The 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games season is over, but there are still stories to tell. In a year like no other, athletes, fans, and CrossFit staff came together for an epic season of competition, community, and camaraderie. The season culminated in Madison, Wisconsin, for the 15th installment of the CrossFit Games. The road to Madison started with the 2021 Open, and advanced through the Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Last-Chance Qualifier, and finally the Games.
The Miles to Madison series will provide an unprecedented look at what goes on behind the scenes of the CrossFit Games season every step of the way. Watch for new episodes to be released each Thursday and check back to this article to watch the whole series as it unfolds.
Miles to Madison Ep. 01.21: Rich Froning, Haley Adams and Jonne Koski
After a global pandemic shook up the world, CrossFit was determined to bring a sense of normalcy back to the community, starting with the 2021 Open.
Four-time Games champion Rich Froning describes his experience with team competition after competing individually for years. Three-time Games athlete Haley Adams opens up about her performance at the 2020 Games, when she competed with a foot injury sustained prior to the competition. Finland’s fittest man, Jonne Koski, prepares for his seventh Games season, training with 2009 Games winner and friend Mikko Salo.
From planning to final run-throughs, get a behind-the-scenes look at production for the first live Open announcement and hear from CrossFit staff and athletes about their approaches to the 2021 CrossFit Games season.
Miles to Madison Ep. 02.21: Pearce, Eramo O’Connell, Medeiros and O’Brien
In Episode 2 of Miles to Madison, get an inside look at the preparation for the first test of the season, and join the athletes as they take the initial step on the road to the Games.
The live announcement of 21.1 kicked off the 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games season, and third-fittest woman in 2020 Kari Pearce and five-time Games athlete Kristi Eramo O’Connell were the first set of competitors to go head-to-head.
From home, 2020 third-fittest man on Earth Justin Medeiros and 17-year-old Mallory O’Brien tuned in to learn what was in store and gave the wall-walk and double-under couplet their best shot.
Miles to Madison Ep. 03.21: Medeiros, Kwant, Wells and Toomey
In Episode 3, the road to the 2021 CrossFit Games continues with Open Workout 21.2 — a repeat from 2017.
At the CrossFit Home Office in Scotts Valley, California, 2020 Games podium finishers Sam Kwant and Justin Medeiros get their chance to improve their scores from 17.1 in the live Open announcement.
Meanwhile in Nashville, Tennessee, Fittest Woman on Earth Tia-Clair Toomey and Games veteran Brooke Wells gear up to revisit the past, this time going head-to-head. Hear from Toomey and Wells on being training partners and competitors, and learn how the two elite athletes prepared for the 2021 Games season.
Miles to Madison Ep. 04.21: Davidsdottir, Högberg, Muhammad, Briggs, and the Panchik Brothers
In Episode 4, the final workouts of the 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Open are announced at the CrossFit Home Office in Scotts Valley, California. Saxon, Scott, and Spencer Panchik go head-to-head-to-head immediately following the reveal of 21.3 and 21.4.
Later, 2013 Fittest Woman on Earth Sam Briggs and two-time Games athlete Elijah Muhammad compete for The OUT Foundation and Project Onyx.
In Boston, Massachusetts, Katrin Davidsdottir, Samuel Kwant, and Amanda Barnhart take on the final Open challenges under the watchful eyes of CompTrain coaches.
Miles to Madison Ep. 05.21: Emma Cary, Noah Ohlsen, Travis Mayer and Adrian Mundwiler
The top 10 percent of athletes from each continent from the 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Open were invited to participate in Quarterfinals, the second stop on the road to the Games.
In Episode 5 of Miles to Madison, Travis Mayer, Noah Ohlsen, Adrian Mundwiler, and Emma Cary give us an inside look at their Quarterfinal weekend, taking on six workouts from their respective gyms.
Mayer, who won the Quarterfinal in North America, shares his goal of being a positive role model for his children. Perennial Games athlete Ohlsen opens up about performance anxiety and the mental pressures associated with competing. Mundwiler, Switzerland’s national champion, pushes through a patella injury, hoping to advance to Semifinals, and Cary, the 2019 Girls 14-15 champion, sets out to prove herself as an elite individual female athlete at just 17 years old.
Miles to Madison Ep. 06.21: Chandler Smith, Emma Cary, Mal O’Brien—The Rise of CrossFit Superstars'
In Episode 6, the journey through the 2021 CrossFit Semifinals begins with the Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge and the Granite Games. Both events feature big-name athletes such as Tia-Clair Toomey, Amanda, Barnhart, Chandler Smith, Justin Medeiros, and teenage phenoms Mal O'Brien and Emma Cary.
Get an inside look at how the athletes and their coaches prepare for competition, and what goes on behind the scenes as CrossFit's staff continues to navigate the uncertainty surrounding the season.
Miles to Madison Ep. 07.21: Thorisdottir, Guðmundsson, Pearce, Shadburne, and Brandon
The most inspiring and moving episode of Miles to Madison yet.
Episode 7 closes out Semifinals with a raw and unfiltered look at the CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown and West Coast Classic.
Less than a year after giving birth, two-time Fittest Woman on Earth and new mom Annie Thorisdottir returns to competition in an emotional postpartum comeback. Training partner and friend Björgvin K. Guðmundsson aims to finish at the top of the podium at his eighth Games appearance.
In Las Vegas, Nevada, Games athletes Kari Pearce, Bethany Shadburne, and Danielle Brandon prove why the Underdogs Athletics crew is a force to be reckoned with.
Miles to Madison Ep. 08.21: The Art of CrossFit Games Programming
How are the CrossFit Games events created?
To find answers, let's take a trip to The Ranch.
In Episode 8, go inside the mind of General Manager of Sport Dave Castro for a first-hand look at the ever-evolving process behind programming for the CrossFit Games.
Watch athletes test and retest the workouts until Castro finds the perfect combinations.
Miles to Madison Ep.09: Return of the CrossFit Games
The emotional return of the 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games starts here.
In Episode 9, the CrossFit Games return to Madison, Wisconsin, after a tumultuous 2020 season. Get an inside look at the challenging logistics the CrossFit team faced in an effort to produce this mega event that brought the global community together.
Miles to Madison Ep. 10.21: The CrossFit Games' Secret Weapon
It takes a village of hundreds of volunteers and CrossFit staff to make the CrossFit Games run without a hitch — especially with unexpected changes.
In Episode 10, watch team leads problem solve on the fly as they navigate through logistical challenges on Day 2 of competition. See how the action unfolds with each event and hear from the athletes as they reflect on the day.
Miles to Madison Ep. 11.21: Passion Lifts the Community
The most electrifying, thrilling, and gripping episode of the series yet — Episode 11 will give you goosebumps.
Feeding off of the energy from the crowd, a cut field of athletes closes out Day 3 with a 1-rep-max snatch event under the bright lights of the Coliseum.
And thanks to a skilled and passionate broadcast team, fans all over the world were able to experience the excitement of the Games live from home.
Miles to Madison 12.21: Love, Sacrifice, and Dedication — CrossFit Games
“In the sport of CrossFit, it takes everything to get to the top.” — Chase Ingraham
Becoming a CrossFit Games athlete takes discipline, hard work, and sacrifice, and it often can’t be done without tremendous support from family and friends. And putting on the biggest event of the year couldn’t be done without the help of the entire CrossFit community.
In an emotional final episode of Miles to Madison, the fittest in the world defy expectations and rise to the challenges of the unknown and the unknowable in one last battle for the title of Fittest on Earth.
Celebrate the culmination of an exciting 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games season.
Catch up on all the episodes of Miles to Madison on the CrossFit Games YouTube Channel.