WMP Crossfit – Commando Beach Assault

On 11/05/19 a nervous team from the WMP Crossfit section took part in the intimidating Commando Beach Assault in aid of fallen soldiers. A field of 40 teams of serving and retired Military personnel plus Police from across the country promised to present a stiff challenge for our athletes. Travelling down to Exmouth the night before, the weather added to the sense of foreboding with heavy rain and strong winds. Arriving at the venue on the promenade for the event, the skies were blue and clear and as the briefing concluded the WMP team were filled with a cautious optimism.

The team consisted of Neil Loy, Stewart Turner, Matt Thompson and affiliate member Dr Claire Horton. They completed the following workouts in relatively quick succession.

WOD 1 – 2 mile run as a team along the soft sand and shingle of Exmouth Beach. The team started steadily and from the rear of the starting group, kept together well and worked as a unit as they progressed through the  field to the halfway point. Feeling strong and confident they accelerated to make up several places to take a very creditable 4th in the event.

WOD 2 – Next up was a more complex workout. Two of the four were to wear 10kg weighted stab vests throughout and then complete the following between them.

4 rope climbs
200 metre sprint along the sand each
100 wall balls (throwing a 9kg medicine ball against a 12ft high target).
100 Burpees
100 Pull ups
4 rope climbs

The team again scored well in this event sticking to an effective strategy from the start in terms of breaking the load up between them, and communicating well to adapt as they went on. This workout really highlighted what Crossfit is all about with members of all teams loudly cheering a competitors team containing injured veterans with prosthetics. They were inspiring to watch and really show what you can achieve with a strong mind-set.

WOD 3 – A simple but brutal test of muscular endurance, team work and communication.

The team had to complete as many repetitions as possible of lifting a 40 kg barbell from the ground to overhead. This could be achieved by one of the Olympic lifts (Snatch or Clean and Jerk). Complicating this was the rule that one of the team had to be hanging from a bar at all times. If that rule was broken a further 200m sprint would be the penalty and that time delay would severely impact the number of reps completed. Not being big lifters the team worked well to complete over 100 reps due to great teamwork but slipped back in the rankings slightly after this one.

WOD 4 – This workout was agreed by our team and many others present to be one of the hardest physical challenges many of us had ever done. The sand was soft, dry and uneven and churned by hundreds of feet from the earlier events. Competitors had to carry a 10 foot metal post weighing over 100kg and replicating a Cannon 200 metres through the sand. The team then had to run 400 metres before splitting into twos and carrying each other as through injured, 50m fireman’s lift, 50m baby carry (as it sounds, in front like a baby), 50 m forward drag, 50 m backward drag and then carry the Cannon 200m back. This would be hard on firm ground but soft sand made it feel as though your legs were being stabbed and your lungs were bleeding. The team again worked amazingly well together, were first in their heat and Dr Claire was the only female to carry her male counterpart, (Each team had to have a least one female).

The competition was set for four workouts but a hidden twist presented by the organisers presented a bitter sweet opportunity. The MC announced that there would be a final WOD for the top 10 placed teams with a winner takes all format. There was a pregnant pause whilst we waited to see if we were in that number and as a team all agreed that the last thing we wanted to do was pick up that metal thing again.

With a sick sense of fate the teams were to complete an 800 metre run, collect one of the metal posts and then run/walk/stumble 800m with it. The twist was that there were only 7 metal posts. The highest ranked team would start first followed by the other teams in order in 5 second delays. WMP were joint 9th with two other teams who they had to directly compete with but also catch up the 8th and seventh teams in order to get a ‘Cannon’ and complete the course. A very tall order but the extra endurance training we had all put in paid off and we made it the last Cannon as a team and set off some considerable distance behind the next team. Like a determined hunter stalking its prey the team ate away at the lead of first one and then two teams to eventually finish in an excellent joint 5th place overall.

The pain of the exertion was etched on the faces of the team and it was some time before anybody could speak coherently. When senses had been re-gathered and pain replaced by joy, all said it felt like the WMP had won the whole thing due to how well we had done vs the time handicap. This is the best placing for WMP CF so far and is a sign of success for the fast growing inclusive new club. WMP were the top placed Police team again beating the Met and their much larger athlete pool.

The competition side is just the flagbearer with majority of the clubs focus being on helping members of the Police family to move better and live healthy lifestyles. Come along to one of the free sessions each month to find out more, or contact Neil Loy via work email.

Free sessions for May – 16th and 30th at 1000 at Second City Crossfit, Selly Oak, 19th at 0800 same location.

You can also view our Instagram WMP Crossfit for pics and videos along with our website WMPCrossfit.com for some details although not quite finished.