By the Numbers: A Look at the CrossFit Games in 2013

August 21, 2013

Russ Greene

7 - The number of CrossFit Games Masters competitors who broke 11 minutes on Nancy. 

The number of CrossFit Games Masters competitors who broke 11 minutes on Nancy.

40-44 champion Michael Moseley went just 12 seconds slower than Austin Malleolo did in 2010. Three years ago, 23-year-old Malleolo finished Nancy in 10:16. This year, 40-year-old Moseley finished in 10:28.

 

How much faster Josh Bridges went on the event "2007" than the event winner from the first CrossFit Games, Brett Marshall.

 

How much faster Val Voboril went on the event "2007" than the event winner from the first CrossFit Games, Jolie Gentry.

 


Rich Froning's finish in The Pool—an all-time low.

Before The Pool, Froning's all-time worst Games event finish was 26th. He sank to that unusual low on the 2011 Beach Event at the Santa Monica Pier.

Remarkably, 30th in The Pool was far worse than his lowest worldwide finish in the 2013 Open. That's right, when competing against 70,883 men from across the globe Froning slipped no further than 12th place, and yet when challenged by 46 men and a swimming pool he plummeted to 30th.

Before you joke about Froning's swimming skills, do you remember when he couldn't figure out how to climb a rope?

 

The number of people who registered for the 2013 Open and how many countries they registered in.

 

The percentage of men in the top 10 worldwide in the Open who also finished in the top 10 at the CrossFit Games.

The kings of consistency are Rich Froning, Jason Khalipa, Scott Panchik, Josh Bridges, and Neal Maddox.

 

The average number of CrossFit Games appearances for the top 3 men and women.

Lindsey Valenzuela ('11, '12, '13) and Sam Briggs ('10, '11, '13) have competed in three CrossFit Games, Val Voboril ('09, '10, '12, '13) and Rich Froning ('10, '11, '12, '13) have competed in four, Ben Smith has competed in five ('09, '10, '11, '12, '13), and Jason Khalipa has competed in six ('08, '09, '10, '11, '12, '13). 

Newcomers Alessandra Pichelli and Garret Fisher each flirted with top-three finishes, but they fell to fourth and fifth on Sunday, respectively.

 

The number of top 3 women who did not train at DogTown CrossFit during the weeks leading up to the CrossFit Games.


 

The difference between the first- and second-place prizes.

 

I was fortunate enough to stay in the same hotel as No. 1 Sam Briggs and No. 2 Lindsey Valenzuela. On Sunday morning, I ran into Sam and Lindsey huddled together in the hallway. They were sorting through their bags, making sure neither had forgotten anything.

In another sport, they might have been bitter rivals. With three remaining events and hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line, not to mention the title Fittest on Earth, Lindsey and Sam acted the same way they were used to. They were friends and training partners first, and competitors second.

It's one thing to see rivals cheer for each other in front of cameras at the StubHub Center, but to see them help each other when no one else is watching is different.

As the CrossFit Games have grown, some worry the event may lose its original CrossFit spirit. As long as Sam Briggs and Lindsey Valenzuela are competing, that spirit is alive and kicking.

To me, that spirit is more important than any numbers.