All language subtitles for (2015)FroningTheFittestManInHistory[ING]

[Music playing]

ANNOUNCER: Back at the
StubHub Center in Carson,

California, we are two
events away from crowning

The fittest man on earth.

We're going to start off
by talking about the guy

That everybody wants to know.

Can he make it four
straight CrossFit Games

Championships... Rich Froning?

NARRATOR: In sports, legends
appear once in a generation.

They are athletes who not
only change the way a game is

Played, but also, regarded
entirely... Michael Jordan,

Wayne Gretzky, Pele, Babe Ruth.

In CrossFit, that
man is Rich Froning.

In 2014, he stood on the cusp
of becoming a legend as he took

The floor at the CrossFit
games for the final time

As an individual competitor.

[Music playing]

[Applause]

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Froning was on the brink of
being crowned "the fittest"

"Man on earth" for the
fourth straight time

And solidifying his legacy as
the fittest man in history.

Is Rich Froning the
fittest man in history?

Rich, being the
fittest man in history.

What do you need to know?

Well, we need to see a snapshot
of his physical capabilities

Against as many possible
physical challenges as you can

Dream up, and against
as many people as you

Can possibly put him against.

Rich is tough to beat.

I think if you're
going to beat Rich,

You're going to have
to bleed to do it.

Anybody's beatable
on any given day.

I mean, he's... he's been
in the game a long time.

Physically, I feel great.

Physically, I feel
like I could do

This for another 7 to 10 years.

But mentally, it
takes a toll on you.

Mentally, it's...
It's a different,

Uh, different animal.

So we'll see.

NARRATOR: Froning's quest for
his fourth straight CrossFit

Games Championship began four
months earlier in the World

Wide Open... the first step in
a two-part qualifying process

For the games.

MAN: We're in San
Francisco, bro.

People get wild
in San Francisco.

RICH FRONING: It's
like enemy territory.

I competed in enemy
territory the entire time...

The games, too.

Hey, watch "The Ninja
Turtles" trailer.

"Ninja Turtles."

Oh, they released the trailer?

Just today, just now.

This looks way cooler than
I thought it was going to be.

I know, right?

It's like
"Transformers," almost.

There we go.
OK.

Here we go.
I don't know.

It's kind of tough
to have a favorite.

They're all awesome.

When I was a kid,
it was Michelangelo.

Did you see the new
"Transformers" trailer?

Holy crap.

REPORTER: Merry CrossFit
Christmas... five champions

Tonight in San Francisco...
Three on the men's

Side, two on the women's side.

I mean, we usually
have to wait till July

To see this type of thing.

ANNOUNCER: Tonight,
the former champs

Take on the defending
three-time fittest man

On earth here in San Francisco.

[Cheers]

RICH FRONING: Rich Froning
looks to go out strong in what

Could be the end of an era.

This is my last year
as an individual, yep.

[Applause]

ANNOUNCER: Three, two, one!

Go!

14.5 underway from a
jam-packed Kezar Pavilion!

RICH FRONING: Three, two, one,
go means thrusters and burpees.

There's no real skill in it.

It's just go.

Sam goes out like
a bat out of hell.

Didn't even think about it.

I was like, well, she's going
to kill us on this workout,

Not even worth it,
just let her go.

[Cheers]

ANNOUNCER: But now, Rich Froning
has taken the lead from Sam

[Inaudible] but just barely.

RICH FRONING: So once I started
getting a little closer,

I was like, all right.

Now I'm going to try to
beat Sam for America.

ANNOUNCER: It's Rich
Froning, who else?

The champ... another victory.

[Cheers]

ANNOUNCER: Unbelievable!

She said, I let him win.

REPORTER: And when
you saw Rich Froning

Creep on that lead, what
was going through your head?

I let him.

[Laughter]

[Cheers]

At the time, I was
kind of like, what?

What is that?

What is that?

[Music playing]

NARRATOR: For the
third straight year,

Froning would finish
first in the open.

While it wasn't
his ultimate goal,

It was a competition and
that meant he wanted to win.

HILLARY FRONING:
Oh, my goodness.

He is stupid competitive.

Everything... everything he
does... he's competitive.

Pictionary... he doesn't
like losing at Pictionary.

He'd get pretty mad
if he lost at anything.

And like, that was
like, Wiffle ball,

Home run derby, anything, even
just with, like, neighbor kids.

We just... he was not
a very good loser.

You would think that it's
like an NFL football game

When it's just flag football.

But don't say it's
just flag football

Because he gets all torn up.

You know, it's serious.

Like sore loser competitive...

Everything we did was
competition, whether we were

Riding bikes, whether we
were swimming to our dock,

Whether we're playing king
of the dock, video games,

You name it.

We always were
competitive with it.

It's just in him.

You know, everybody's
like, what's the secret?

I said, he hates second.

Second is last.

There's no way to describe it.

I mean, he's just driven.

It's been that way since,
like I said, since he

Could pick up a baseball.

RICH FRONING: Part of the reason
I've become so competitive

Is being part of a
big family with a lot

Of boys in the family.

There were a lot of...
A lot of alpha males,

A lot of testosterone at...
At family get-togethers.

NARRATOR: While Froning and
his family lived in Tennessee,

They would often get together
with his 30 first cousins

From Michigan.

25 were boys.

One became a best
friend and brother.

Donny, my cousin who is
Darren's older brother... oldest

Brother... my best friend.

Rich and Donny
are 12 days apart.

They were twins.

I mean, I have
pictures that... when

They were like three months old,
of them talking to each other.

I mean, they were
just best friends.

We're all like
brothers, you know.

It's not really I'd
call us cousins.

I'd call us brothers.

RICH FRONING: I didn't get
to play a lot of sports

With those guys, but you
could still compare stats.

And you know, the dads, I
think, made it a little bit more

Competitive than we even
wanted it to be, so...

JANICE FRONING: He was all boy.

