Can't wait to see it. I do cf and love it. I also do tris and love it. The tri is a 700m swim, 12k single speed mtn bike, and 11k run over mt mother f***er at Camp Pendleton ending with the marine obstacle course.

None of these guys are very good at endurance stuff. Last year's CF games involved a swim+sand run+pullups+situps+squats+sand run and the performances were pretty pathetic. The worst part was the media made it seem like these guys had just climbed Mount Everest without bottles all while bitchslapping chuck norris.

That said, this will be legitimately difficult. 427m elevation gain over 11.3km is an average of 3.8% grade if I did the maths correctly. Singlespeed mtn biking out at Pendleton probably isn't easy either. They do get fins on the swim I believe...

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I tweet!

Fins?

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Ben Greenfield

Nutrition & Human Performance Advice
http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com

That run is tough, especially so for non-endurance athletes. 1500 feet of climbing over about 7 miles. The swim with fins and the 5 mile bike ride are a complete joke.

I think the fins were added simply for safety, very few of them ever swim, so the fins can make it a bit easier. Now fins can also make it interesting as they tend to cause tightness in your feet/calves and can wear on your legs. This is really not that hard of a task for people who will claim the title "fittest on earth." I would be surprised if anybody completes the run under one hour, i would also be surprised if anybody finishes under the projected 1:20-1:30 for the best athletes.

If they are using mil issue fins they will be hurting. Not sure how many brought them so the Marines may be handing them out. That area of Camp P is no joke. The bike ride is single speed through lots of soft sand-prob be some walking.

Still a good event that people here asked for last year but now its not good enough-not like they were going to throw in an IM distance tri. Step in the right direction and I think there will be some fast times.

8k bike and an 11.3k run ?

That seems like a typo...no way they are running that.

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< Quitting Isn't An Option >

By rough estimates, there are about 100 or so people competing.

Do the race organizers bring the gear for these guys? How in the world are they going to provide that many fixed gar bikes for these people? Are fixies one-size-fits-all? (granted that the distance is relatively short so it might not matter)

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Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/

of course they arent going to be as good at long endurance... they dont specialize like you do.

How much do you squat? Snatch? how many pullups can you do before coming off the bar?

not attacking you really, just saying (as a crossfitter and triathlete) that to be good at as many things as it takes to win the crossfit games, rules out anyone who is riding/running/swimming the mileage that most triathletes put in a week.

one of my favorite quotes is that "specialization is for insects"

This sounds interesting. Particularly having the event supply identical single speed bikes.

As for the fittest person in the world title, it's kind of a joke. Do you think any of these guys are faster, stronger, or more coordinated than Lebron, Michael Vick, Rafael Nadal, Josh Hamilton? And of course there's the decathlon. They're better athletes than Ashton Eaton?

Love that quote, but you missed the first part.

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."

Incidentally, I plan on competing at the Crossfit Games sometime in the next decade, and also USA Tennis Nationals, MasterChef auditions, and starting a band with my kids. Triathlon isn't all there is to life. ;)

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Ben Greenfield

Nutrition & Human Performance Advice
http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com

Must be a USAT sanctioned event...

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A lot of these "fittest person" titles are a joke...The magazines do them all the time.

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interesting points but i believe it boils down to specialization versus generalism. All the people you mentioned are phenomenal athletes in their respective sports but they all share a common theme in that they specialized in their sport.

The decathlete point is a great one. Those guys are very fit.

I love crossfit and have been enjoying it now for just shy of 8 years. I like the fact that I can try my hand at anything and be effective with very little special training. Last year when I decided to do a triathlon it was nice to be able to jump in at the international distance without specifically training for the race.

�A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly.� - Robert Heinlein

hah I just posted that without reading the posts before it.... lol Good for you... wanna go rock climbing with me this weekend? haha

Only on slowtwitch would people whine about people doing hings to be healthy and fit.

And the people who win the CF games specialize in that too (and don't get there doing the WODs).

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Yeah,pretty funny but remember it was only one short year ago that if you even mentioned Crossfit here you were considered a freak and shamed into silence....ST is getting a little better.


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So this is the famed pull up all my CF friends have been telling me they're doing 70 reps of...I thought one girl was crazy when she told me she'd done 30 that morning. When I'd taken her and some of the others to a gym where I do my core/body weight routine, they couldn't do but 5 pull ups with me spotting them (basically letdowns). I get the idea behind the CF pull up, but that's not the kind I do.

Also, last year when I almost joined, the manager/owner idk almost chided me when I told him I wouldn't have time to make all their workouts b/c I was training for IMFL (using the 12-wk EN plan) saying, "Why are you doing that? Why are you listening to those people? We have an endurance plan here too. You should train your whole body." Something like that...anyway, he came across very arrogant and condescending toward all things non-CF. I just thought it was incredibly presumptuous and naive to assume he knew what it took to get ready for a triathlon of any length given his inexperience with them and simply replied, "Because I've already done two HIMs and I know what kind of training it takes to get ready for these."

Let me say, I think I would love to do CF. I just don't have time to do that, work, take care of my family, AND train for IM. However, if I back off IMs in the next couple of years, I would really like to give it a try. The guy I mentioned before has chilled out and is pretty cool...just a bad initial sales pitch.

Ben,

Didnt you blog that you would be racing as a Pro this year? Is the CF games goal in place of this?

The injury rate at CF "boxes" is quite high. I think basic weight training mixed with suspension training seems to be a good mix for injury prevention and aesthetic results.

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"Base training is bull shit" - desertdude

sorry you had a bad experience at a crossfit box. There are bad eggs everywhere. This will be my last post in this thread (hate being argumentative on the internet, it makes me feel like I'm competing in the special olympics) as far as the animated picture the first girl has terrible form no chin above the bar the two behind her are doing better. I can do 40 in a row kipping and about 27 strict. Kipping definitely helps even when you get to full hang and chin above bar.

my only point was that triathlon/rockclimbing/weightlifting/crossfit/basketball/rugby/etc.../etc... they are all great and the more you do the better your general fitness and adaptability will be.... best wishes~ B

I know what you mean. I don't need to do CF, but am looking forward to working out with my teenager after IMLP. I'm not joining him now since I know that even a mediocre gym set will thrash my muscles which are now wasted away after lots of long rides and runs.

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Brian
“Eat and Drink, spin the legs and you’re going to effin push (today).” A Howe