Haley Adams Joins CrossFit Mayhem

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is powered by RPM Training Co., a lifestyle inspired union of training, adventure, and design.

With 20% off and 10+ new products going live this weekend, you’ll want to jump on the deals early! Sale starts at midnight tomorrow. For exclusive bonus savings, be sure and subscribe to our newsletter!

“A man’s friendships are one of the best measures of his worth.” — Charles Darwin

Following in their Father’s Footsteps, Literally

The story.

Ten-year-old Beau McKee and his twelve-year-old brother Alfie are running every day this year to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Some background.

Their dad, Gary, kicked this all off in 2017 when he decided to run 100 marathons in 100 days, with his last marathon being the London Marathon. His fast feet raised over $100,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support. “On 23rd June 1997 my life changed when my Dad was diagnosed with cancer. He fought it and was a survivor. Dad passed away of an unrelated illness in 2003 and in his memory I started fundraising for Macmillan,” he said.

Sounds like a great mission.

His kids decided they wanted in on the action too, so now they are both doing their own versions. Beau has run a minimum of three miles a day and his brother, Alfie, helps when he can. They share on their website, that it just kind of unfolded. “This year we ran every day throughout January and reached a distance of over 200 miles between us. Run January soon turned into run February which in turn became run March.”

Couple of great kids there.

And, no surprise here, their Dad is in on the action too. He plans to run the London Marathon again in April and the Fred Whitton, a cycle event that aids the Macmillan Cancer Supports, which is 112 miles long and 12,000 feet increase in elevation. He plans to complete it in 24 hours.

The boys are just as resilient as their dad. “I know this challenge won’t be easy but I will do my very best and if anyone wants to tag along please feel free to join us by getting in touch with our Dad,” writes Beau.

GAMES NEWS

OFFICIAL: Fittest in Cape Town Qualifying Athletes

Some news.

The Fittest in Cape Town, the fourth-in-season sanctioned event for the 2019 CrossFit Games season, has concluded their review of the online qualifier and updated the leaderboard with the final results.

The top 20 male and female athletes after the two week qualifier, which included four scored events, have been invited to compete at the Fittest in Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa Janurary 31 – February 2, 2019.

But wait, there’s more.

Along with the qualifying athletes, up to 4 male and 4 female athletes can receive “Wild Card” invites to compete at the discretion of the Fittest In Cape Town organizers.

Additionally, through a partnership wth the Wodapalooza CrossFit Festival, the 2nd and 3rd place male and female finishers will receive an invite to compete in Cape Town.

Official Qualifiers

Invitations were sent out on November 17th and athletes have until November 20th to accept. Athletes who decline or do not respond will forfeit their invitation and it will be passed on to the next athlete on the leaderboard.

Here are the top 20 men and women who officially qualified. We will update with final results when we have them.

Coffee Break Conversations

What to tell your friend that thinks she hates pumpkin pie…

First off, how do these people even exist? We don’t get it. But what we do get is the gloriousness that is this Paleo, gluten-free pumpkin pie made from RXBARs. We love this recipe so much because not only does it include one of our favorite snacks, RXBARs, (which are currently 50% off gingerbread and pumpkin spice flavors when you order two boxes or more BTW) it is also high in protein, gluten free and dairy free. And freaking delicious. So here’s to helping
convince your friends they’re wrong this year. Have at it.

Things To…

WATCH: Training with Multiple Sclerosis

Andi Wilford was 25-years-old when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. But when she recently retired, she worried inactivity would hasten the disease’s progression. A friend suggested she try Stronger Together CrossFit, who had a member with MS, and she gave it a shot. “That was the key for me, that somebody else with this condition is doing something,” she says.

A WALKING STICK FREE ZONE.

Hear: Chris Hinshaw on AMRAP Podcast

World renowned Aerobic Capacity coach Chris Hinshaw sits down with Will Edmonds to discuss how CrossFit changed his life. Hinshaw went from a late-developing child, picked last on the playground, to the most sought after CrossFit coach in the world, working with Games champions like Rich Froning, Mat Fraser, and Katrin Davidsdottir.

HIS WORKOUTS THO.

EAT: Winter Roasted Butternut Squash Black Lentil Salad

Two recipes in one edition. Tis the season, folks. This salad with winter roasted butternut squash, black lentils, and juicy grapes served over a bed of arugula and drizzled with a creamy tahini dressing with be a welcome addition to the holiday table.

SIDE SALAD FOR THE WIN. 

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

Chalk Up Community

• AN UPDATE: CUSTOM MADE CROSSFIT — We told you last week about Custom Made CrossFit, a gym in Paradise, CA that burned to the ground in the recent fire. Jason Khalipa had owner Brandon Delgado on the Business of Fitness podcast to share his story. There is also a GoFundMe up and running to help rebuild their community. 
• CROSSFIT AND DOGS –– CrossFit Raeford is hosting their 3rd annual WOD for Dogs event on Saturday December 8th. A free, beginner friendly workout open to the public with adoptable dogs from Tilted Acre Rescue and Adoption, a non-profit, no-kill, foster based rescue. (Who doesn’t love working out with adorable dogs?)
• 24 HOURS OF ROWING — Jay Porcano, a coach at CrossFit Pacific Beach, lost his sister to a drug overdose in October. To honor her birthday, and to raise money for a charity that gives support to the children of people struggling with substance abuse, Jay rowed for 24 hours, starting at midnight on
  Saturday, November 17 and finishing at midnight on Sunday, November 18. 

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

Congrats to CrossFit Capability on their one year anniversary • Wodapalooza wants your help naming their new stage • Congrats to Pat Barber on the birth of his son, Fawkes • Kate Vibert got a 287 pound jerk PR • Seventy-one-year-old Ina Koolhaasrevers got a 287 pound deadlift • Laurie Christine King is giving away a month of free programming.

