John George will work on muscle-ups at the 2024 CrossFit Games, which will be held from August 29th to September 29th in Birmingham, Alabama. 1
Photo provided by Tricia Hyun
Summit County business owner John George is leaving the 2023 CrossFit Games in search of more.
George, the owner of Mountain Wave and Blue River Sports, passed the preliminaries and entered the national competition, but was unable to achieve his ultimate goal of winning the master level competition.
Instead of quitting his time in Summit County and focusing on other activities, George returned to CrossFit Breckenridge, where he had trained for over 10 years, and teamed up with coach Dan Messinger to create the Fitness on the Fit. He began to achieve his dream of being selected for “Test On.” Earth”.
CrossFit is a popular fitness therapy that involves high-intensity, constantly varying functional movements. Common exercises include rowing, weight farmer carries, running, muscle ups, burpees, dumbbell snatches, and box jumps.
Each year, the CrossFit Games are held to find the “fittest” CrossFit athlete on the planet, with competitors competing individually or as a team.
George had built up a lot of fitness by biking around Summit County, and in 2009, a close friend invited him to his first CrossFit workout. George was a little hesitant to participate in what seemed like a fitness fad at the time, but as he grew older he quickly realized it was the perfect training method for him.
“It worked out really well for me,” George said. “Because as you get older, you decline. I feel like this is what people my age need to do: lift weights.”
George gradually fell in love with CrossFit and in 2018, he started participating in CrossFit competitions. Despite being in his first season on the CrossFit competitive circuit, George was able to place 26th in the Southwest region, 294th in the United States, and 352nd in the world.
George then took several seasons off from competition for the next few years before returning in 2022. However, it was during the 2023 season that George’s efforts paid off and he ultimately qualified for the first CrossFit Games in 2023.
“We literally faced technical problems in 2022,” George said. “We didn’t have good Wi-Fi when we needed it. We had deadlines. We didn’t train very well in the semifinals. Last year, my coach, Dan Messinger, took care of the technical stuff. Ta.”
John George will compete in the 2024 CrossFit Games in Birmingham, Alabama from August 29th to September. 1. Photo provided by Tricia Hyun
George virtually competed in an open competition where Summit County residents were among the top 10% of people who submitted CrossFit workout videos to qualify for the 2023 CrossFit Games I did.
George then competed in the quarterfinals and semifinals, where he was able to perform well enough to qualify for the CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin. George competed against other 65+ CrossFit athletes from around the world and earned points for his assigned workouts.
George placed 1st in the cross-country 5k, 3rd in the Endure the Coliseum workout, 4th in the Helen workout, 6th in the traction event, and 7th in the gymnastics/chipper event.
George earned a total of 520 points from the series of CrossFit workouts, tying him for third place with American Tom Muhlbeier. At the same point, the tiebreaker went all the way to the final event, with Muhlbeier ahead of George. In the end Muhlbeier took the last spot on the podium, with George almost finishing fourth.
Regarding missing out on the podium in 2023, George said, “It was very disappointing to come so close and not get there.It gave me motivation to try again.” .
John George (center) poses for a photo on the podium at the CrossFit Games Awards in Birmingham, Alabama. George, a Summit County resident, won the men’s 65 and older masters tournament. Photo provided by Tricia Hyun
George returned to CrossFit Breckenridge where Messenger and Dr. Josh Jones of Apollo Performance helped George reach his goal of reaching the top of the podium at the 2024 CrossFit Games.
George said that in the months leading up to the 2024 CrossFit Games, he worked to convey the hard-working mindset that many Summit County athletes have when pursuing their own athletic endeavors.
“It’s like everything else,” George said. “We have so many athletes in Summit County, and everyone is training for something. We all work hard to a point, but we all set back a little bit mentally. Mainly what I did.”
By attending scheduled workouts at CrossFit Breckenridge and running on his own, George has built himself into an athlete who can reach the podium at the 2024 Games.
George qualified for the CrossFit Games for the second year in a row, this time heading to Birmingham, Alabama for Masters-level competition from August 29th to September 1st.
George, 68, was crowned “Fittest Man on Earth” in the over 65s category after earning a total of 734 points over the four days of competition. Although he fell short of 2023, this accomplishment was a testament not only to George’s perseverance but also to the unwavering support of the Summit County community.
“That was kind of tough,” George said. “When you get to my age, your natural thought process is you think it’s better to be done. It’s so cool not to do it. It’s kind of exciting. We can still go. … That support (Messenger and Josh) It was great to be there. I can’t say enough great things about it.”
