“My strategy is to more or less trust my training, and try to have fun out there.” ~Craig Kenney on going to the Games
Event 6 was the 2014 regional event few could complete.
The event dubbed “The 50s” was a grueling endurance test consisting of a 50-calorie row, 50 box jump overs, 50 deadlifts, 50 wall-ball shots and 50 ring dips. After the ring dips were complete, athletes turned around and worked their way back down the ladder through all the movements.
When the North East Regional kicked off at the end of May, only eight individuals worldwide had finished the event. In the final men’s heat, Games veteran Austin Malleolo was the heat leader coming off the rings and heading back down the field—but not for long. Craig Kenney, of Branford CrossFit in Branford, Connecticut, started to pull ahead.
Taking the Lead
Through the deadlifts and box jump overs, Kenney and Malleolo were neck and neck. Kenney was the first athlete back to the rower—with more than two minutes left—and it looked like the afternoon would see a ninth event finisher. As the crowd got louder, Kenney jumped off the rower hitting the finishing mat with 4 seconds to spare in the 21-minute time cap.
“Workouts like that you have to keep moving,” Kenney said. “It’s all those transition periods where you’re going from deadlifts to box jumps. If you take 30 seconds, that’s a whole hell of a lot of time. It’s gonna suck either way, if you stop or you keep moving, so I might as well keep moving.”
For Kenney, events like this are more mental than physical.
“That’s one of the hardest parts of CrossFit,” he said. “It’s mostly just a mental game. I’ve really worked on my mental strength more than anything in the past year or two.”
“Craig has got a really good engine,” said Jason Leydon, owner of CrossFit Milford, who has been Kenney’s coach for the past eight months. “He can go for a really long time, and is great at those workouts where he goes to a dark place and can get into a rhythm … .”
“He’s an animal,” said Bill Alessi, coach at CrossFit Branford who has trained with Kenney for the past year-and-a-half. “He’s a very intense but a low-key guy when he trains. He’s always going. Morning, afternoon, night—he’ll always have the same intensity.”
Games Debut
Last year was Kenney’s first trip to the North East Regional, where he finished seventh. This year, he came out strong, tying for second place in Event 1, the 1-rep-max hang snatch. While the handstand walk in Event 2 may have tripped him up a little—he tied for 13th—he finished in the top 10 in all but the last event.
Overall, it was a performance that landed him in third place among the individual men of the North East, sending him to Carson, California, in July for the CrossFit Games.
As he prepares, he admitted he’s not adjusting his training too much.
“My strategy is to more or less trust my training, and try to have fun out there,” Kenney said.
Leydon said Kenney’s training for the regional focused on refining barbell work, as well as gymnastic movements like muscle-ups and handstand push-ups. Going into the Games, training is still focused on skill refinement, with an added dimension.
“On weekends, a lot of it is trying to simulate what we think is going to be in the Games,” Leydon said. “Some triathlon-type work, swimming, getting in the pool.”
The Games can throw out unique challenges, and Kenney is working on different types of movements.
“Throwing heavy balls over walls, jumping over walls, more stuff outside, swimming a lot, going on different hikes wearing a vest and carrying different odd objects,” Kenney said. “You really have to prepare for anything.”
He continued: “I realized I need to go into the Games not worn out, I need to peak at the Games. Jason’s doing a great job making sure not only that I’m training well, but little things like making sure I’m eating and sleeping as much as I can.”
Lately, he has been training at Reebok CrossFit One.
“One of the things Austin (Malleolo) told me was, ‘Keep moving. Even if you take 6 seconds or 3 seconds, someone could beat you,’” Kenney said.
Finding CrossFit
“When I got out of college, I was real focused and I wanted to start my life,” he said. “I fell into this idea that I needed to start my 20-year plan, so I got a job working for the state.”
For about two years, Kenney worked as a Connecticut state judicial marshal, transporting inmates between corrections and court. At the same time, he got married and bought a house. But something didn’t seem right.
“One of my best friends’ father told me that if you’re not passionate about something, what’s the point? That really sunk in for me,” Kenney said. “I was always personal training on the side, and it was my dream to own a gym.”
In 2012, Kenney discovered CrossFit, and completed the Level 1 Seminar. Shortly after, Jim Lapia approached him with the idea to open a box.
“It just seemed like a no-brainer,” Kenney said. “I really enjoyed group training, I really believed in the CrossFit model, I believed in myself and my family believed in me. So we sold our house to start a gym. So far, we have great gym going.”
Today, CrossFit Branford has around 240 members and is grooming perhaps the next Games athletes.
“There’s a difference between a sports athlete and a CrossFit athlete,” Kenney said. “We have a lot of great athletes that are turning into great CrossFit athletes. I would not be surprised if we have a good shot with a team next year.”
Up For a Challenge
Last March, during the first week of the Open, Kenney and his wife Martha had their first son, David. At age 27, Kenney has a happy family, a successful gym and a shot at standing on the podium in Carson.
“He’s a very positive guy,” Alessi said. “He’s hardworking and easy going. I’m looking forward to watching him.”
Malleolo and Leydon echo these sentiments.
“Craig is a super nice guy who is a pleasure to be around,” Malleolo said. “He is super explosive and strong. We went swimming and we quickly found out that his nickname is “Scuba Man” as he can swim really well. He is humble and hard working, and I’m glad he is one of the three men representing the North East.”
“I think he’s going to be great,” Leydon said. “He’s got a great attitude, and he’s great to watch.”
Kenney is excited to represent the North East at the Games and looks forward to the competition in July.
“I’m just really looking forward to the opportunity and the different things that will show up at the Games,” Kenney said. “I’m looking forward to the challenge."