He had bruises from
the time he could move,

And just loved every sport,
played with his cousins

Every... everything you could
think of... fishing, baseball,

Football.
Get him!

Get him!

JANICE FRONING: They were always
out in the backyard playing.

Na, na, na, na.

JANICE FRONING:
Climbing whatever

He could climb, fearless.

[Motor revving]

Let me try.

[Laughing]

He was always very
active, very active kid.

Probably had a touch
of ADHD, but, uh,

Just had to channel that.

He was always in sports.

So he was always
very structured.

Kept him busy doing things
around the house... either that,

Or doing sports.

Next it's [inaudible].

We never babied him... never.

With them doing so much with
sports and all that, you know,

We were always
with them that when

There was stuff to be
done around the house,

He had to help.

Nobody loves him
more than his parents.

But nobody's probably pushed
him as hard as his parents.

Even when his friends
would come over,

He goes, my friends aren't going
to want to come over anymore.

(LAUGHING)

Because we always had them
doing whatever, you know.

Mostly when we were up here,
we had a lot of apples.

And I just hated
running over them

Because I liked the clean yard,
and plus the wasps and bees

Collected.

And so we'd make him
pick up the apples.

But he made fun out of it.

When his friends were up here,
they got out baseball bats.

And uh, they would see who could
get them over the power line.

But that was the thing.

They made fun out of
what they did, you know.

It was a challenge who
could do this better,

Or who could hit the
apple further, whatever.

So there was always
competition even

In doing what he had to do.

The Froning's... they're
just wired like that.

They're workers.

I've heard stories...
The legend...

That she would sleep a
couple hours a night,

And she would take them
to school, go to a job,

Pick them up, go back to a job.

I don't think she
saw it as a chore.

It's just what she did.

And you know, Big Rich... I don't
think he sees work as a chore.

It's just... it's how you do
things, and you do it right,

And you do it right the
first time so you don't have

To go back and do it again.

WOMAN (OFFSCREEN): And now,
entering the Froning Arena...

Urban Cowboy!

[Inaudible]

WOMAN (OFFSCREEN): Looks like
he's going to be hard to beat.

And now, his opponent,
Redneck Rambo.

[Bell ringing]

WOMAN (OFFSCREEN): Let's
get ready to rumble!

Oh!

[Interposing voices]

Oh, look at those!

And now, a word
from our sponsors.

Use Stetson cologne.

It attracts all the ladies.

[Music playing]

[Cheers]

[Whistle]

[Cheers]

JANICE FRONING: There's my baby!

[Whistle]

WOMAN (OFFSCREEN): There you go.

[Cheers]

NARRATOR: It wasn't always
fun and games for Froning.

He had to earn the right
to play by constantly

Doing chores around the house.

The work ethic he
learned from his parents

Would not just stay in the home.

COACH BUTCH CHAFIN:
The first time

I saw him from the
very first workout,

We were doing a
couple little things,

And I told my assistant
coach, I said,

That's our starting
second basemen.

Who is that kid?

Everything we do, we're going
to build around that kid

Right there.

Because that kid is a go-go kid.

He's high energy, high
level, hard-nosed,

Dirtbag kind of kid.

That's the kind of kid
you can build around.

Rich was the guy that
was the first to get

There, the last to leave, wanted
to take the most ground ball.

JANICE FRONING: But he was
the filthiest one out there

Because, like I said, a
ball didn't go past him.

White uniform and it was
filthy from head to toe...

Whether sliding into the
base or catching a ball.

They called him
the "Human Glove."

He would never let
a ball go past him.

And his baseball coach
even said one day.

He goes, that kid knows
where the ball's going

Before it comes off the bat.

COACH BUTCH CHAFIN:
In basketball,

They call it court awareness.

He was always aware
of situations.

He always knew where
to throw the ball.

I personally, had to
keep an eye on Rich

To make sure he
didn't hurt himself.

Because he is all in.

JANICE FRONING:
They had a booklet,

And in it, it said, "Rich
Froning dives on pavement."

Enough said."

COACH BUTCH CHAFIN: We
were in a parking lot

Because the ground was wet,
and we were hitting ground

Balls to him with rubber balls.

It was freezing cold.

Rich was in shorts
and a t-shirt,

And he was driving on
asphalt for ground balls.

NARRATOR: Following
his win in the open,

Froning moved on to one
of the 17 Regionals.

In 2014, Froning
would not only have

To battle some of the toughest
competition in the world,

But also, the flu.

Keys... holding them.

We are headed to
the Central East

Regional... Cincinnati, Ohio.

RICH FRONING: The events
aren't great for me.

Nothing is, like, my
wheelhouse, especially

With the competition, you know.

Central East is
pretty tight, so...

Thursday night, started to
get a little sore throat.

And Friday morning,
woke up, felt like crap.

HILLARY FRONING: He had a fever.

He got a cough.

He was up all night
because he couldn't

Sleep because he was coughing.

[Music playing]

JUSTIN BERGH: The battle
between Scott and Rich

Was one of the most
epic back-and-forths

That I've ever seen in sports.

ANNOUNCER: Here comes Panchik.

One run for Rich, one for Scott.

And Rich Froning is just
behind Scott Panchik.

There was some talk...
Lots of talk going on.

I feel like Rich has
kind of flat-lined.

[Coughing]

I feel great.

[Coughing]

Never better.

[Music playing]

RICH FRONING: Rich is washed-up.

He's old.

He's flat-lined.

Scott's going to beat
him at the games.

ANNOUNCER: Second
to Scott Panchik.

Trying to make up for what he
lost last night at Nasty Girls.

And now the time...
Who's it going

To be... Panchik, Froning,
Froning, Panchik, and Froning

Won!

ANNOUNCER: Oh!

[Inaudible]

ANNOUNCER: He never beat
you by more than one second.

There's definitely
some home-cooking going

On here cause you
beat him in one race

And he goes down as a tie.

NARRATOR: It became two
brothers going head to head,

And one brother
had won everything.

