I was first introduced to CrossFit back in 2007 when I was in the Army.  I used the CrossFit regimen in my training because it was a very effective in preparing me to do my job.  As a Ranger I was supposed to move further, faster, and fight harder than any other soldier.  CrossFit helped me get there.

I continued to train using the CrossFit regimen after I left the Army, but it was less effective.  I did not have something outside of the gym to hold me accountable for my fitness, and CrossFit for the sake of CrossFit was not sustainable for me.  In fact, I was not convinced it was even particularly good for me.  I watched several friends get hurt, and I came pretty close to hurting myself as my form became sloppy in workouts that turned into competitions.  More discomforting was the fact that without a real-world task to measure my fitness against, I had no direction for my training. Instead, I started to maximize my fitness towards what my trainer thought was most important, which wasn’t necessarily what I wanted.

I was in the best shape of my life when I left the Army, and I strived to be that kind of fit again – lean, strong, and undaunted by any variety of physical tasks from long movements to short intense combatives bouts.  I searched for a fitness event to train for that would get me there.  I tried a triathlon and a few tough-mudder type events, but I was not inspired.

Then in 2012 my brother convinced me to compete in the Army Best Ranger Competition (I was an Army Reservist at the time).  Training for the Best Ranger Competition brought me back to where I wanted to be.  In the few months we had to train, I got close to where I was when I left the Army.  More importantly, the competition was tough, inspiring, and fun.  It was a broad test of fitness with real world tasks to measure them.  No one was calling “no-rep” because your form was bad – you either got through the obstacles, hit the target, and completed the task, or you didn’t.

When I got back from Best Ranger others could see the transformation.  Several friends were inspired and wanted to train for the event.  The problem was – it wasn’t open to civilians, and there wasn’t anything like it.

The Endeavor Team Challenge is, in part, our attempt to fill this void.  We want to give people something to train for that is truly monumental, but we also want to make it accessible to normal people who are up for the challenge.  If you have been looking for an event to train for, or a reason to push yourself during your workouts, the Endeavor Team Challenge may be the event for you.  We challenge you to step out of your CrossFit gym and off of your carbon road bike and step onto our course, carry all you have to sustain yourself on your back, and find out what you are truly made of.

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