Carolyne Prevost admits it was a “weird feeling” to learn she would be competing at this summer’s CrossFit Games in Albany, NY.
- After finishing third at the Northern California Classic In-Person Qualifying Event, she had missed out on the opportunity by just one spot.
The 35-year-old returned home and immediately resumed intense training after winning the 35-39-year-old Age Group Semifinals. She will compete this August in Columbus, OH, at the Masters CrossFit Games by Legends.
Then, two days after the Northern California Classic, Prevost found out that the winner, Alex Gazan, had been in a car accident and fractured her fibula, a story Prevost was obviously going to follow closely.
- Shortly after the accident, Prevost said Gazan reached out to her, telling her to “stay ready.”
After that, the two Games veterans began messaging back and forth, Gazan keeping Prevost up to date on her progress.
Last week, Gazan announced publicly that her injury is taking longer to heal than expected and she has withdrawn from the Games; however, Gazan had already informed Prevost the week before, the moment she decided she wouldn’t be competing.
- “She wanted to let me know when she had finalized her decision so that I had more time to prepare. I thought that was very sweet of her,” Prevost said.
This means Prevost will be the oldest woman athlete competing this year at the Games, and also the only athlete, male or female, to compete in both individual and age-group categories this season.
- “It’s a really weird feeling because it feels weird to celebrate when someone else is injured and has earned that spot,” Prevost said. “When you see such a strong competitor like Alex get injured, she was obviously a podium threat…But I’m excited. I want any chance to compete at the CrossFit Games, but I’m also sad for Alex, as well.”
Going Against the Grain
Unlike most top CrossFit athletes worldwide, Prevost works full-time as a high school math and fitness teacher, a demanding and exhausting job.
This means that during the school year, Prevost trains after school, and whenever possible, she fits in a second short training session during her lunch hour or lesson preparation time.
Overall, though, Prevost trains significantly less volume than her competitors, typically just two hours a week during the weekend, with longer single sessions on the weekend. She also takes two full rest days each week on Mondays and Thursdays.
“And when I say full off, they’re actually full off, like I don’t do anything,” she said. This is a practice she has always followed, and she explained that it works well for her.
- “I love it. I feel like my body is normally fine [with this level of] training. A lot of people say that they’re at the gym for six to eight hours. I don’t even know what I would do for six to eight hours,” she said. “To me, I’m like, there’s no way they’re actually training for six hours. They’re doing mobility, they’re chatting, they’re eating there. I don’t have time to do that.”
Prevost, however, is more of a quick in-and-out athlete, although she admits that sometimes she is so exhausted from a long workday that she power naps on a mat for 15-20 minutes when she first arrives at the gym.
One big thing: Another thing that sets Prevost apart is that she has continued playing other competitive sports throughout much of her CrossFit career.
- For many years, she played soccer each summer, and until last season, she also played professional hockey while competing in CrossFit.
August Goals
Prevost was hesitant to set a goal for this summer’s CrossFit Games because “it’s so programming dependent,” she said, but she hopes to go in “feeling fresh and healthy and attack every workout the best I can.”
- “To me, it’s a successful season just to be back at the Games at 35. The last time I competed was 2022…so just to be back in the mix of things this year feels really good,” she said.
As for the Masters CrossFit Games, “my goal is to try to win,” she said. “But it’s definitely not going to be an easy thing to do.”
Ultimately, though, Prevost is just excited to have two big competitions in the same month.
- “I love competing. It’s something that keeps me motivated. I think if I don’t have a competition coming up, I struggle to get into my routine of grinding it out,” she said.
Prevost added: “As long as I’m healthy, I’ll be doing more competitions, whatever ones I can qualify for.”
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Featured Image: @cprevost27 / Instagram