And then all the younger
brother wanted to do

Was just beat him once.

MARCUS HENDREN: I guess
his level of increasing

Is kind of peaking.

It, uh, it was a little
motivation in that.

ANNOUNCER: Rich Froning
known for his work capacity.

Scott, his tempo
is always bigger

With every single movement
that they do. [Inaudible].

And Rich Froning
will be the first man

Off the rower and walking
across the finish line.

ANNOUNCER: This guy is
[inaudible] so, so relaxed.

That hurt.

That was crappy.

[Grunting]

[Coughing]

[Grunting]

I needed one win over Scott
that was more than a second.

You did good.

That hurt you, didn't it?

.

NARRATOR: When Froning
started CrossFit in 2009,

The qualifying process for
the games was evolving.

Athletes competed
in local sections

To earn the right to
move on to the bigger

Regional competition,
and then the games.

In 2010, Froning decided to
compete with low expectations.

RICH FRONING: Me and Darren
started doing CrossFit...

Solely doing CrossFit
actually in this exact spot

July 1, 2009.

And our times were decent with
some of the guys in our age

Bracket, or whatever, so...

JANICE FRONING:
Six months later,

He says he's going
to go to compete,

And I had to work a double.

And I was so bummed.

He's like, no.

He goes, I'm not going to
make it past the first day.

He goes, these guys are beasts.

Oh, man, when I got there,
all the other athletes just...

I didn't think I had a
chance, to be honest.

That year, if you
were in the top 15,

You got to go to Regionals.

If I'm not in the
top at least 20,

Sniffing the top 15
in the first day,

We'll go ahead and have
an early spring break.

The first event was a
quick little burner.

Finished it, laid out... don't
think I've ever gone that

Hard in a workout in my life.

I think it was about
an hour or two later,

They said they had
the times posted.

So we walked over
to the whiteboard.

My name was at the top.

And I was like, it's got
to be a typo or something.

There's something wrong there.

It was so cool because
you know, all these people

Are like, who is this kid?

NARRATOR: Froning won
two of the four workouts

To finish first
in the sectional.

The height was building.

There were some known
competitors there.

I think Spencer Hendel was
competing in the field.

Russell Berger was competing.

And guys you expected to go
to the games, and guys who

Had been to the games before.

Well, there was another
guy there that everyone

Was raving about,
and I had never

Really heard much about him.

And it was this young
kid named Rich Froning.

[Music playing]

JUSTIN BERGH: He was actually
just different than some

Of the other guys.

He was stronger.

He had great mobility.

He could actually perform
the movement the way

It looked like it was
supposed to be performed,

Not like somebody who was just
figuring it out on the fly.

DAVE CASTRO: I
watched him compete.

I watched him do the final.

And he was yards, miles
in front of anyone else.

And these were
established competitors.

And he dominated the field.

And at the time, you
know, you don't ever

Really want to say
about someone...

That person can win the games.

Because there's so many
variables that go into it,

And one event really doesn't
show the complete picture

Of someone.

But that was the
type of person that I

Thought, man, that guy can
do really good at the games.

He's probably going
to be really good.

JUSTIN BERGH: I remember
him actually lapping

Other people in the final heat
that were really good athletes.

He made squat snatches
actually look easy.

So I end up winning my region,
completely surprised by that.

JANICE FRONING: So
when he won Regionals,

And Castro come up to
him, you could just

See Rich was just... you know.

Because it's Castro.

And he's just shaking
his hand, and talking,

And just... you know, just
shell-shocked that he'd

Come up to talk to him.

DAVE CASTRO: You just knew
that we was going to be around.

He just had a
certain air to him.

And he was comfortable
in competition in a way

That not a lot of other
guys were in 2010.

NARRATOR: One week from
the CrossFit Games,

Rich was home in
Cookeville, a place

Where he can get away from
the pressure of competition

And return to the
joy of being a kid...

But only with bigger toys.

This is a big truck.

Yeah.

Are you compensating
for anything?

No.

Mmm.

I don't know.

Rich... what do you like?

What do I do for fun?

JOSH BRIDGES: He's just
a good, old boy who likes

To shoot guns and lift weights.

JAMES HOBART: I think Rich
is a normal dude in the sense

That he still likes
to do all this stuff

Of, like, just causing mayhem.

[Gunshots]

Riding our bikes around,
blowing stuff up.

[Explosion]

RICH FRONING: There it is.

Playing sports...

[Whistles]

Dude stuff.

We wanted to make
something new.

[Gunshots]

MAN: He's very
simple guy, doesn't

Take a lot to make them happy.

RICH FRONING: If I was
going to be in a movie,

It'd be a Micheal Bay
movie or a Marvel movie.

[Music playing]

I describe it as, like,
he's like a 12-year-old boy

With a lot of money, you know.

PAT SHERWOOD: He's really fun.

He's a fun guy to
hang around with.

He jokes around with his crew
or whatnot, works really hard,

But plays really hard, and
does stuff off the field that,

Like, if you were his agent, you
would just have a heart attack

In the middle of the
night because he would be

Zipping around on some, like,
little pit bike with no helmet

On.

You're like, you're gonna
kill... what are you doing?

You're gonna break your
arm or wrist, you know.

And then he's going to
just play hockey, you know,

And get hit, check the
ground, you're like, why

Aren't you wearing more pads?

You earn your living
being a Cross athlete.

Why are you exposing
yourself to these risks?

And it's just he's
just being him.

[Twitter alert]

To force him not to
do that, I think,

Would actually take
something away from him.

I don't know what it is... this
competitive, rough house spirit

That if you had to
turn it off, and just

Lift weights, and
just run... it wouldn't

Be the same Rich Froning.

Anything that gets the
adrenaline going, I enjoy.

But then also, just being
around... being around family,

Hanging out.

Uh-oh.

Heads!

[Inaudible]

He... Heber did it.

Anniversary gift from my wife.

Told her I wanted a
motorcycle, so she

Gets me a child's motorcycle.