Launching Tonight — On the Minute, a new Facebook show featuring our Editor-in-Chief Justin LoFranco and Armen Amirian of ArmenHammerTV, launches tonight at 5:00 PM PT/8:00 PM ET on Facebook, and will air every Wednesday. The 15-minute show will be a fast-paced back-and-forth on the major CrossFit news of the week.  

Haley Adams Joins CrossFit Mayhem — “The crew from CrossFit Mayhem just added another championship pedigree to their stable of athletes for 2019,” writes Morning Chalk Up’s Sr. Games Analyst Tommy Marquez. 

— “Earlier this week Haley Adams, winner of the Teenage Girls 16-17 division at the 2018 Reebok CrossFit Games, announced via instagram her decision to join the CrossFit Mayhem Independence team for the 2019 season.”

— “When I visited about a month ago the idea came up and the thought of it sounded really amazing to me,” said Adams. “So when I came to visit last week to try it out I knew it was what I wanted to do.”

Put This On Your Calendar — The Lowlands Throwdown, a sanctioned event based in the Netherlands, just released their dates. The qualifier is April 11- 14, 2019 and the final is May 31 – June 2. 

— Not a Typo: Seriously, they’re only three days long. Get ready and stay ready friends. 

Round Two of Qualifiers Announced — The Australian CrossFit Championship announced the second round of Online Qualifiers today. You’ve got until Tuesday, November 28 at 3:00 PM PT to submit your scores.

— WOD #3 

3 rounds for time:

30 front squats (110/77 pounds)

30 kettlebell snatches (53/35 pounds)

— WOD #4

11 Min Cap

Part A:

For time:

50 handstand push-ups

50 pull-ups

50 toes to bar

50 wall-balls (20/13 pounds and 7/10 foot target)

Part B:

In remaining time:

Max calorie row

— Don’t forget: Keep an eye on that leaderboard if you’re looking to be one of the 32 males, 32 females, or 16 teams competing in Queensland January 25 – 27. 

Forget Double Body Weight, Deadlift Double Age Instead –– Phyllis Workman takes the CrossFit classes at Jamerson Family YMCA. She set a goal for her 80th birthday last month, to deadlift 160 pounds; twice her age. When Oct. 29 rolled around, Workman did that and then kept going.

–“I did the 160 pounds and then I told [my coach] ‘I think I can do more weight,’ so I did 170 pounds,” she laughed.

–“People my age, a lot of them tend to say ‘I can’t do that,’” she said. “Well you can. You just start. One step at a time, you start, and …at our age it’s so important to do strength, weights and resistance training because of bone loss and just health in general,” she said.

“One Mother’s Journey: From Olympic Trials to CrossFit Games,” by Ericka Andersen, Morning Chalk Up

When her one-year-old son, Patrick, was crying in the childcare room at Three Kings Athletics, Laura Redman was mid-metcon with her teammate, Elyse Kile. The two are in the middle of intense training for 2018 Central Regionals, where they are representing the gym together in Nashville.

They are both new moms, Laura with 15-month-old Patrick and Elyse with 9-month-old Theo — both attempting the biggest comeback of their lives athletically. They may be post-partum, but that monumental experience has only served to motivate and inspire them to be the best they can be.

“I admire any mother in any sport, out there, still killing it,” said Laura.

She goes to take care of her little boy’s tears, as Elyse continues training. No sooner does Patrick calm down, than Elyse needs to tend to Theo. They swap roles — and though there is a lot of work to be done still today — they are moms first.

“We have this back and forth dynamic and we are there for each other because we understand each other,” said Elyse, referring to limited training time, juggling schedules and managing post-partum elite athletic life.

Being a mom is how Laura defines herself above all. She says motherhood has given her a necessary sense of balance, forcing training into more rigid time frames and allowing her to get her mind off of training when she’s at home with Patrick.

It’s put fitness in perspective for the one-time collegiate runner for Purdue, a woman who qualified for the Olympic marathon trials and ran semi-professionally for the wildly popular Brooks running brand.

Her running days over are over now, having transitioned to what so many like to call “the sport of fitness,” CrossFit.

11/20: Ben Marconi Memorial WOD (San Antonio, TX)

11/25: Carpathian Games II (Kosice, Slovakia)

11/30 – 12/16: Naughty or Nice Toy Drive (Online)

11/30 – 12/2: Rogue Winter Classic (Cleveland, OH)

12/1: Rock It CrossFitMas Classic (Fort Worth, TX) 

12/1: Barbells For Bootstraps (Beverly, MA)

12/1: Bro Down Throw Down for Cancer Awareness (Bridgeport, PA)

12/1: Push/Pull for Pancreatic Cancer at CrossFit Pawling (Pawling, NY)

12/1: Winter Throwdown 2018 (New York, NY)

12/1: Reindeer Games 2018 (Medford, OR)

12/1: Heroes Challenge (Dallas, TX)

12/1: Vekter Games (Columbia, MD)

12/1: New England Co-Ed Classic (Bedford, NH)

12/8: Fittest Alive in the 845 (Poughkeepsie, NY)

12/8: The 2018 Reindeer Games Finale (Del Mar, CA)

12/8 – 12/9: WOD Godz (Shreveport, LA) 

12/8: Rampage Christmas Throwdown (Murfreesboro, TN)

12/8: A Very Krampus Kilofest (Hickory, NC)

12/8: CrossFIt Raeford 3rd annual WOD for Dogs (Raeford, NC)

12/8: Reindeer Games at CrossFit 321 (Topsham, ME)

12/15: Masters Mania (OKlahoma City, OK)

12/22: The Flanders Throwdown (Zedelgem, Belgium)