The CrossFit Games brought with them some big changes this year: a new qualification process, the addition of National Champions and the introduction of field cuts as the events progressed.
So we wonder what it is like, competing on the floor? What goes on behind the scenes and how do athletes’ experiences differ from our own?
Jacob Heppner, now on his 4th CrossFit Games, finished the weekend as the 6th Fittest Man on Earth. After this year’s Open he was ranked 3rd worldwide and made it through every single cut at the Games.
The American athlete shared his top 10 memories – in chronological order – of the 2019 CrossFit Games. Find out what they were:
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Getting hugs from Cole Sager and Sam Dancer
Heppner says one of his Games experience highlights was to get a hug from both Cole Sager and Sam Dancer. He explained both have the same built and “not to make fun of them or whatsoever, but they remind me of big teddy bears.”
This was one of Heppner’s best memories. He said you can tell they are genuine guys and mean what they say, talking to you and hanging out with you.
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Mat Fraser claiming a rope
This was right after the first workout, the First Cut.
4 rounds:
- 400-m run
- 3 legless rope climbs
- 7 squat snatches (130 | 185 lb.)
Time cap: 20 minutes
Before the event they pulled everyone out in lanes of five and Heppner happened to be sharing a lane with Fraser. Whilst they all waited for the event to start and were feeling nervous, Heppner said that Fraser just looked at them and said: “that rope out there, that rope is mine” and threw his chalk at it.
Even if Heppner had wanted to steal that rope from Mat, the only time he could have done so was the first round, as afterwards the reigning champion was already on the rope by the time Heppner got to it, he said.
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Being lied to right before the start of the second event and realising right at the beginning of event 2
Second Cut:
- 800-m row
- 66 KB jerks (12 | 16 kg)
- 132-ft. handstand walk
Time cap: 10 minutes
The row on that workout was kind of a like a bait, said Heppner. He thought it wasn’t in his best interest to try and sprint it.
Comparing strategies with Sam Kwant right before the event, Heppner realised they were both planning on rowing at a similar pace. They were both nervous when they took to the floor and started the workout.
Heppner stuck to his plan to row at 147, when Kwant had said he’d row at 145. But when Heppner looked over his shoulder he realised Kwant was going way faster than he’d said he would.
Right in the middle of the workout Heppner called him out – he’s not sure if he was heard or not because Kwant was rowing so hard – but there and then he called him a liar.
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High hopes nearing the end of the Ruck run
Ruck run:
6,000-m ruck run
- ♀ 20-30-40-50-lb. pack
- ♂ 20-30-40-50-lb. pack
Time cap: 40 minutes
Heppner had been running by himself for most of the event behind a group of three or four guys. Slowly, he started to catch up. Nearing the end of the last lap, as the backpack was the heaviest it had been and with more than three miles already covered, he realised he wasn’t far behind from Fraser.
The group of men ahead of Heppner.
Moreover, he could see the reigning champion slowing down. Encouraged, he picked up the pace, caught up to him and passed him in the last 600-800 metres. Except Fraser didn’t fall behind, he stuck to Heppner, even when the second tried to go faster and lose him.
Heppner realised he couldn’t hold that pace, so he signalled to Mat with his hand to overtake him, and so Fraser did, never to be seen again on that workout.
At the end of the event, Fraser went over to Heppner and said he’d have offered him some money to chill out and let him go ahead in front. In hindsight, Heppner joked he should have held up a little longer and maybe made some money out of it.
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The first time in the Coliseum
Workout: Mary
20-min. AMRAP:
- 5 HSPU
- 10 pistols
- 15 pull-ups
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0uKABTH9tD/
By the time Mary came along only 20 athletes remained in the floor. For Heppner, this was the first time ever stepping into the Coliseum. He said coming into the floor, when all the lights are really dim, and people’s phones are shining, is also one of his favourite memories. Having his name announced and hearing people shout his name was very special, he said.
“There was nothing, absolutely nothing, that come close to being able to step out on that floor and do a workout in front of thousands of people in the best venue I’ve ever been in,” he said. “It was probably one of the coolest moments of my life that I’ll remember forever.”
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A laugh with Dave Castro
If you know Jacob Heppner you know in 2018 there was an Open workout with a standard for HSPU he did not agree with. He hadn’t seen Dave Castro since they made up that standard.
Getting ready to get debriefed for one of the Games’ workouts, Dave was about to announce the next workout to the 40 or 50 people sitting there, but instead Castro calls him forward first.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0xt8poHmAa/
Dave was sitting in the middle of the floor, Heppner goes to him, his back against all the athletes, when Castro pulls a tape measure out of his pocket. What happened next confused Heppner, as Castro asked to measure his forearm against the athlete’s.
Heppner found it funny to see that side of Castro and said “the past is the past”. He found it fun to sit with the guy who probably made the rule that meant he didn’t qualify for the Games and be able to laugh about it.
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Comeback on the peg board
Workout: Sprint Triplet
5 rounds:
- 1 pegboard ascent
- 100 double-unders
- 10 DB hang split snatches (55 | 80 lb.)
- 10 DB hang clean and jerks (55 | 80 lb.)
Time cap: 20 minutes
The competition was close throughout the Sprint Triplet.
This was the first workout after the final cuts to the top 10 and the second one in the Coliseum.
Heppner reminisced about the time when he wasn’t good at peg boards, specifically pointing to an event in the 2016 Games when the peg board slowed him down and lost him his 5th place.
The Sprint Triplet was his opportunity to prove he has worked on the peg board and, when he failed one ascent close to the end, he knew how to deal with it.
He explained two years ago, he would have ended up in a circle of failing and probably would have been unable to finish the workout. However, he’s learnt from the past, worked really hard on a movement and was able to fail and know he could still continue.
“That to me was really encouraging, really positive,” he said. He could show people he has worked hard on it.
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Crushing the Air Assault Bike
This is one more great memory of another single movement. When Heppner looked at the workout, he thought he wasn’t going to be good at it because he’s not great at the Air Assault Bike.
Workout: Ringer 1
30-20-10 reps of:
- Air bike (calories)
- Toes-to-rings
Time cap: 7♀ / 6♂ minutes
Heppner won his heat on the Ringer 1.
He explained the workout with the Air Assault bike is one of his favourite memories because, historically, he’s not very good at this movement. Nevertheless, he has put a lot of work into improving and found it awesome to win his heat; to go out and show he’s put a lot of time into improving in that specific modality.
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Crying a tear before the last workout
Workout: The Standard
- 30 clean and jerks (Grace)
- 30 muscle-ups
- 30 snatches (Isabel)
♀ 95 lb. / ♂ 135 lb.
Time cap: 12 minutes
Heppner is now the 6th Fittest Man on Earth. Photo not from the last event.
This is a little bit of an emotional one for Heppner. He was prepared and ready to go and do well in the workout but when he went out, it got to him: that he was never on the biggest stage in sport before and here he was, considered one of the Elite in his sport, about to step on the stage for the last workout.
As people shouted his name and he couldn’t help but cry away a few little tears right before the start.
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Hanging around at the end
Heppner said it was really cool to hang around at the end, be there and take pictures with people who have given up their time to support, for the love of the sport.
He found it was a great opportunity to have a stage and talk to people, encouraging them and thanking them for going out of their way.