[Laughing]

So I can't hurt myself.

But now, she realizes
you can go a little

Faster than she thought.

Two tickets if you
want to go to Aspen.

You want a knuckle sandwich?

Fist, noggin, dude.

[Mimicking monkey]

Sounds a monkey make?

M-hmm.

What sound does a horsey make?

Neigh...

[Blows raspberries]

What sound's a donkey make?

[Growling]

Hee-haw.

[Cries]

I got you.

Hee-haw!

RICH FRONING: After sectionals,
before Regionals in 2010,

Hillary and I got engaged.

And we'd scheduled our
wedding for June 18, 2011.

And then we found out that
the CrossFit Games 4 were

Going to be in the end of July.

And so everybody that we were
crazy... got married on June 19.

RICH FRONING: And Hillary
said there was no working

Out on the honeymoon.

HILLARY FRONING:
Rich told me that he

Couldn't go on a
honeymoon because he

Couldn't train for the games.

RICH FRONING: I could
work out once a day.

That's what she said... I
could work out once a day.

He packed our car
with weights and put

Our bags over them
so that I wouldn't

Know that they were in the car.

He has done that four times
since we've been married.

Hillary doesn't know the terms.

It was dumb bells.

I didn't have no
barbell in a Ford Focus.

I had a Focus at the time.

HILLARY FRONING: He had weights
in our car under our bags.

I get it.

It's his job.

And this is our vacation.

It's OK.

You can take a vacation too.

But he isn't like that.

If he doesn't work out,
it's not good for anybody.

He's a diva.

James, you wanna
overhead squat?

Yeah.

NARRATOR: Froning
has transformed

The CrossFit games
landscape by revolutionizing

How to train for them.

People have trouble beating
him because they have not

Discovered how to outwork him.

When it comes to training, I
know Rich takes no days off.

First year, like, we were doing
this, we were only doing, like,

One workout a day,
and just following,

You know, like a main side
or something like that,

And then slowly
starting making it up.

Then started doing two
a day, three a days.

Now I can't even tell you
what his... his number's at.

PAT SHERWOOD: When that
guy writes workouts,

They're beautiful, elegant
programming of loading, of rep

Schemes, of the movements that
are very artful, quite frankly,

In how they look
in the symmetry,

And then produce
devastating fitness as well.

RICH FRONING: I
love programming.

Programming's probably one of
my favorite parts of CrossFit,

Just to make up workouts,
how movements feed

Off of each other, and
how to get the most

Power out of a workout.

It's also a curse because
I'll look at workouts,

And I'll be like, that's dumb.
I'm not doing that.

There should probably be some
workouts with random numbers

And stuff like that
that you should

Probably do just because.

It's really fun to, you know...
Ooh, that workout looks cool.

I just want to try it.

That part is fun.

Maybe in the back of our head,
the ultimate goal is to, like,

Find the magic pill program.

And we know that
it doesn't exist.

But I think when I'm
putting something together,

I'm always looking for what
is the next terrible, yet

Effective, thing?

He's also remarkably smart.

I... I know some stuff.

I mean, my track record has
shown I train pretty decent.

I know enough about
metabolic pathways,

And different intervals,
and how to train

Different energy systems,
and I know what I'm doing.

I'm not completely stupid.

You got to have people thinking
you're a little crazy...

Come on.

COACH BUTCH CHAFIN:
But I know this.

I know he broke his ankle
and didn't miss a day,

And squatted the next
day with a broken ankle.

The Rich Froning
method for Rich Froning

Works incredibly well.

Does the Rich Froning
book that we wrote,

The method that he
has work incredibly

Well for all the other guys?

No, and especially
the older guys.

RICH FRONING: There's been
things that I've tried

That have worked masterfully.

And then there's
some other things

That have been a
complete failure.

But it's cool to... to try
to see what you can do.

And, you know, the body's
an incredible machine.

And it was designed and
created to do what we do.

And what's cooler than
getting to test that everyday?

There'll be a lot of people say,
well, he's not doing CrossFit.

He's won the CrossFit
games not doing CrossFit.

I've seen that comment a lot.

I do high intensity.

I do functional movements.

And I constantly vary it.

That's CrossFit.

So the last three
years, me and Hillary

Have been trying to have kids.

Hillary, ever since
I met her, you

Know most people want to
be a doctor, or a lawyer,

Or something.

Hillary's always
wanted to be a mom.

Before we got married, the Lord
had already put on our hearts

That we were going to adopt.

We wanted three kids of
our own, and adopt one.

We been trying to get
pregnant for three years.

Um, we did the shots.

We did the medicine.

We've done the surgery.

Um, it's heartbreaking.

The worst part of the
whole deal is, you know,

I have the disappointment
of... of... you know,

It not working every month.

But then to see the
disappointment on her face

And to have both of
those... it was tough.

It was real tough.

It's almost
embarrassing to say, um,

But for those three
years, I was angry.

[Crying]

I just felt like, you
know, everybody around me

Was... was pregnant,
and it was so easy.

And it was so hard to
be... because you're

So happy for them, but you're
so... you want that joy, too.

And...

NARRATOR: Their prayers
would be answered.

The Fronings added baby
Lakelyn into their family.

Rich was in the middle of
preparing for the games.

He would have little time to
prepare for being a father.

What are you doing, Squirt?

Here... eat this, not your hand.

I haven't got to
spend as much time

As I'd like to, just because
of the timing right now.

But at night, I
try to give Hillary

A little... a little
break and just hang out

With-hang out with the Squirt.

Are you bleeding?

RICH FRONING: Yeah.
- From what?

[Inaudible]
WOMAN: What's this?

[Inaudible]

We need more girls around here.

I've always, um, had it
in my heart to adopt,

And I always felt like it was
God's plan for us to adopt.

And when I met Rich and I told
him that, he felt the same way.

And so I think it was always
God's plan for us to adopt.

We started praying for a birth
mom instead of with the agency.

