Clarke Holland will be attending the 2012 CrossFit Games in Carson, CA on July 13th, 14th and 15th. Holland placed 2nd in the world in his age division (60+) in the 2012 CrossFit Open which gave him a one way ticket to the Games. “Holland has put in the work and has impressed us every step of the way” says Coach Papes. ” Last week I programed 3 days with 2 intensive work outs per day to see how Clarke’s body would react and the results were as if he had just finished a 5 K fun run. Clarke’s ability to push beyond his comfort zone will make him one of the top contenders at the Games.”

For those of you who don’t know Clarke, he is the perfect example of  a CrossFit athlete… he is extremely talented, humble and appreciative. He is someone we can all look up to and we are blessed to have him as part of our family.

Below is a quick interview just to give you a little more insight into the makings of Holland…

How Long have you been CrossFitting?  I started at Tamalpais CrossFit in May 2010, so just over two years

What is your Favorite CrossFit exercise?  Right now pull-ups, but it changes all the time.

What about the Games are you most looking forward to?  Hearing people screaming “TCF, TCF” in the middle of a WOD.

Do you have a pre- work out routine such as meditating or visualizing? How do you get your head right pre- WOD?  Once I have decided on my weight (or that I will go RX) I think a lot about pacing. As a runner, I am always thinking pace, so it makes a big difference whether a work-out is 5 minutes versus 20. So AMRAPS are a little easier for me-I know exactly how many minutes it will take so I can think about how many miles or K’s of running it would be. Then I set a pace I think I can manage and not fade at the end.

Tell us one thing about you that we don’t know.  I have almost no experience in head-to-head competition. In high school I was an ok athlete, but not great. Running in recreational races with 500 or 1,000 people makes it hard to be nervous. No one is watching.  I am not sure how I will react to lots of people watching me do a WOD.

Good luck Clarke, we are all routing for you!!!