"I have a passion for CrossFit, but also for Kettlebell Sport, too."
Six hundred kettlebell jerks. One hour. That's Marissa Luchau's goal: to break the world record.
A competitive CrossFit athlete, Luchau began competing in Kettlebell Sport last year while sidelined with an injury. Already a Master of Sport in kettlebells, Luchau will be making her record attempt on Oct. 20 at CrossFit West Seattle, with her coach, Zach Filer.
In high school, Luchau — “Roo” to her friends — was recruited to the University of Washington as a javelin thrower. After a bad rugby tackle broke several of her ribs, she developed 'frozen shoulder.’ The scar tissue would prevent her from ever being a competitive thrower again. During rehabilitation, though, her physical therapist suggested she try CrossFit to strengthen her shoulder to 'normal' levels.
"A girl I was working with at the time had already tried it out and said, 'You need to try this. You're going to love it,' Luchau says. “I got my butt kicked. I was dying ... and then I was hooked.”
In her first year as a CrossFitter, Luchau qualified for Regionals in 2010. Competing on the CrossFit West Seattle Team convinced her to quit another competitive outlet she'd been trying — LumberJill Competitions — and focus on CrossFit. Unfortunately, she was injured at Regionals. This time it was a strained subscapularis in the other shoulder. “I used kettlebells a lot to help me recover,” she says. “It's pretty easy when you have an injury that takes you out of the game for a couple of months to feel sorry for yourself and let your training slide. I know because that's what I let happen the first time I hurt my shoulder, but I was still able to train with kettlebells and used that to keep driving me forward.”
Her coach, Zach Filer, says using kettlebells for her rehabilitation is what inspired her to start competing. “Now she's acquired her Master of Sport designation in kettlebells, the only person with that rank on the West Coast,” Filer says.
Luchau says it was the mental aspect that was most interesting to her. "I got hooked because of the mental side of it. My speciality is the long cycle – a kettlebell clean and jerk, nonstop for an hour, with one hand-switch allowed,” she says. “Pushing through the unbroken aspect helped me out a lot mentally, as far as CrossFitting went. You tell yourself that if you can get through 10 minutes doing this many reps, never setting it down, pushing through that pain, that you can push hard through most CrossFit workouts, too.”
The idea to go for a world record came when Filer was reading Jeff Martone's book, “Kettlebell Rx.” “Zach called me into his office and said, 'You wanna go for a world record?' I needed a Kettlebell goal, so I decided to go for it,” Luchau says. “I have a passion for CrossFit, but also for Kettlebell Sport, too.”
Planned for Oct. 20, Luchau’s world record attempt will mirror an event in Japan. CrossFit West Seattle will have more than 50 of their own athletes participating to 'pace' her through the hour-long grind, with other kettlebell athletes visiting from a club in California.
Her plan is to perform two quick jerks at the top of each minute, and then one every six seconds for a total of 11 per minute, for the full hour, with a 35-pound kettlebell. Between reps, she must maintain rack position. She can rest her elbow on her hip for support, but cannot rest the kettlebell on her shoulder. Each jerk must clearly show a double-knee bend, with full standing lockout. The current world record is 546 jerks, set in 2010. “We know she's going to go for more reps in her last couple of minutes,” Filer says. “She's a CrossFitter!”
To prepare, Luchau has been following the regular programming from CrossFit West Seattle, with one extra practice session on the kettlebell jerk. She has been building up her time by adding two to four minutes every week. She's also maintained her CrossFitting: her squat has risen to 235 lb. for a set of five, and she just set a personal record on her snatch at 135 lb.
She has also been practicing what her coach calls her “doll look:” a blank face, with the mantra, “Breathe and move, breathe and move.” Using a clock with red arrows taped to the face, she jerks every time the second hand hits an arrow.
Luchau is confident she can accomplish the record. More importantly to her though, is that this event will also raise money for Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. “I couldn't ask for a better support crew for it,” she says. “Most importantly, it's raising money for a charity. World record or not, it's for a good cause. My entire family is coming over to watch, and I'm well prepared, thanks to Zach.”
Update: Luchau set a new world record on Oct. 20 with 712 kettlebell snatches.
