Yet another Team event for the 2023 TYR Wadapalooza (WZA) competition, scheduled for Jan. 13-15, 2023, at Bayfront Park in Miami, FL., was released on Jan. 8, 2023. The event, titled “Chasing Waterfalls,” will challenge the male and female Teams of three to perform the following two-part workout:
2023 TYR Wodapalooza Team Event — “Chasing Waterfalls”
Part A is a 5K Run, relay style, on an Air Runner. The time for the 5K will count as one scored event.
Part B is a three-round workout, with each athlete completing one round at a time:
- 15 D-Ball Cleans — Men: 150 pounds | Women: 100 pounds
- Open Water Swim — unspecified distance
- 21 D-Ball Squats
Time Cap: 25 Minutes
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5K Run
Below are the picks to win Part A of “Chasing Waterfalls.”
Pick to Win | Male Team Division — Good Dudes: Jayson Hopper, James Sprague, Dallin Pepper
All three of these men have had notable career performances in events that involve running. Sprague was second last year in the ‘Row, Swim, Run’ at the 2022 WZA contest.
Hopper was impressive in “The Capitol” workout at the 2022 CrossFit Games, taking fifth place while looking particularly strong on the run. Pepper did reasonably in that event, taking 18th. During the 2022 Semifinals, Pepper had a nice showing on the Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge (MACC) Mile, which involved a mile of running and sandbag work, taking fourth.
It’ll take three solid runners to win this event. There are many teams with two, but Good Dudes seems to be the most well-rounded running team.
Pick to Win | Female Team Division — Spacers Angels: Emily Rolfe, Katelin Van Zyl, Sara Sigmundsdottir
Rolfe has two wins in her career at the CrossFit Games, and both workouts included a high volume of running — “The Ruck” run in 2019 and the toes-to-bar/running workout in 2021. Van Zyl has primarily competed on a team recently, where it isn’t always easy to tell how strong at running each athlete is individually. However, with long legs and a good engine, Van Zyl should hold her own.
While Sigmundsdottir might not be known as a runner, she has had decent finishes in running workouts in her career. Specifically, she ranked seventh in a deep field at the 2017 Games in “Run, Swim, Run.” This seems to be the most well-balanced running team in the women’s field.
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Swimming Relay
Pick to Win | Male Team Division — CrossFit Mayhem: Rich Froning, Samuel Cournoyer, Tyler Christophel
Ever since Froning took it upon himself to shore up his swimming, it has been a staple in Mayhem’s training, and pretty much everyone associated with them has turned into a great swimmer within CrossFit. At the 2022 Wodapalooza, their women’s team won the swimming workout, and their men’s team finished third. There are other contenders to win this in this incredible field, but Mayhem will likely be at the front.
Pick to Win | Female Team Division — All American Girls: Amanda Barnhart, Brooke Wells, Kristi O’Connell
Barnhart and O’Connell are known for being good swimmers; Wells, not as much. However, Wells was 10th on ‘Rinse N’ Repeat’ at the Games in 2022, which is the best swimming finish she’s had in any field during her career at the Games, indicating it’s an area she’s improved.
Featured Image: @katelin_vanzyl on Instagram
