COMMUNITY: Worth the pain

Editor's note: Erin Kistler of Cedar Rapids works for the Mechanicsville Telephone Company in her hometown and is regular at CrossFit 2.2.

By Erin Kistler, community contributor

CEDAR RAPIDS - At noon on May 25, a group of people gathered at CrossFit 2.2 to set out to complete 24 workouts in 24 hours.

Why?

To raise money for the GORUCK/Green Beret Foundation $1 million Challenge, which is an organization attempting to raise $1 million in one year to give support to families of the injured or disabled Green Berets. They also wanted to do what CrossFitters do best - challenge ourselves physically and mentally to see just how much we are capable of doing.

While working out 24 times in 24 hours would be an accomplishment in itself, we took it one step further. Every workout completed was a “Hero WOD” - a workout designed and named in honor of a fallen soldier.

These workouts are the most brutal CrossFit has to offer, requiring just as much mental toughness as physical fortitude. We chose to do these “Hero” workouts on Memorial Day weekend as a way to honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice and to celebrate and remind people what the true meaning of Memorial Day is all about.

The idea for this challenge came together very quickly, but it didn't take long for people to jump on board. A group of 13 people toughed it out for the full 24 hours was truly a melting pot. Men and women ranging in age from 18 to 40-plus worked out together with the same end goals in mind.

While most of the participants were from the gym and are familiar with CrossFit, one participant had never done CrossFit before and rose to the occasion, learning as she went. People who weren't able to commit to the full 24 hours were encouraged to stop in and join for a workout whenever they could fit it in.

There never was a lack of bodies at the gym. Twenty-four people joined in on the last workout to make it a very memorable event.

As expected, we attacked the first hours of workouts strong, fueled by our excitement of the challenge before us. Working as teams to complete the workouts, we ran, rowed, climbed ropes, jumped boxes, lifted heavy weights, did pullups, push-ups, sit-ups and the most dreaded movement in CrossFit, the burpee, where you drop to the ground and do a pushup, get back into standing position and then jump and clap above your head and drop down to repeat.

During the first six hours or so these workouts seemed to fly by and we looked forward to the announcement of our next task. But, as the hours progressed and the spectators started to dwindle, so did our energy.

Around 2 a.m., we hit a wall. Extreme fatigue, exhaustion, physical pain and mental doubt set in. We had to rely on each other to pick up work when our bodies simply weren't capable of doing what was asked of us.

Just as we were beginning to seriously doubt any of us would be able to finish what we had set out to do, the gym door opened and fresh, new bodies walked in ready to jump back into action, giving us the revival we needed.

We could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, and miraculously that was all it took for us to regain some strength and energy to power through.

When we completed the 24th workout at noon on May 26, the energy in the room was high. There were tears of joy, some for sheer relief that there was not another daunting workout in their immediate future, some for pure amazement that they were physically able to do what they had just done.

There were hugs shared, smiles everywhere you looked and, finally, a celebratory beer cracked and raised high in honor of what we had just done and who were honored.

In the end, it was the indomitable spirit of the people we were working out with that carried us through to the finish line.

That's what is so great about the sport of CrossFit. Not only is it a great program to get you in the best shape of your life, but it does so much more.

CrossFit is a way for you to prove to yourself daily that you can do things you never in a million years thought you'd be able to do at your weight or age or physical ability. It is not just a gym you put an hours worth of work in day in and day out, it becomes your second home, which you share with your second family composed of people from all walks of life who are in the same journey as you and who value their health and are excited to push themselves and you to do amazing things.

When you are able to thrive off each other's energy and lean on each other's different strengths and weaknesses, that's when you are able to complete such amazing things like we just did.

I'm sore and exhausted. It'll probably take me a week to get fully recovered. But in the end, it was the least we could do to give thanks to the true heroes, those who selflessly gave their lives so we have the freedom to do things like this.

I can't wait to do it again next year.

• If you would like more information about CrossFit 2.2 please visit. www.crossfit2point2.com.