Happy Mother’s Day! BOXROX is wishing every mother around the world an incredible day. To celebrate, we here highlight 10 incredible athletes and CrossFit mums that are an inspiration to everyone.
You can follow some of these athletes to get tips on how to deal with working out while having a kid around. If you are pregnant, some athletes also offer advice and training tips on their social media.
You can also read an opinion piece written for BOXROX called “9 Things I Learned Being a CrossFit Mom.”
Annie Thorisdottir
Annie Thorisdottir is a legend in the CrossFit community and this is going to be her first mother’s day celebration. She was the first woman to win the CrossFit Games twice (2011 and 2012). Last year she declined her CrossFit Games invite to give birth to Freyja, her firstborn, in August.
A year after delivering the baby, she is back on her CrossFit journey and has qualified for the Individual Semifinals.
Check out training tips and 7 of Annie’s workouts.
Kara Saunders
Kara Saunders gave birth to her daughter Scottie in 2019. She is one of the biggest Australian’s athletes, posing a threat to Tia-Clair Toomey’s reign.
Kara Saunders was crowned Australia’s Fittest Woman from 2015 to 2018 and has competed in the CrossFit Games an impressive 7 times. Before becoming a mother, Kara placed 2nd and 4th at the 2017 and 2018 CrossFit Games respectively.
This year she finished second in Oceania’s Individual Quarterfinals, only five points behind Tia-Clair Toomey, and is on track to make yet another Games appearance.
You can read more about her competitive side after becoming a mom.
Elisabeth Akinwale
Elisabeth Akiwnwale became a mother in 2007 and continued to thrive in the CrossFit season. She won the North Central Regionals in 2012 and 2013. The following year she was shy one point from getting 1st place again.
She competed in the CrossFit Games five times, with 7th place being her best position in 2012.
Elisabeth is not only an advocate for fitness and “enjoying motherhood”, as she writes in her Instagram profile, but she is also an activist for black people.
“I know it makes a difference,” she said about participating at the CrossFit Games as a person of colour.
Camille Leblanc Bazinet
Camille Leblanc-Bazinet is a Canadian athlete who earned the title of Fittest Woman on Earth in 2014 and was part of the 2nd Fittest Team on Earth in 2019.
She finished in the top 10 in four of her seven CrossFit Games appearances, and also won five out of seven Regional competitions.
In the Open, she finished as the 2nd Fittest Woman in the United States on three occasions (2018, 2017, and 2015), while becoming USA’s National Champion in 2016.
She is one of CrossFit’s most enduring athletes and became a mother in 2020.
Mekenzie Riley
Mekenzie Riley became a mum in May 2020 after giving birth to Race Lewis Riley. The American athlete has participated in four CrossFit Games (2016-2019) with a personal best of 5th place.
A year before giving birth, Mekenzie Riley won the Brazil CrossFit Championship Sanctional. Now in 2021 she has earned a place in the Semifinals after finishing 42nd place in North America.
Cassidy Lance-McWherter
Cassidy is married to Aly McWherter and they both became mothers last year. Since becoming pregnant, Cassidy has retired from CrossFit competitions, but continues to maintain a fit lifestyle.
The American athlete has participated in the CrossFit Games five times. 2018 was the peak of her CrossFit career, as she finished 1st worldwide in the Open, and also won the Atlantic Regional.
Cassidy has a close relationship with Camille Leblanc-Bazinet and they both coach pregnant athletes.
CrossFit Mother’s Day – Donna Eramo
Donna Eramo is the mother of Kristi Eramo O’Connel. At 60 years old, she nailed this year’s Open workouts, placing 1st, 2nd and 4th during workouts 21.1, 21.2 and 21.3 respectively.
Donna has competed in the CrossFit Games in 2016, 2017 and 2018, alongside with her daughter. Last time, she finished 6th overall.
She also became a meme after watching her daughter not being able to finish workout 21.1 and losing to Kari Pearce during the live announcement.
Katelin Van Zyl
Katelin has two boys and has never stopped practicing CrossFit. Knox, her youngest, was born in December last year, and this year Katelin is competing as a team in the Quarterfinals for URBAN.
From Australia, she was the country’s 2nd Fittest Woman in 2019 (behind Tia-Clair) and 3rd the following year. Katelin is a two-time CrossFit Games athlete and competed in three Regionals.
You can read her incredible story as a mom, Box owner, professional athlete and how she helps other people reach their goals. Just click here.
Lindsay Vaughan
Lindsay Vaughan competed at the CrossFit Games in 2019. Like most athletes on this list, Lindsay continued to train during pregnancy.
Lindsay is American, but has been living in Australia for some time now and runs CrossFit Ballina alongside her husband. Lindsay has also competed in Regionals an impressive 7 times.
Her baby boy Rowan was born in January this year.
You can read more about her here.
Emily Bridgers
Emily Bridgers is the mother of Riley Moses Benson and is currently halfway through her second pregnancy.
Emily is a CrossFit veteran, having participated in the Open since 2012 and having been named America’s Fittest Woman in 2015 and 2016.
At 33-years-old, she has vast experience in the Regionals, having won first place on three occasions, 2nd place more recently, and finished top 5 in 2012 and 2013.
Her best position in the CrossFit Games was 6th place in 2014. In 2018, she was forced to withdraw from the competition due to an injury.
