Fitness Challenge going from strength to strength

Since its initial staging in 2015, the Guyana Fitness Games ‘Fitness Challenge’ has seen explosive growth on many fronts.

Crowd appeal, annual revenue, sponsorship, affiliated clubs, athlete conditioning and even the camaraderie of the gladiators has evolved. The growth of the event, which distinguishes the supermen and women from the mortals was quite evident on Sunday at the National Park when the third edition of the fixture was held.

This high intensity fitness regime which uses a mixture of aerobic exercises, gymnastics and Olympic weightlifting to push the body to its absolute limits of strength, endurance, and flexibility, drew the largest crowd of curious onlookers and fitness enthusiasts to date.

The appeal stems in part from the sheer variation of exercises on offer and also from a healthy community spirit among those who take part.

The athletes dragging their tired bodies through CrossFit’s relentless routines certainly looks like no picnic. But the physical results are remarkable and it certainly appeals to the fans.

This year’s gates totaled in excess of 800 according to organizers.

More importantly, the top competitors, who displayed raw strength, skill, and a healthy serving of guts, determination and power were handsomely rewarded following the CrossFit style challenge.

Dillon Mahadeo (male winner) and Semonica Duke (female winner), both of CrossFit 592 (winning team) each pocketed a quarter million dollars. Up from $20,000 last year, the third place finishers in the male and female categories also took home a six-digit payday, snaring $100,000 apiece.

Title sponsor, Kares Engineering and the other stakeholders which teamed up to make the event the biggest and most lucrative ever must be lauded.

Speaking of sponsors, one of the organizers, Jordana Ramsey-Gonsalves disclosed that “this year, quite a few sponsors were asking to come on board without us approaching them.” That certainly augurs well for the future of the event.

The judging process also improved this year since there was not many negative complaints from the athletes. The celebrity charity challenge was a nice addition to the event which the enthusiastic crowd seemed to enjoy.

Most of the judges who officiated last Sunday are now certified by CrossFit Inc. This added another element of credibility to the judging process.

This year also, there was a more balanced test of fitness. The two-mile run and carry which kicked off the day’s activities, favoured the lighter, traditional athletes since it was a pretty raw test of fitness with no technique needed. However, the clean and jerk ladder was a hit which required lots of technique. The sled push and pull required raw strength and grit.

The Guyana Fitness Games ‘Fitness Challenge’ is one of the few sporting fixtures that continues to grow in Guyana year after year. I simply cannot wait to see what Jamie McDonald, Noshavyah King, Jordana Ramsey-Gonsalves, Angelina DeAbreu and the rest of the team has in store for 2018.