When I went to OCS, this was a graduation requirement. The next CO changed that. With the COs to follow, it could become a graduation requirement again.
Remember how I said the obstacle course wasn't a graduation requirement? Wellllll....the endurance course starts with the obstacle course. If you miss an obstacle, you lose 20 points, putting you at an 80, which means you have to run a perfect score for the rest :/ That's why I went to all the remediations!!
The endurance course is a really long trail run, with some obstacles along the way. You'll do a run through and get to see them. They include low crawls under wire, suspended ropes, a cargo net, and large bodies of water.
This is the confidence course at OCS. It shows some of the obstacles used in the endurance course.
At 3:30, that's a cargo net. At 4:46, that's a suspended rope.
When doing the suspended rope in the endurance course, you'll have your rifle. Your instructors will tell you that if you need to swing and crawl upside down, swing down rifle first, so it doesn't smack you in the face.
When I did the cargo net, I did the opposite. You won't swing over the side, but step over from one side to the other. I found it helpful to get my legs and body over first, and then my rifle, so it didn't get entangled under my body. Always keep three points of contact when going up and down the net.
You'll have your LBV (load-bearing vest), two canteens, and your rifle. You can drink water, and when I went, you can sprinkle some on your head. DO NOT DUMP ANY WATER OUT, OR GRATUITOUSLY DRENCH YOURSELF. You will get kicked out. I went to OCS in the winter, but I went to TBS in the summer. I didn't crack open my canteens at all. We had our camelbacks too, but I really only took a few sips here and there.
The real kicker to the endurance course? You must finish with a clean rifle barrel. If it is dirty, you will have to clean it out while the clock is running. Try to keep the barrel away from the ground, but if you get your barrel dirty, wash it out while going through water. I got a rock stuck in there during my final Endurance Course that did not come off in the water. Luckily I had my tactical bobby pins in my hair to help me out :)
DO NOT USE BATES LITES ON THE ENDURANCE COURSE. They are terrible for the rope.