The CrossFit Community Honors Veterans this Weekend

November 10   |   POWERED BY

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

• Check out the various ways the CrossFit Community will honor and support veterans this weekend
• United Airlines employees are taking on CHAD1000X at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport
• CrossFit Weddington’s tenth annual Rowathon takes on a world record
• Born Primitive to donate all profits to veterans charities this weekend
• Two Portsmouth gyms amass millions of meters to raise funds for vets
• And, Brent Fikowski’s Workout of the Week

Don’t forget to hit us up with story tips, highlights, quotes of the day and more.

“Discipline is doing what you have to do, as well as you can, when it has to be done, and then doing it that way all the time.” - Bobby Knight, basketball coach (October 25, 1940 - November 1, 2023)

Thank You For Your Service: Honoring Veterans this November 11

“Without heroes, we are all plain people and don’t know how far we can go.”

— Bernard Malamud

On Saturday, November 11, CrossFitters around the United States will gather in affiliates and garage gyms to honor military veterans of the Armed Forces and thank them for their service.

Although not a comprehensive list, here is a brief rundown of some of the events going on around the country, as well as Veterans fundraisers that have already taken place.

“CHAD1000X”

• “Chad” was named after Chad Wilkinson, a 22-year active duty SEAL stationed in Virginia Beach, who took his own life on October 29th, 2018.
• The goal is to honor Chad’s life and legacy and to raise awareness for suicide prevention.
• The workout:
  • 1,000 box step-ups completed as a team, partner, or individual for time
  • Three Options:
    1. Slick/Beginner: No rucksack. You pick the height of the step-ups.
    2. Standard/Intermediate: 30/20-pound rucksack. You pick the height of the step-ups.
    3. Expert: 45-pound rucksack. Use 20-inch box for step-ups.
  • You can register or donate now.

The Always Forward Initiative 

• Led by Jamison Price, this nonprofit provides low-income, at-risk populations with access to CrossFit memberships and life mentorship and will be completing a hero workout on the hour for 24 hours to honor veterans.
• The initiative serves at-risk populations, including:
  • At-risk youth, partnered with Expanding Horizons
  • Adults in recovery, partnered with The Phoenix
  • Veterans, partnered with The Big Fish Foundation
  • Cancer survivors, partnered with Battle Cancer

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CrossFit Games veteran, Dr. Amanda Barnhart, PT/DPT is looking for athletes who want to train without pain and injury. Apply now to join her 12-week Prehab/Movement program.

💪🔥 FitFest 2023 VIP Events: The Birmingham, UK event featuring a Pro CrossFit Athlete showcase with some amazingly stacked teams announced a series of VIP events including workshops, Q&As with athletes, and a special elite workout on Friday, December 8. Learn more and get your tickets now.

One Hour to Go All In: The Gauntlet at TYR Wodapalooza is open for registration now. If you haven’t experienced it, The Gauntlet is a way for spectators to throw down in front of the crowds at TYR WZA and compete in some seriously tough workouts. Check out the divisions and register for a time slot now.

ICYMI: Morning Chalk Up’s Nicky Freymond takes on Michelle Letendre’s Deka Comp TYR WZA Specialized Training Program.

United Airlines to Participate in CHAD1000X Veterans Day Hero Workout

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s…boxes in Terminal C at Chicago O’Hare International Airport?

United Airlines has announced it’s participating in the hero workout “CHAD” this Veterans Days weekend to remember Navy SEAL Chad Wilkinson.

Remind me: Hero workouts are a fixture in the sport of CrossFit and are created to remember someone who lost their life, oftentimes a member of the military, fire department, or police department, among others.

Chad Wilkinson took his own life in 2018 after being a Navy SEAL for 21 years. He suffered from several TBIs (traumatic brain injuries), blast wave injuries and PTSD after many deployments. His widow, Sara Wilkinson, created the Step Up Foundation and launched the CHAD1000X hero workout in 2020 to remember her husband and bring attention to veteran suicide.

Chad1000X is 1,000 weighted box step-ups for time and can be completed solo, with a partner, or in a team. The “prescribed” weight on the rucksack is 30 pounds for men and 20 pounds for women. The height of the box is at the athlete’s discretion. The “expert” version is a 45-pound rucksack and a 20” box for the step-ups.

The event has grown immensely over the last few years thanks to partnerships with CrossFit HQ and GORUCK and affiliates who have decided to make it an annual event. Separately, United Airlines’ participation in the workout is a positive sign, says Sara, who is hopeful about the expansion of CHAD1000X.

CrossFit Weddington’s Tenth Annual 24-Hour Rowathon Kicks Off on Veterans Day with a World Record Attempt

Ten years ago, Cory Worf put together CrossFit Weddington’s first-ever 24-hour Rowathon with the intention of raising funds to assist a family friend as their child battled cancer.

Ten years and 216 hours of rowing later, Worf and his gym still come together every year to enjoy some time on the rower with friends and give back to the community. This year the event is taking place on Veterans Day and the 24-hour clock starts at 6 PM on November 9.

One big thing: As they celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Rowathon, Worf and team are not just looking to row 24 hours, they’re looking to set a world record.

• During the Rowathon, one of the 28 rowers will be used to try to set the Women’s Small Group World Record (40-49 Heavyweight) on the Concept2 Indoor Rower.

The details: 44-year-old Jordan Falcone has been competing in indoor rowing for seven years now and currently holds the gold medal for the Crash-B Sprints Indoor Rowing World Championships.

• This year, she assembled a group of Masters women, some of whom she had met in her travels through indoor rowing and others who have never even attempted a rowing challenge of this nature.
• Between the ten of them, the ladies will attempt to row as many continuous meters as they can in a 24-hour window
• The team is comprised of Falcone, her sister-in-law, Megan Falcone, Becky Rogers, Lori MacDougall, Johnny Lester, Anji Paumier, Sara Ryberg, Tricia Castellan, Christa Valentine, and Andrea Hildabrand.

