GRIZZLY– Hotshots 19
6 Rounds For Time
30 Air Squats
19 Power Cleans 95/135 M75/105
7 Strict Pull-Ups
400 meter Run

KODIAK-6 Rounds for Time of:
30 Air Squats
19 Power Cleans 75/115 M65/95
3 Strict Pull-Ups
400 meter Run

POLAR– 4 Rounds for Time of:
15 Air Squats
10 Power Cleans 55/75 M45/65 or DB’s
5 Ring Rows
400 meter Run

On June 30th, 2013, 19 Arizona firefighters were lost while trying to defend the ranch community of Yarnell, Arizona. A fire had grown from 12 acres to over 200 overnight and was becoming worse every minute. An exceptionally long drought had dried out the hilly region, making even the slightest wind change disastrous.

Still smelling of smoke, and having just returned home a few days before, the Granite Mountain Hotshots picked up their gear, said goodbye to the families once again, and went out to try and save 100’s of homes and countless acres from being consumed by the fire.

The Significance

A “Hero WOD” in CrossFit is meant as a memorial. Many of them are named after soldiers who perished while deployed and are based on their favorite movements or workouts.

Every time there is a Hero WOD programmed, it’s a different kind of experience from a normal day at the gym. We always gather around the white board and not just go over the workout, but to tell the story of the people behind it and talk about what it represents.

The rep choices and distances may all seem arbitrary when you first look at them but, in reality, every number has significance.

June 30th was the date — 6 rounds/30 Air Squats

19 men were lost — 19 Power Cleans

7:40pm — 7 Pull-Ups / 400m Run

The other part to this memorial workout, which most don’t know or understand unless you participate in one, is the mindset during the workout. Hero WODs are notoriously difficult and tend to push the participants to new limits. The beauty comes when you reach this “limit” and keep going.

It’s not about finishing or RXing, it’s about enduring the struggle. No matter what hurts, no matter how difficult and strenuous, it is nowhere near as painful as what the fallen have gone through or what the families are still coping with.