And this all happened within
three weeks... less than a

Month... which only God
can work that fast.

Because somebody who knew
somebody knew a birth mom.

This birth mom had been
working with another family

For four or five months.

And they had just backed out.

You know, Hillary found
this girl, found out she was

Pregnant, wanted to give
the baby up for adoption,

Reached out to the girl.

So I met her the next day.

We had lunch.

And it was kind of
like, all right.

We're going to do this.

When are you due?

It was, like, two weeks.

And so you're like, we
don't have a home study.

We don't have background...
We don't have anything,

Like, what are we going to do?

Hillary's like, we're
going to get it done.

Oh yeah, and the CrossFit
games is four weeks away.

Yeah, we literally got
everything done in two weeks,

Had a baby.

Me and Hillary were
there for the birth.

Hillary slept in the hospital
in the room next door.

I cut the cord.

I mean, it was a crazy,
whirlwind experience.

And we had a baby two weeks
before the CrossFit games.

HILLARY FRONING: And
then from day four,

There's 10 days
for her to revoke...

Her or the dad to revoke.

And if they do revoke,
there's nothing

That we can do about it.

We have to give her back,
which is terrifying.

But that's not going to happen.

She has until Monday night at
midnight to change her mind.

So we're kind of in
that waiting period.

But... but Lakelyn is... is with
us, and, uh, it's been awesome.

So originally, Lakelyn
was, uh... the mom

Went to have an abortion.

And, uh, so she went to the
crisis pregnancy center.

And, uh, somebody
changed her mind.

And so, we now have
a... a beautiful baby.

[Crying]

And, uh,

[Clears throat]

[Exhales]

So anybody who's that's
an option or a thought,

Think twice about it.

Because, uh, you know, you
get to change somebody's life.

And uh, you know, the...
Like Hillary said, the mom,

You know, one of the cool things
she told Hillary... she said,

You know, there's some things
I'm not proud of in my life.

But, uh, this is my one
chance to do something right.

And she did do something
right, and, you know,

Give this baby a chance.

And, uh, so if she does
see this, thank you.

And for anybody else
thinking about it,

Or anybody who's given up a
baby for adoption, and... and not

Done the other... other
option, uh, thank you.

You weren't supposed to cry.

I didn't.

That... I didn't...
Didn't mean to do that.

Sorry.

[Crying]

Oh, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

Don't cry.

Look at that sad face.

Here.

Lord, thank you for this day.

Thank you for this beautiful
child that we have,

And this gift.

We just pray that You would
help us to bring her up

In Your image, and to serve You,
and just pray that we would do

All those things that Lakelyn
needs, and be there for her,

And be as good of
parents as we had,

And, uh, just bless
this child, and pray

That we would continue
to serve You and glorify

You in all that we do.

And I just pray that
You would watch over us

In these upcoming
weeks, and make

The travel as easy as possible.

Pray that You'd give
us strength and courage

For what's coming up next.

And just pray that You'd keep
us all safe in all that we do.

And in Jesus' name
we pray, Amen.

Amen.

[Music playing]

PAT SHERWOOD: I got to hang out
with him out there in Tennessee

For like three or four days,
hang out with him, the family,

Watch his daily routine,
watch him train.

And I was so blown away and
just awestruck by what he did

Every day of his normal life.

[Music playing]

I don't know.

I don't want to add
anything to this until we

Finish more stuff on here.

We see some progress here.

OK.

Uh... this...

We've done this
one. [Inaudible].

Nope.

Well, the board
just got [inaudible].

Sure did.

But there's still a
lot of crap up here.

Three rounds, 10
dumbbell snatch,

10 D-ball, 15
chest to bar... just

Watch me have a total meltdown.

I just don't really want
to overhead spot right now.

That's what [inaudible].

Let's do the [inaudible].

[Music playing]

PAT SHERWOOD: Nothing else I
had seen you could compare it

To... regard to workouts,
loading, volume, intensity,

How much he wasn't beat up, how
much he could handle and still

Go in the next day, and
just repeat it ad nauseum,

And then, like, barely even
eating food or drinking water.

And you're like, how is your
body even capable of sustaining

This level of work?

I'm watching you
with my own eyes.

You don't feed yourself!

[Music playing]

Where is the energy coming from
for your muscles to contract

And pump blood everywhere?

I don't even... that doesn't
even make any sense to me.

And he does it all day long.

That's not normal.

It's not normal.

And when you take
that work ethic,

You know, that strength,
that [inaudible],

All the components of fitness...
And that just freak of nature

Ability, as well, to just
perform... I was just like,

No one's going to
touch this guy.

NARRATOR: Froning,
his family, and baby

Lakelyn arrive in
Carson the Monday

Before the CrossFit games.

And for once, the
three-time champion's focus

Was not on competition.

At 10:00 PM that night,
he and Hillary would

Officially become parents.

Three minutes.

WOMAN: Would you fill
out this birthday card?

We have a child.

HILLARY FRONING: It's funny
because the last two years,

I wanted to be pregnant
at the games so bad

So that I could just tell
him as soon as the games

Were over, hey, I'm pregnant.

I wanted to tell him so bad.

[Inaudible]

You're lucky it's
your birthday.

HILLARY FRONING: It was perfect.

[Crying]

Because this year, I didn't
say, hey, I'm pregnant.

It was hey, you know,
here's our daughter

Which God put everything...
It was perfect timing for us.

It all happened
within five weeks.

And it all happened for it to
be final right before the games,

And final for his birthday.

[Inaudible]

It was awesome.

I'm never putting her down.

You can put her down now.

No.

Nobody's going to take her.

I can't talk.

You're going to have to.

It's the best.

She's awesome.

Life is so great.

It's crazy how
something so small

Can just make your
life so much better.

I love being a mom.

She's part of the family
whether she likes it or not.

DAVE CASTRO: There's people
who are going to participate

And there's people
who are going to win.

REPORTER: The last
time Rich Froning did

Not finish first in an
individual competition

Was the 2011 Open.

