Ashley Horner to do 50 Ironmans in 50 Days for Haiti

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“It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” — Albus Dumbledore

Ashley Horner to complete 50 Iron(wo)mans in 50 Days

Who the heck is Ashley Horner?

Oh, only a total badass. No big deal. A self-proclaimed fitness fanatic, she’s also a professional fitness competitor, ultra-runner, triathlete, and mother to three boys. She owns a gym in Virginia, where she also works as a trainer and owns a coffee shop and whiskey bar (okay, rad) as well as a line of clothing. She is about to add another title to her name; Completer of 50 Ironmans in 50 days.

What?

No joke. The fitness celebrity will start in Haiti on August 8. She’ll make her way through 48 states, completing the 2.4 – mile swim, 112 – mile bike ride, and 26.2 – mile run that comprises a full Ironman every single day. “It is going to take me anywhere from 12-16 hours a day, maybe 18, for 50 days straight, and that’s a lot to wrap your mind around,” Horner said.

Why would anyone do this?

For the Maison Fortune Orphanage in Hinche, Haiti where Horner plans to end her trip. Horner travels to the orphanage often, even taking her kids with her. In fact, this isn’t even the first time she’s done something like this. In April of 2017, she raised $90,000 while completing a grueling 230-mile run from the Haitian capital of Port-Au-Prince to the orphanage.

That’s rad!

It sure is, and she’s hoping to raise even more this time. She’s looking to raise $100,000 for the orphanage by completing the 50 Ironmans in 50 days. Hats off, Ashley. Hats off.

Coffee Break Conversation

What to tell your training partner who refuses to meet you at the gym when the temperature rises…

Can’t stop, won’t stop. You can and should still train! Just train smarter.  Here’s a helpful list of ways to train when the temperature is rising.

What to tell your gym crush who doesn’t think she can cook a healthy meal to save her life…

Seize the moment! Invite her over for dinner and head over to the RP Cooking show to find something to whip up for the two of you. Then invite her over again because they drop a new recipe every Thursday. Gainz and romance. Done and done. 

Things To…

WATCH: A Great Way to Live

At seventy years old, Jim Rowe credits CrossFit for saving his life. He’s down 75 pounds, now enjoys cooking meals with his wife, and goes to Clermont CrossFit five days a week which doctors say saved him from a heart attack.

WATCH THIS.

HEAR: Snatches Over Suicide

Olivia Vollmar has Fibromyalgia that causes her migraines and joint pain almost daily. When she found CrossFit, she was depressed and hopeless, but CrossFit saved her life.

TUNE IN.

EAT: Balsamic Steak Skewers

A perfect summer dinner, pair these grilled steak skewers grilled red onion and tomato, or any other vegetable you want. Just make your mother happy and add some vegetables. At least one. 

OKAY FINE. 

Today’s edition of the Morning Chalk Up is powered by

Chalk Up Community

• PRO-TIP — Coach Mike Burgener, lead CrossFit Weightlifting Instructor, demos how to use a jump rope and a small weight to help with athletes that struggle with an early pull on the barbell. 
• INVICTUS CROSSFIT CAMP — Come join Sam and Jenn Dancer, Holden Rethwill, Kaitlyn Kassis, Ricky Moore, Tammy Wildgoose, Jenn Ryan and Bryce Smith for an athlete camp from 9 am – 2 pm on July 14th. Stick around after for a social event from 4 to 7 pm.
• BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING– Nathan Clifton was only five spots out from the Games last year. Those five spots pushed him to make it this year, and he did. Now the seventeen-year-old is training daily to prepare for Madison. 
• FIREFIGHTER DIES IN CRASH — Boston Firefighter Justin D. Poitras died in a motorcycle crash on July 4th. Members of Crossfit Southie, where Justin trained regularly, have started a campaign to help his family. 

CHALK UP IN 2 MINUTES (a highlight reel around social media of CrossFit pros and average joes)

Aaron Hanna of CrossFit Westchase is opening a second location in Largo, FL • Enter to win a pair of the new NOBULL trainers • Jen Charlesworth gets
a 145 pound snatch in a WOD • Sean Hollick gets a 10 pound PR on his deadlift • Paul Tremblay takes his
son for a run • Carleen Mathews helps Keith Mathews prepare for the Fire Academy with heavy sandbag carries • Enter to win some Paleoethics goodies with Brooke Ence • Catherine Milner got a 215 pound deadlift PR today after crashing her Tesla. 

