The 2023 TYR Wodapalooza competition in Miami, FL, from Jan. 12-15, 2023, will put Individual athletes through a grueling two-day fitness test. The final event for Individuals is set for Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, and was announced on the TYR Wodapalooza Instagram page on Jan. 11, 2023. It is a two-part event — the first part is titled “Miami Meat Market.”
The second half, titled “Dirty Isabel,” starts one minute after the time cap for “Miami Meat Market.” Below is what “Dirty Isabel” consists of:
2023 TYR Wodapalooza Individual Event — “Dirty Isabel”
Complete for Time:
*Unbroken means athletes must complete all 30 reps without a break. For every break, they must perform three additional bar-facing burpees.
Time cap: seven minutes
[Related: Roman Khrennikov Granted Exemption to Compete In North America East Region for 2023 CrossFit Season]
Editor’s Note: This article is an op-ed. The views expressed herein and in the video are the author’s and don’t necessarily reflect the views of BarBend. Claims, assertions, opinions, and quotes have been sourced exclusively by the author.
If the bike is a detriment to some of the lighter athletes in “Miami Meat Market,” they should theoretically have a biomechanical advantage in “Dirty Isabel.” Bar-facing burpees and lightweight barbell cycling will favor range of motion dramatically. However, there is the chance that a bigger athlete with great grip strength could finish the snatches in one to two sets and negate that disadvantage.
Picks to Win: Jonne Koski and Emma Cary
The primary point of reference for this workout is Open workout 20.1, 10 rounds for time of eight ground-to-overheads (functionally a snatch) and 10 bar-facing burpees. Jonne Koski was fourth in the world in that workout and is a weapon whenever there’s light to moderate-weight barbell cycling.
Emma Cary was 12th in 20.1. Sara Sigmundsdottir, who was second on that workout worldwide, and Dani Speegle, who was 11th — one rank better than Cary — are also reasonable winner picks. However, assuming Cary does worse than Sigmundsdottir and Speegle on part one of this final, there might be that do-or-die mentality in the last opportunity to make up points.
Dark Horses: Kealan Henry and Mirakim Couvrette
Neither of these athletes did exceptionally on workout 20.1. Henry was 126th worldwide in the men’s division, and Couvrette didn’t participate in the 2020 season.
It was unfortunate Henry was injured before the 2022 CrossFit Games. He had an impressive season leading into those Games and seemed poised to impress, but we didn’t see it. His fitness has increased dramatically since 2020, so if we were to run the Open workout 20.1 back, he could be top twenty worldwide.
Couvrette is good with a barbell and is coached by one of the best Canadian women ever to do it, Carol-Ann Reason-Thibault. This is a wildcard pick, but she’s a lesser-known athlete who could surprise in a workout like this.
Damage Control: Dallin Pepper and Emily Rolfe
Pepper, like Henry, has come a long way since 2020. However, he was 1,089th worldwide on Open workout 20.1 — not a great sign, with a very similar workout looming in the final. Pepper and his coach, Matt Torres, surely know these types of workouts need improvement; it’s not impossible to do so.
Pat Vellner, a bigger, longer athlete, was 13th worldwide in 20.1, and Roman Khrennikov, who is as tall as Pepper, was 30th on it. Those are some of the men he has his sights on at the Games, but also this week in Miami. This workout will reveal how much progress he’s made in this style of workout.
Rolfe was substantially better than Pepper on 20.1, placing 84th worldwide. However, there isn’t as much depth in the women’s field. If the other top contenders are Sigmundsdottir and Cary, who are likely to do incredibly well on this, Rolfe will need to step up and keep them close as podium spots are on the line.
Featured image: @emmacaryy on Instagram