Now that I think about it more, I agree that plenty of guys on here could beat that. So some of you stronger guys should think about taking a shot at it.
1. Like someone else said, he's not carrying a real ruck, it's some civilian version built for comfort, not durability.
2. I don't see his weapon in the picture. That was a requirement back in the day. My run was with a 25 pound ruck, not counting my M-16 on my shoulder, which is worth a few more pounds at least.
3. Most importantly, he's NOT WEARING BOOTS! Maybe they've changed the requirement since my time, but running shoes makes this way easier. Boots are 3-4x the weight of running shoes.
4. The conversion factor on most stated military runs is about .85 like others have said.
My 29:06 (7:16.5 pace) was far from flat and started at 5:00 AM in February in 29 degree weather. I did measure it in the car later. At the time, I was 6' 1" and 168 pounds, and I was running in the high 18s for 5K. I'd like to think I would have beaten his time under similar conditions.
So I think that under the rules this dude operates under, several people on here could destroy that. In fact, anyone who can break 15 for 5K and weighs at least 165 should have a real shot at going under 19 minutes.
Somebody should do like the downhill guy in California did and video their attempt, including weighing the ruck. At a minimum, there needs to be a set standard, much like the beer mile rules. I throw that challenge out to the peanut gallery here.