Often we walk through our streets and see people walking around the block with heavy bags or stuck in some kind of garage with motivating music coming out of them while they carry bars on the sides with lots of records or not. Don’t worry, they haven’t gone crazy, they don’t need help, and they aren’t military trained (although many might be). It is a sport that is becoming more and more commonplace CrossFit a modality that combines that gymnastic exercises with the Cardiovascular system and with Weightlifting elements.
Y Barcelona has become the global epicenter of this increasingly on the rise sport with the second edition of the Vodcelona a charity CrossFit competition organized by the ONG Limited Edition Athletes and driven by NIKE with the support of Barcelona’s town hall, which took place all weekend at Moll de la Marina. A few days before, the city of Barcelona celebrates La Mercè brought together more than 1000 people comes from more than 46 countries some of them authentic athletes who competed to take part in the CrossFit Games – something like the CrossFit World Championships.
Vodcelona: the most comprehensive event
But Wodcelona goes far beyond a simple CrossFit competition and has grown into the most comprehensive event in the sport’s history. With 21 categories organized so that everyone can participate, more than half of them, 11, are customized. “Wodcelona was born with the idea that, as an athlete with visual impairment, because of the experiences I have gained in competitions and the excitement that comes with preparing for a competition, I felt it was important to encourage everyone, regardless of disability or not, to pursue this dream.“, Explain Marc Gil the organizer of this great event.
“Within the world this adapted aspect did not exist and we decided to play with several elements, firstly with the city of Barcelona as an important tourist attraction and with all its values as an Olympic city and secondly with CrossFit, but for everyone with which we wanted to give “The point of the festival at which competition must have this effect,” adds Gil. An atmosphere that also highlights the top athlete, Pau Llorens: “You see a lot of people, There is a lot of atmosphere and people come to have a good time, which is the most important thing about an event like this“.
After the first edition, the second edition took place this year, where the organizer himself assures: “ We have made one step further in many questions but above all in the experience of all the participants”, a statement confirmed by Pau Llorens: “The second edition was much better than last year, the terrain, the slopes, the canvas, in addition it was the most complete competition, I love how they put it together“.
A weekend full of competition and community
The more than a thousand participating athletes, among whom are more than 500 women, fought throughout the weekend in their respective categories to become the best athlete in Wodcelona. But the most important thing, as Llorens points out, is the community you create with CrossFit, which for him is “a lifestyle.”
“In a competition like Wodcelona you can see that.” People come to cheer you up, you know a lot of people of different ages and genders, it doesn’t matter.. You can help him, encourage him and for me that is CrossFit. Is Share something beyond lifting a dumbbell or barbell “Says Pau, one of the best athletes of the weekend. One of the reasons that motivates people to practice this sport is the community and the big little family that is created: “You become friends with a person” with whom you share an effort, a moment that is hard and that allows you to connect with people from all over Spain. I met people from Madrid and Donosti and you see them at all the competitions and you maintain a friendship or relationship,” says Pau.
Therefore, both Pau and Marc encourage all people interested in this great sport to practice it. Both assure that we need to get rid of the prejudices that exist about CrossFit: “If I’m too old, it’s not for me,” because “everything is adaptable, that’s the advantage it has.” You can do it regardless of your physical condition your experience in sports, your age and everything else.
