More than 250 athletes test their limits in Asheville CrossFit competition

Cheers, determination and a whole lot of sweat poured from athletes at the WNC Agricultural Center where the inaugural Appalachian Games, a CrossFit competition hosted by Asheville’s Summit CrossFit, was held on Saturday.

More than 250 CrossFit-enthusiasts signed up to test their limits on deadlifts, pull-ups, snatches, and other exercises. CrossFit is a fitness program based on performing functional movements at a high intensity.

Athletes competed in teams of four in four different WODs (workouts of the day) and were scored based on a combination of reps completed, calories burned and time. Individual tests could also earn more points for one’s team.

Teams, with clever names such as Flex Appeal, Hakuna Masquata or Buns n’ Guns, were divided into men’s, women’s and co-ed brackets as well as broken into scaled competition, athletes who modified to a slightly lower weight for exercises and RX competition, athletes using heavier weights.

The event also featured vendors, who offered catered food for athletes and spectators.

The final WOD, aptly titled “One More,” tested the athletes requiring them to sprint around the Expo Building carrying a weight and then as a team complete 75 each of deadlifts, pull-ups, reps of lifting a barbell from shoulder to above their heads and lifting their toes to a pull-up bar all before finishing a 600-meter run. The aim was to finish in the fastest time.

For non-CrossFitters the workout could sound daunting, but the teams faced the challenge head on. Almost every team made it back to their station before the 15-minute time cap. One team of women, named the Silver Bullets for their declared advanced age, even completed the challenge while sporting fake mustaches to disguise their true identities from the competition.