CrossFit for a Cause: The Murph Challenge
Memorial Day is quickly approaching and although the men and woman who have sacrificed their lives for the freedom of our country deserve so much more than just a single day of the year, this is a time to show our appreciation and our respect for these courageous and honorable soldiers. If you are currently unsure of how you plan on spending your Memorial Day, one way to truly show your appreciation is by participating in The Murph Challenge. This notorious WOD (WOD meaning Workout Of the Day for anyone who is unfamiliar with the extensive CrossFit vocabulary) is held at various CrossFit boxes around the country on Memorial Day morning and it will definitely give you a run for your money.
The Man Behind the WOD
This rigorous workout is dedicated to LT Michael P. Murphy, a U.S. Navy SEAL and a true hero. Lt. Murphy was the leader of SEAL team 10, a group of four Navy SEALs, who were assigned to support Operation Red Wing located near Asadabad, Afghanistan. Shortly after arriving at their location, the four men were spotted and soon found themselves outnumbered and under attack by Taliban fighters. With no way to contact headquarters while remaining safe from gunfire, Lt. Murphy risked his own life by exposing himself to enemy fire in order to transmit a call for help and save his unit. He was successful in making the call, but suffered fatal wounds in the process. Lt. Murphy was able to make his way back to his group, however, after a grueling two-hour gunfight, Lt. Murphy and two of his fellow SEALs, Danny Dietz and Matthew Axelson, had fallen. This act of complete selflessness and bravery by Lt. Murphy was what helped save the fourth member of their unit, Marcus Luttrell, who later went on to write the haunting book Lone Survivor.
In order to honor the amazing life of Lt. Murphy, his family has created the LT Michael P. Murphy Memorial Scholarship Fund, which has grown from funding one scholarship to funding seventeen scholarships annually. The donations for this fund are primarily raised through people across the country registering to participate in The Murph Challenge every year.
The WOD
Yes, you’re reading that right, all of those zeros are supposed to be there. This WOD is definitely not for the faint of heart, but the pride you will feel once it’s completed is well worth the pain. It might strike some of you as an overwhelmingly rigorous workout, which is undeniably true, but the cause behind this workout is what really matters and what will push you to work your hardest in order to complete the challenge. If you feel like this is something completely unrealistic in terms of your own physical abilities, don’t count yourself out of the fun just yet! There are numerous ways for the workout to be scaled down into something more realistic for your own skill level, just talk to one of the trainers at which ever box you choose to go to and they will gladly help you. As long as your try your best and put in some (ridiculously hard) work, this is an exceedingly rewarding workout and will leave you sweating, wheezing, and possibly puking, but you will be able to say that you completed The Murph and that is definitely something to be proud of! If you are interested in taking on the challenge, you can register for the Murph here: https://themurphchallenge.com/register/.
For more information on The LT Michael P. Murphy Memorial Scholarship Foundation: https://murphfoundation.org
For more information on The Murph Challenge: http://themurphchallenge.com