But there is a good stable
of individuals behind him

Who are trying to
chase him down.

Who are the five
who have the best

Shot of accomplishing that?

REPORTER: I've get a list
of pipehitters here for you,

Shawn... Jason
Khalipa, Ben Smith,

Dan Bailey, Tommy Hackenbruck...

REPORTER: Matt Fraser.

REPORTER: Matt Fraser.

DAVE CASTRO: The
big one is Fraser.

Fraser's special.

MAN: He won the Northeast
Regional this year.

He's got elite level strength.

His times beat Rich Froning's
times on three of the seven

Workouts at Regionals.

And then, Scott Panchik...

Scott had an incredible fire.

That's the type of heart
that's going to take down Rich.

If you don't have that,
you're not taking down Rich.

You're just going to participate
in the CrossFit games.

You're going to have fun
at the CrossFit games.

NARRATOR: So here's Rich's
MO... first day of the CrossFit

Games... not his bat.

He's usually struggled
on longer events...

Beach events, long hill
runs, and things like that.

ANNOUNCER: It's a
day at the beach,

But it certainly will
not be easy for the 43

Men vying for the title
of the "Fittest on Earth."

Hello, everybody, and welcome
to the opening event of the 2014

Reebok CrossFit games.

The ocean swim... that was
the first time that... that I

Was like, oh, wow.

Rich worked on something which
has been a historical weakness.

Like, I'm not worried about
him cleaning, jerking,

Or snatching, or walking
on his hands, or, you know,

Blah, blah, blah.

But, like, you think
about swimming.

You think about running.

And those are the
things you're like, ehh,

He's going to get hurt here.

RICH FRONING: So this year,
announced the ocean swim...

[Sighs]

So 2013, I almost
died in the pool.

There's nowhere
to hide in a pool.

Uh, you can't just
hide among people

Like you can in the ocean.

So it was exposed that I
wasn't a very good swimmer.

I was a very poor swimmer.

REPORTER: You know, right
there... not a typical place

We see Rich Froning... the
last one out of the water.

However... see, look at his kick.

That is not an efficient kick.

When he's kicking
that hard like that,

He's never been
in this position.

He's never had a
score like this.

So how is he going to
be able to handle it?

That's what's going
to be interesting.

So this year, the swimming was
the easy part of that workout.

REPORTER: Event
number one underway

As the athletes make
their way into the water

For that initial 250 yard swim.

And you know, Bill,
better than anybody,

You can train in a pool.

You can learn to swim there.

But swimming in a pool
and swimming in open water

Are two completely
different things.

ANNOUNCER: They are
absolutely different.

The... with the pool
swimming, you got the line

On the bottom of the pool.

You have your goggles.

Everything is a
controlled setting.

The ocean or open water is
completely opposite of that.

REPORTER: So Rich Froning is a
guy who, last year, at the pool

Suffered his worst finish ever.

He finished 30th,
but still managed

To win the CrossFit games.

If Froning finishes
anywhere inside the top 15,

That is a huge win for him.

REPORTER: That'll be a
gigantic [inaudible].

Well, Dave... when I came out
of the water after the 500,

You know, he's directing
traffic, making sure people

Are running out and other
people are running in.

You're not running into
each other, and all that.

And, uh, he looks
at me, and he goes,

Wow, you have been
practicing your swimming.

DAVE CASTRO: I was
surprised, but not because I

Knew he was swimming a lot.

Is that him out there?

Come on, Rich!

There he goes!

There he goes!

REPORTER: Rich Froning
is out of the water.

And this is huge!

[Cheers]

I didn't die!

REPORTER: Eighth place
finish for Rich Froning.

REPORTER: He could be
your leader after day one.

And he's going to be
a tough man to catch

Going into the weekend.

PAT SHERWOOD: Where he placed on
that event was the first time I

Was like, wow, it's... if
the champ is doing that good

On something which historically,
has been a kind of a survival,

Kind of a middle of the pack
event, people better be scared,

You know?

Whole hamburger...
Cheeseburger... bacon.

Are you going to
put it on Instagram?

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

Tag me in it.

How you doing, brother?

[Inaudible]

[Laughing]

[Music playing]

Going into the overhead
squat, I had zero

Planned whatsoever... nothing.

Really.

No, I didn't.

NARRATOR: Having
conquered the waves,

Froning moved to the weights.

While water had always been a
weakness, barbells were not.

And that meant it was
time for Rich Froning

To do what he always does.

DAVE CASTRO: I always talk to
Jason and Rich about showtime.

And that's what a bit of it is.

It's a bit of a show.

REPORTER: Rich Froning, who
with a solid performance

Here, if he can get
close to Matt Fraser,

Could find himself on
top of the leaderboard

Heading into Friday.

REPORTER: Here's the champ, Rich
Froning, at 365 for the champ!

REPORTER: So he's going
to be pushing Matt,

And that's exactly
what the fields

Didn't want... a good swim
and a good lift by Rich.

DAVE CASTRO: Well,
so, he admittedly...

The... the small job... the
377... the match to Fraser...

He just said, I made a mistake.

He should have
put on 378 or 379.

REPORTER: [inaudible]
for Rich Froning,

Looking to tie Matt
Fraser in his second lift.

REPORTER: Oh.

REPORTER: The Champ
is on the warpath.

377 and now tied for first place
overall in event number two.

So I hit 377.

Me and Matt Fraser are tied.

But in hindsight, I could've
taken away five points

From him.

Probably should have went
the conservative route... hit

380, 385, maybe.

Dave walks up.
He's like, what's your weight?

I said, 400.

He goes, all right.

Do it.

REPORTER: 400 pounds
on the bar for Froning,

And that's not
gonna happen either.

But Froning will tie for first.

And he could be very well on
top of the leaderboard after day

Number one.

But I couldn't get it.

DAVE CASTRO: And so, he
did that for the show.

And that's really cool, and I
really respect him for that.

It would've been amazing if
he was successful at that.

