Second Wind Fam –

Let’s talk about workouts, but not just any workout, hero workouts. The hero WOD bridges the gap between the body and the mind and gives our community the chance to do more than just remember our soldiers and first responders. When we learn about the heroes they honor, the WODs can become as emotionally demanding as they are physically grueling. When the pain of going faster or doing more becomes too much, we remember the sacrifices they made for our freedom. Most of us are familiar with hero WOD “Murph,” where the community comes together to honor Lt. Michael Murphy. The feeling of accomplishment and comradery we share with one another makes that day something special and more than just a workout.

As members of this community, when one of us suffers a loss, we all suffer a loss. On October 28, 2018, after 22 years of service, active duty Navy SEAL Chad Wilkinson took his own life due to the effects of numerous deployments, several TBIs, blast wave injuries, and PTSD. Chad was not just any highly decorated hero. He was a father, son, brother, husband, CrossFitter, and human being that believed in living a great story. His wife, Sara, is an L4 CrossFit Coach and seminar flowmaster, and a member of the CrossFit Seminar Staff that I have known for many years and truly admire and respect. Her personality, knowledge, and love for CrossFit and the community are palpable and inspiring.

At Chad’s funeral, Sara recounted a story when she walked into their garage to find Chad doing step-ups wearing a backpack. He was training to climb Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in the Americas (22,841 ft!) and highest trekking peak in the world, by doing 1000 step-ups at a time with a 45lb ruck sack. A few weeks later, Dave Castro posted on Instagram that he and a few friends were doing 1000 step-ups with a 45lb ruck in honor of Chad. And that’s how the hero workout “Chad” was created. The workout itself is simple. Yet, it is an achievement that goes above and beyond any ordinary workout. It is the embodiment of the character of a hero that lived his life “BIG” and decided that ordinary was not enough.

On Sunday, November 8, 2020, the Second Wind community is going to come together to perform “Chad” in honor of our fallen brother.  While the task may seem daunting, the beauty of this workout is that it is infinitely scalable. We will offer a myriad of scaling options so that anyone who wants to participate will be able to safely. My hope is that we can come together as SWCF, suffer a little bit together, and show our support for Sara and her family. We ask that you reserve your spot for the workout in advance by signing up via the link below. Please note if you would like to do the workout with a 12”, 16”, 20”, or 24” box, or use the street curb. We will use this information to determine who many people we can accommodate and we will also stack plates to serve as boxes. We plan to use as much outside space as possible to accommodate a large group. Afterward, we plan to take over the patio at Moreland’s for some socially distanced beers and cheers.

Link to more info about the workout and the man, including a short video from Sara Wilkinson: https://www.goruck.com/pages/chad-1000x

“The point is not to do 1000 step-ups with 45lbs. The point is to contribute in some form or fashion. Perhaps you think about their name, how they died, the family they left behind, and you’ve done them justice. What you write on the whiteboard isn’t as important as the time and heart you put into that workout” – Sara Wilkinson.

Looking forward to sharing this experience with you all,

Coach Courtney.