How far the sprint-drag-carry is and how it runs

The lane

One lane is 25 meters long and 2.5 to 3.0 meters wide. Each lane also has about 4 meters for the sled to turn around and about 8 meters for staging equipment and running through the finish. The surface must be level.

A shuttle is one trip out to the 25 meter line and back to the start. Five of them make 250 meters.

The five shuttles in order

The soldier starts prone, with the top of the head behind the start line and both hands placed on the ground under the shoulders. On "GO" the clock starts.

1. Sprint. Run 25 meters, touch the 25 meter line with a foot and a hand, turn and sprint back.
2. Drag. Pull the sled backward by its two strap handles until the whole sled crosses the 25 meter line, turn and drag it back to the start.
3. Lateral. Shuffle 25 meters sideways, touch the line with a foot and a hand, then shuffle back leading with the other foot. The soldier faces the same direction out and back.
4. Carry. Pick up two kettlebells and carry them at the sides of the body to the line, touching it with a foot only. Return to the start and set the kettlebells down without dropping them.
5. Sprint. Turn and sprint 25 meters, touch the line with a foot and a hand, then sprint back to the start line.

The grader records the time in minutes and seconds after the soldier crosses the finish line.

Sled and kettlebell weights

The sled weight depends on the surface. Grass or properly maintained artificial turf is the standard surface, with a 90 pound sled. Wood such as a gym floor, packed dirt, vinyl and smooth concrete are modified surfaces, with a 180 pound sled. The equipment list calls for two 45 pound plates for the standard load and four for the modified load, and the sled holds up to four.

Unimproved dirt, gravel, rubberized track, ice and snow are restricted surfaces. The ATP authorizes no other change to the event or its scoring.

Each kettlebell weighs 40 pounds, within 2 pounds either way. The sled is 22 inches long and 19.5 inches wide, with a one-piece strap about 92 inches long and a loop handle at each end.

What the graders check

Two graders cover two adjacent lanes. One stands at the start line, starts the stopwatch for both soldiers and enforces the standards. The other stands at the 25 meter line and watches the touches and the turn. Graders do not run alongside the soldier. A missed touch or an uncrossed line gets the soldier called back before going on.

The drag has its own checks. The strap must pass freely through the sled's D-ring and may not be twisted, wrapped or knotted. Only three grips are allowed: fingers through the loops, hands fully through the loops gripping just below the sewn part, or hands gripping the strap below the loops.

In the lateral, the feet must not cross and must stay parallel to each other and square to the direction of travel.

In the carry, the soldier uses a closed grip and carries the kettlebells upright with the handles up, farmer's carry only. A kettlebell dropped at the start line means the grader calls the soldier back to place it again under control.

What the time is worth

Lower times earn more points. On the M|C column for ages 17 to 21, 2:28 earns 60 points and 1:29 earns 100. On the F column the same marks are 3:15 and 1:55. Under 60 points the event fails, and a soldier needs 60 in every event to pass.

The ATP does not say whether a stopwatch reading with tenths of a second is rounded or cut. Its tables use whole seconds. The AFT point rows for every age group and column lists every row, and the AFT calculator turns a sprint-drag-carry time into points.