What they’re saying: For Falcone, this world record attempt is just one of the many incredible opportunities that indoor rowing has provided her with.

• “If you asked me growing up if I would have a world record, I would have laughed at you,” said Falcone adding that she was not an athlete growing up.
• “I think it’s really neat to pull these women together who have different backgrounds and say let’s take this challenge on together,” she continued.

Born Primitive Donates 100% Of Profits to Charity Over Veterans Day Weekend

This Veterans Day, Born Primitive is donating 100% of profits, up to $100,000 to four different charities committed to serving our country’s military and first responders: Navy SEAL Foundation, Best Defense Foundation, Tunnel to Towers, and SEAL Future Foundation.

With every purchase made on their site today through Sunday, shoppers will be championing and supporting these impactful charities and organizations.

The big picture: Since day one, Born Primitive has been adamant that the brand must stand for something, and it must also leverage its platform to give back. To date, they have donated nearly $2 million to charity, an impressive feat considering the brand was born from humble beginnings in a garage nearly 10 years ago, just months before their co-founder, Bear Handlon, joined the Navy.

• As a veteran-owned company, they have always been proud of their American roots and what our country stands for. They continue to be inspired by the men and women who are willing to defend our freedoms at all costs.
• And on Veterans Day, they acknowledge the sacrifices that so many have made, including the spouses of our service members whose sacrifice is often overlooked.

Shoppers can choose from a huge variety of product categories, ranging from fitness, athleisure, outdoor, tactical, and their latest innovation–the Savage 1 training shoe, which broke out onto the CrossFit scene earlier this year and has received rave reviews. The first 1,000 orders will also receive a limited edition leather Born Primitive Flag Patch, a free 12-ounce bag of Black Rifle coffee, and one free month to their coffee club.

Two Portsmouth Gyms Team up and Log More than Five Million Meters for Veterans with PTSD

Karl Thorpe has too many military friends who have committed suicide because their trauma was too unbearable.

As a result, he and his business partner, Paul Ormston, at CrossFit Choice in Portsmouth, UK, have long been committed to raising awareness for PTSD, and to spreading the message that, “It’s OK to not be OK,” Thorpe explained.

Most recently, Thorpe and Ormston, both veterans, thought they’d try to get another gym involved in their efforts, and they figured who better than CrossFit Portsmouth Spartan Kettlebell Club, located nearly 4,000 miles away in Portsmouth, OH. And it just so happened that the owner Dale King was also a military veteran and “was doing some cool things in his hometown,” Thorpe explained.

So Thorpe reached out to King to see if he wanted to team up and host a charity fundraiser together that would also challenge their members more than they had ever been before.

• “The challenge had to be tough and it had to be long, and we wanted those who took part to question why they were doing what they were doing,” Thorpe said.

The result: Challenge participants had to suffer on a Concept 2 machine of their choice—either the rowing ergometer, the Ski Erg or the Bike Erg—for one hour at a time in a one-hour on, one-hour off format, until all participants together had covered the distance for them to meet up at the midpoint between their two gyms somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Brent Fikowski’s Workout of the Week

Today’s workout is programmed by “The Professor,” Brent Fikowski, a CrossFit Games veteran and head of the Professional Fitness Athletes’ Association. Fikowski first competed at the Games in 2016, taking fourth place that year. Since then, he has competed every year at the Games, amassing a stellar record with two podiums (second in 2017 and third in 2021), as well as two more fourth-place finishes, including most recently in 2023. The Professor has won events around the world, recently took fourth at the Rogue Invitational and will compete on Team Lawson at FitFest 2023 next month in Birmingham, UK.

Brent Fikowski

3 Sets

(Each Set @100% HARD Effort):

8 Burpee Box Jump Overs, 24 inches / 20 inches
12 Box Jump Overs
20 Power Snatch, 75 pounds/55 pounds
20/15 Calorie Echo Bike
10 Minute Rest / Walk Between Sets

Scaling tips: Adjust movements, weights and box height so you can move as fast as possible through every round. If you’re not comfortable cycling fast barbell snatches you can substitute that for a movement you can sprint, like a c2 rower, pushing a sled, or heavy Russian kettlebell swings.

Advice from Brent: “I did a few training pieces like this before the Rogue Invitational to prepare for the higher-intensity workouts that they usually program. Hit each set as hard as possible. If you don’t feel like you need 10 minutes to recover you didn’t go hard enough.”

To inquire about submitting an upcoming workout of the week, shoot us a note.

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Born Primitive Veterans Day Event

Today through Sunday, Born Primitive is donating 100% of their profits, up to $100,000 to various veteran and first responder charities. Buy some new clothes over the weekend, and know that your money is making a difference for individuals throughout the United States.

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• 🎂Happy birthday to Dr. Sean Pastuch.
• 🎁Happy birthday to Alexis Johnson and Alison Scudds.
• Congratulations to Morning Chalk Up’s Teaganne Finn of CrossFit Union Square in New York, NY on qualifying with her teammates for Wodapalooza.
• 💪Congratulations to Ben and his crew from Babylon CrossFit in Babylon, NY on the back squat PRs.
• Congratulations to Craig of X-Force CrossFit in New Zealand for receiving his CF-L3.

Members of our CrossFit global community, the Feist family from Germany, recently suffered from a fire in their home, losing all their belongings and housing. Michael Feist is wheelchair bound, and relies on specific in-home accommodations that are extremely expensive. As the family is trying to re-build their lives, they have set up a Go Fund Me account for anyone generous enough to make any sort of donation.

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