CrossFit Arlington Heights Tactical Challenge Raises Almost $4,000 to Benefit Local Military Service Members.

Before the men picked up a 40-pound sandbag and the women a 20-pound sandbag; before they used that sandbag to complete 100 total reps of Hands Release Push Ups, Ground to Overhead lifts, Anchored Sit Ups, Bag Hop Burpees, and a 25-foot Army Crawl, participants in the 2nd annual Salute, Inc. got freedom? Tactical Challenge posted  competitive 5k times, and contributed almost $4,000 to help Salute, Inc. continue its mission to help meet the financial, physical and emotional needs of the military service members, veterans and their families. Elite Athletic Development / CrossFit Arlington Heights contributed 100 percent of race entry fees to Salute, Inc.

Seventy-five athletes from around the Chicagoland area competed in the event which combined a 5k run with a series of basic training type exercises. Collectively, event participants lugged more than a short ton of sandbags point-to-point better than 500 yards. At some point, every participant struggled with how to carry or use the awkward, weight-shifting sandbag in the movements. Many non-CrossFit athletes concluded that perhaps their current workout routine was not as effective as they thought, particularly after completing 25 Bag Hop Burpees.

Christian Talbot, 19, Arlington Heights / Unaffiliated and Kate Skerrett, 28, Chicago Heights / The New East Side Gym took top honors in the 2013 Tactical Challenge, followed by Matt Pogodzinski, 38, Evanston / Unaffiliated and Anne Kirsner, 36, Highland Park / CrossFit Carbon and Kevin Flowers, 48, Glen Ellyn / CrossFit Glen Ellyn and Kelly Buchholz, 33, Arlington Heights / CrossFit Arlington Heights. Elite Athletic Development / CrossFit Arlington Heights retained the team title for the second consecutive year based on the finish times of Arlington Heights residents Buchholz, Mary Kate Olsen, Bob Dapisa and Casey Jones.

The Salute, Inc. got freedom? Tactical Challenge will return in 2014. For more information on the event, or on CrossFit training, email karen@eadperformancecenter.com