A Look Back: The Epic, the Surprising, and the WTF Events From CrossFit Games Past 

The first CrossFit Games took place on June 30-July 1, 2007 on Dave Castro’s family’s ranch in Aromas, CA.

There was no qualification process, and in front of roughly 150 spectators, 70 athletes arrived to compete.

The very first workout of the first inaugural Games was chosen out of the hopper by Greg Glassman and read off of multi-colored, plastic balls.

That year, there were three events: the CrossFit Total, a 5K trail run, and the “Hopper WOD:” a 1,000-meter row, then five rounds of 25 pull-ups and seven push jerks at 185 pounds for men and 135 pounds for women.

The programming, the spectacle, the sport, and its athletes have dramatically evolved over the past sixteen years.

Games athletes compete over four to five days, and within the last decade, have been tested over at least 11 events each year.

Taking a look back at all these workouts, we can agree that some have been more memorable than others, some offered surprises to athletes as well as spectators, and some caused us to look back and question… WTF?

The Epic 

The Capitol — 2022 Games, Event 5, August 5, 2022: In 2022, athletes tackled a multi-part workout, spanning multiple locations in Madison, WI. “The Capitol” began in North Park, then took competitors outside of the venue on a 3.5-mile run, where they wound up downtown, carrying Jerry bags and Husafell bags up the Capitol steps to the finish.

Crowds lined the streets, cheering on the athletes, fully sending it as they trudged, one foot in front of the other, step by step. This event took some competitors close to an hour to finish and was a testament to their grit.

Ricky Garard and Gabi Migala both took first place, but everyone will remember Rebecca

Fuselier’s fight to the end.

Atalanta — 2020 Games, Event 12, October 23, 2020: At the COVID-adjusted 2020 Games, held in Aromas, CA, athletes were tested with 12 events, the final being “Atalanta,” a brutal chipper of 100 handstand push-ups, 200 single leg squats, 300 pull-ups, sandwiched with two one-mile runs, all completed while wearing a weight vest.

Spectators watching from home experienced a collective stomach lurch when this workout was announced, imagining the grit, pain, and mental strength required to complete such a ruthless test after 11 events in three days.

Resulting in literal blood, sweat, and tears, Mat Fraser and Kari Pierce won the event.

The Surprising

Chaos — 2018 Games, Event 9, August 4, 2018: In 2018, athletes were briefed before this event that they would not be given any information on the movements or the rep scheme at the start. They would rely solely on their judge to tell them when they had five reps left and were then ushered to the next exercise.

Beginning on a ski-erg, they were told by their judges when they had five calories left, initially not knowing what the target calories were. They were then ushered to burpees to a target, then single-arm overhead squats, single-leg squats, and box jumpovers, finishing with a tumbler pull.

Pat Vellner and Katrín Davídsdóttir took the event win in their respective divisions.

Ranch Loop — 2020 Games, Event 5, October 23, 2020: As the final event of the first day of the 2020 Games, all ten athletes (men and women combined) set off on what they thought was a point-to-point, three-mile (plus or minus) trail run at The Ranch in Aromas, CA.

At what they thought was the endpoint, Castro greeted them and informed them that they would be turning around and running the course in reverse, finishing back where they started, doubling the distance.

One athlete who thrives on the unknown, Katrín Davídsdóttir, won this event as well, alongside Mat Fraser.

Marathon Row — 2018 Games, Event 4, August 2, 2018: While athletes were briefed the day before, the weight of the 2018 Games athletes tackling a marathon row, amid 14 events, over five days, felt like a shock.

Never had there been an event programmed that challenged competitors in this way, forcing athletes to endure over three hours (in some cases) on a rower.

Lucas Esslinger won the event for the men, with a time of two hours and 43 minutes, and Margaux Alverez took the win for the women with a time of three hours.

The WTF? 

While some have criticized the addition of double-under crossovers and pullovers in recent Games events, we must remind ourselves that the Games have a history of challenging athletes in unique ways.

Sledge/Row — 2009 Games, Event 4, July 10, 2009: In 2009, Games athletes were tested with a workout for time. They were to row 500 meters, then pound a stake into the ground (!), then row 500 meters to finish it off.

Sandbag Move — 2010 Games, Event 4, July 17, 2010: Repeated in 2015 with heavier weight, the first iteration of this event in 2010 had athletes move 600/370 total pounds of sandbags down the stairs of the Stub Hub Center, wheelbarrowed them across the stadium floor, hoisted them up and over the far wall, and back up the stairs.

Skills 1 — 2011 Games, Event 2, July 29, 2011: At the 2011 Games, athletes were given a three-part skills challenge for the event, Skills 1. They were to complete a max L-Sit for time with only one attempt, max distance softball throw, where they were given two attempts, and a max distance handstand walk. For this, they were only given one attempt, but also one “mulligan” if athletes kicked down within five yards. (It is rumored that the video footage of this event has been locked away from public view.)

Ball Toss — 2012 Games, Event 4, July 13, 2012:  At the 2012 Games, the fourth event of the long weekend involved athletes throwing light-weight medicine balls from a GHD. The test challenged the competitors to throw as many balls as possible, as far as possible, in 20 seconds.

Double Banger — 2012 Games, Event 11, July 15, 2012: That same year, in 2012, athletes took on Double Banger, a combination of double-unders and various “bangers” (using a hammer to move a weighted block, with three different hammering techniques).

In 2017, when the workout was brought back in an updated version as the “Assault Banger,” the jump rope was swapped out for an assault bike, and athletes just had one go with the hammer, instead of three.

The bottom line: What events lay ahead for us in Fort Worth? Could 2024 hold one of Games’ most memorable events ever? Could we see a movement programmed that years later, causes us to look back and giggle while we watch a YouTube replay? Or perhaps Boz and Dave have some surprises up their sleeves, kicking off the Games’ new home in epic style.

Featured image: Enrique Villaseñor