…and we really wish that CrossFit would have this as a fan competition at the CrossFit Games.

Be Grateful Where You Are — “This is your reminder to give yourself credit for what you’ve accomplished, to be thankful for what you have, and to not necessarily be satisfied but to enjoy right now. You might not be satisfied with what you currently have but remember that once upon a time, the things you have now, were things you wanted. And then you made them yours.”

Take a CrossFit Seminar in Madison — If you’ll already be in the area, check out a few of the CrossFit seminars taking place in Madison and surrounding areas the weekend before the 2018 Games. Go get fired up with some newfound CrossFit knowledge.

“Reporter’s Notebook: CrossFit in Prison” by Andréa Maria Cecil, CrossFit Journal  

“These guys are cool,” I thought to myself that first day. “I could see myself working out with any of ’em.”

When we returned to the hotel that evening, I started Googling their names. That’s when I found their offenses: shooting at police officers, raping and robbing a teenager.

That’s as far as I got.

“I need to stop doing this,” I thought.

The next day, this new knowledge had shockingly little effect on my opinion of the men. Unexpected.

In the days that followed, being at Limon challenged my thoughts on rehabilitation in prison.

I had walked into that room with little knowledge of the men’s backgrounds and judged them only by who they were on those two days. Because of that, I have found myself hoping they will one day be released while still believing they deserve to be there.

Some might say my thoughts are naïve, that evil isn’t always readily perceptible. Others will argue the perils of making convicted felons stronger and faster or the futility of teaching a Level 1 course to men serving life sentences.

Here’s what I know: Making people better is never a waste of time.

7/13 – 7/15: Beach Throwdown 2018 (Schevening, Netherlands)

7/14: Mischief Revolution: Battle of the Brewery (Chicago, IL)

7/14: Mountain Town Summer Throwdown (Breckenridge, CO) 

7/14: Espirit De Corps 2018 (Vancouver, WA)

7/14: Belmar Beat Down (Belmar, NJ)

7/14: Atomic Throwdown (Kennewick, WA)

7/14: Fitness for Faith (Livingston, TN) 

7/14: Sweat Angel Showdown (Indianapolis, IN) 

7/14: Barmageddon (Oklahoma City, OK)

7/14: Red, White, and Blue Showcase (Kearney, NE)

7/14: CrossFit for Hope 2018 (Peoria, IL)

7/14: Team SuperFit Charlotte (Charlotte, NC)

7/14 – 7/15: 2018 Freshcoast Games (Muskegon, MI)

7/14: RX’Mas in July (Urbana, OH)

7/15: The Buckeye Games (Akron, OH)

7/15 – 7/16: Lubbock Summer Games (Lubbock, TX)

7/21: Second Annual Summer Showdown (Nicholasville, KY)

7/21: Swole Wars II (Burleson, TX)

7/21: Sacred Pines Invitational (Ladson, SC)

7/21: Battle at the BallPark (Peoria, IL) 

7/21: Summer Partner Throwdown (Hammond, LA)

7/21: The Freedom Games (Greenwood, SC)

7/21 – 7/22: The Rubicon (Centerton, AR)

7/21 – 7/22: Fit Nation Thunderdome (Fort Myers, FL)

7/22: Iceland with VoyEdge RX

7/28: Garage Girls Hard Core Fit (Watkinsville, GA) 

7/28: Garage Girls CrossFit HardCore (Boca Raton, FL) 

7/28: AZ FitCom Competition (Phoenix, AZ)

7/28: Summer Knights Showdown (Springfield, IL)

7/28: Savage Wolves CrossFit Classic (Nazareth, PA)

7/28 – 7/29: CF Summer Circus (Des Moines, IA)

7/29: Summer Sizzle (Wadsworth, OH) 

7/30: Legends of Lebo (Pittsburgh, PA)

8/4: Lumberjack Lift Off (Buckley, WA) 

8/4: G-Town Throwdown (Georgetown, MA) 

8/4: US National Parks Tour with VoyEdge RX

8/4: War at the Shore (Neptune City, NJ)

8/5: Sure Shot Shootout (Greenville, OH)

8/11: Red Raider Backyard Brawl (Coatesville, PA)

8/11: 2018 Rimrock Ruckus (Billings, MT)

8/11: Survival Games 2018 (Wooster, OH)

8/11: The Warhorse Games (Kansas City, KS)