But, you know...

@CrossFitgames, @RichFroning,
@MatthewFraser, @NoahOhlsen.

Rich, you [bleep] suck.

No way you win this year.

Thanks.

Thanks, bro.

Appreciate that... @DamoMay17.

Such a nice guy.

@DamonMay-we'll pray for you.

So pumped... so...
Dude, I was shaking.

That I went for 400?

Yeah.

[Laughing]

Can we get a milkshake?

Yeah, I'm trying to think,
like, what's down this strip.

You want a McDonald's
milkshake, or do you want,

Like, a Johnny Rocket?

(SINGING) You lost
that loving feeling.

Whoa.

All right, guys.

Good night.

Good night.

Later.

What a day.

Hey, guys.

What's up?

Hey, James is here.

Hey, James.

Ooh, Red Bull.

Gives you wings!

I know.

I need a shower.

I need to wash my feet.

They're disgusting.

It was the 400 [inaudible].

400 pounds.

It was close.

[Interposing voices]
It wasn't.

- It was close!
- It wasn't that close.

You're thinking
[inaudible] wasn't close?

I mean, I think 400 pounds?

Yeah, look, hold on...
So I clean... when I clean

And jerked 370, uh, as soon
as I got it done, she goes,

Is it really necessary
to lift that much weight?

[Laughing]

What happened?

I think it's a
legitimate question.

Hillary...

[Laughing]

[Sighs]

My and Hillary's
relationship is awesome.

Our relationship's crazy.

It's fun.

It's not normal.

But I love it.

RICH FRONING: If you've
seen an interview with her,

You know her.

[Laughing]

She's, uh, she's not afraid
to tell you how she feels.

[Crying]

Hey, buddy.

I just want a towel.

That's all that was down there.

Our marriage is
successful, I think,

Because we are the definition
of opposites attract.

But it works for us.

I feel like, um, we both
support each other without being

In each other's way.

Um, she's...

- Pooping.
- She is.

Did you hear it?
Nope.

See you later.
Is she?

I don't know.

There's no real filter.

From the brain to the
mouth is... is what you get.

You know how you stand.

You know where you stand.

I think he likes it though.

I think he likes when
I'm like, you're hot.

Sometimes you need the truth.

[Laughter]
Yeah.

See, that's Hillary.

She, uh, she's perfect
and she knows it.

And I give it to
him all the time.

They balance each other out.

She calls his bullshit,
and he calls hers.

[Laughing]

And I think that's
what I love about it.

I call it playful banter.

She... I think she takes it
a little bit more serious

Than I do.

I'm more joking.

She's really going
for the kill shot.

But you gave her a towel.

He gave her a
washcloth... a hand towel.

I didn't give her a washcloth.

I gave her a hand towel.

I actually think
he gave her the rug.

The rug?

I did not give the rug.

[Laughing]

JANICE FRONING:
I love the way he

Looks at her... I mean, his
smile, the love he has for her.

She is everything
that I am not.

She is, uh, she's awesome.

She, uh...

[Crying]

I wouldn't be where I am today
without her, that's for sure.

NARRATOR: Heading into day two,
Froning was threatening to run

Away with the competition.

Then he actually had to run.

I just don't want
to get to that run.

You don't want to get to it?

Nope.

Then Triple 3's, which
I... I knew that event

Was going to be bad for me.

I needed to get that event over.

I don't know... didn't have a
good feeling about that event.

[Music playing]

REPORTER: It's day two, but
it's all about the number three.

Hello, everybody, and
welcome to the individual set

For the Triple 3.

JANICE FRONING: It was
stressful a little bit.

But I didn't know he
wasn't feeling good.

REPORTER: Rich Froning, day
one, first place... not where you

Want him to be if you're
a competitor trying

To... trying to actually
win this competition.

PAT SHERWOOD: So it
starts off with a row.

If you're the champion,
you're going to look around

And modulate your row off
somebody, who are you probably

Going to look at...
One of the best

Rowers out there...
Jason Khalipa.

Well, that's a terrible person
to pace off of on a row.

Because usually what Rich
can do is Rich can go 80%.

And everyone else is at 100,
and he still has his push.

Well, it was probably the
polar opposite of the rower.

Khalipa's probably just, I
don't know, thinking about lunch

In his head, or
something, you know,

Rowing some ridiculous pace
at like 75% of his capacity.

And Froning's heart's
almost exploding

Trying to keep up with them.

REPORTER: It's Jason Khalipa...
No surprise here... onto

His double. [Inaudible] first.

Rich Froning was off the
rower and is on to his set

Of 300 double unders.

PAT SHERWOOD: Gets off the
rower doing a strategy that

Traditionally has
worked well for him,

Starts to do the double unders.

He'll be able to
get a small break.

Khalipa does 300
double unders unbroken!

JANICE FRONING:
The way it was... I

Mean, I was standing on a
rail trying to even see.

And I seen his shoulders when
he was doing the double unders.

And it wasn't his normal... cause
you know, he hardly ever moves.

And it was more of a... and
I looked at Hillary and go,

Something's wrong.

And she said, what do you mean?

And I said, his
shoulders aren't right.

PAT SHERWOOD: Then you
take off on a run, which

Is the one thing that he's
self-admitted hates to do

And doesn't work on.

He would look around
and the look on his face

Just doesn't look right.

He's not... very
uncharacteristic for Rich.

PAT SHERWOOD: It
was hard to watch.

Because, you know,
that's not Rich.

But you could tell something
was wrong physically.

REPORTER: We are halfway
through the three-mile run.

And now Rich Froning's starting
to walk, taking a break there.

That's something you
don't really see.

But the halfway point...

PAT SHERWOOD: Him walking on the
Triple 3... it's like a glimmer

Of hope to the rest of us
mere mortals that, you know,

That even superhumans
have these days.

And I think what Rich does so
well... this is just a theory...

Bit him in the ass,
which is paying attention

To what everyone else is doing.

