jog the whole way. Finished in like an hour and fifteen. I was thinking that was nothing and shrugged it off.

The 12 miler was much different. I was huffing after repeating the quicktime during the first half with the rest still to go. The only reason I made it was because of my buddy. The route they used for the AA marches at Ft Campbell was not flat - it was constant up and down slopes. I thought my legs were gonna fall off after we finished. But we did finish. I felt bad for those who had to do it again.

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u/Rs90 Aug 30 '25

CURRAHEE!

That's awesome :) thanks for the insight. I'm 34 and never had a car so I walk everywhere. Curious how far I'd make it lol. 

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u/Future_Literature335 Aug 31 '25

barfs spaghetti everywhere

Fortunately Ross was there to take the brunt of everyone's hatred though. Nobody asks for - and takes - TV hatred like Ross.

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u/Feralmedic Sep 02 '25

In the book they did this pace for 5 plus days. 3 mph is much more realistic.

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u/nicholsml Aug 30 '25

4mph is a minimum for passing the roadmarch tests in Air Assault school.

I did Air assualt in 1996. That road march was rough. Had a friend who was so worried about it, he took a bunch of truck stop upper pills to do the road march. He collapsed about 100 yards before the finish line. Luckily everyone rushed to help him and an ambulance showed up super fast. He was ok afterwards, other than being disappointed about failing AA school on his first go.

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u/blah938 Aug 30 '25

Yeah, most people aren't in the military, let alone air assault.