REPORTER: But
Froning is struggling

On this three-mile run.

REPORTER: Yeah.

This is really odd.

REPORTER: This is something
we have never, ever seen.

We never see Rich Froning
ever have a weakness.

REPORTER: And Froning
will finish in 37th place.

[Cheers]

PAT SHERWOOD: I'm
sure it's going

To stick with him for a while.

But it's his own fault. You
know, to think that you can

Have what would be considered
a glaring weakness, and then

Just, oh, I'll pull
through it somehow.

He shouldn't have
had to work as hard

As he did because he should
have been kind of taking

Care of that for a while.

[Cheers]

I'd walk a little bit.

I'd run.

I just fell apart.

Thought I'd been running
enough... guess not.

I was going to pee my pants.

I was like, I might just do it.

I about passed out
a few times, though.

Hey.

Man.

Dang it.

[Inaudible]

JUSTIN BERGH: Man,
to see Rich Froning

Walking with althletes...
Men and women... passing by.

It was, uh, it was something
I will never forget.

Didn't want to
stop, had to stop, so

Damage control, at that point.

Where'd I fall?

37th.

Not as bad as I thought,
but it's not good.

There's a new worst.

I'm just looking to
see where everybody's

At... all the regulars are
at, all the new guys are at.

Huh?

Stop looking at that.

Just looking at it, bro.

It's tough going into a
workout after you've just

Done bad at a workout,
especially a workout

That you don't know.

So I think what
was the sled push.

And I knew those were
going to be tough.

JUSTIN BERGH: There's a couple
of events that stick out

In my mind in the history
of the games that have

Really just floored athletes.

And the sprint sled
was one of them.

On that workout, though,
it caught him in a bad way.

REPORTER: Rich Froning
is still on the field,

Hands on his knees...

REPORTER: Wow.

REPORTER: One of three
athletes still on the field.

Now Rich Froning is going
to cross the finish line.

So what looked like it was going
to be a Rich Froning runaway

After he finished
eighth at the beach

And then tied for first
at the overhead squat

Has turned into
a familiar story.

Froning will have
to work his way up

The leaderboard on the weekend.

So I did bad at that event too.

It wasn't a good event.

So it was just kind of like
two... two blows in one.

Honestly, it
looked like you had

To sacrifice everything
you knew about form

To get it moving right.

I mean, the people that...
The people that moved

It good... it looked awful.

I mean, seriously.

There were patches of
grass that would move.

There were patches of
grass that wouldn't move.

It was like...

How heavy was it?

It wasn't heavy.

It was just... the grass.

I'm telling... like if you
hit a good spot of grass...

It would stop moving quickly.

Would it?

Yeah.

If you had a good piece of
grass, it would move fast.

And then all of a sudden,
it just felt like you

Were pushing in the mud, so...

MAN: I'm excited This next
one is going to be cool.

The way the rest of the
weekend's going, who knows?

HILLARY FRONING: I said he
better pull his crap together.

[Laughing]
He's stressing me out.

Did you get that on camera?

[Laughing]

I'm gonna be wife
of the year, huh?

[Laughing]

Yeah.

I'm very, very, very
nervous for Rich.

It's just nerve-wracking,
in general.

MAN: What's
nerve-wracking about it?

Um, just working all year
for one weekend, you know.

And he doesn't feel very well.

And that's what's
stressful is, you know,

He's worked all year
for one weekend.

And you don't have time...
He can't fell bad, you know.

And there's not much he
can really do about it.

I think... I think his
stomach's just nerves,

To be honest, though.

So hopefully... hopefully after
this one, and the first day's

Done, he'll feel better.

Here.

You want to eat this now?

[Interposing voices]

[Inaudible]

I'm good.

I don't deserve to eat.

You've been [inaudible].

I don't know if it's...
You'd call it angry, or just

A little frustrated, you know.

I mean, like I was telling
him, he gets in this situation

All the time.

So, you know, I think,
like, I think for him,

He just does this
whole role-play thing

Where he goes through this.

And then he gets out
there in the crowd,

And it's just totally different.

He can... he can just
turn it off like that.

[Music playing]

JUSTIN BERGH: If you're
not in the final heat,

And you're Rich Froning,
that's not a good sign.

And being in the
second-to-last heat on Friday,

I think it was a
wake-up call for him.

RICH FRONING: Going into
the final event on Friday

Was the first time since
the first event in 2010

That I wasn't in the final heat.

I was a little angry.

NARRATOR: The
opening event of 2010

Was also the first
time Froning would

Set foot on the competition
floor at the CrossFit games.

It would be the first
step in a journey

That would define his legacy.

ANNOUNCER: Rich Froning!

REPORTER: And I
like this guy too.

ANNOUNCER: Three, two, one, go!

Rich Froning, double
[inaudible] 55 seconds.

REPORTER: Wow!

Rich Froning's
back on the rings.

NARRATOR: Athletes face a
pair of technical movements

In the opening event...
Muscle-ups and squat snatches.

MAN: As he just looked
comfortable at the upper ends

Of his output, where
everybody else...

When they get towards
that upper end,

The wheels start falling off.

NARRATOR: But Froning
would take third place

And become a fixture
in the final heat.

By the end of the
weekend, he would

Find himself on top
of the leader board

Heading into the final events.

He and his fellow
athletes were challenged

With the unknown and
unknowable as they

Were sequestered in the bowels
of the Home Depot Center.

RICH FRONING: No phones, no TV.

You're sitting in a room
with, like... I mean,

There was, like, 30 people.

It was the... the most miserable
experience of my life.

RORY MCKERNAN: One
group at a time,

They're brought
out to a steaming,

Piping-hot competition floor.

Black matting makes
it even worse.

JUSTIN BERGH: And
I remember standing

Next to a guy that worked
for the Home Depot Center.

And he had this device that
he could shoot at the floor,

And it would tell
you the temperature.

And I don't remember
exactly what it was.

He said it was 130.4
degrees on the blacktop.

RORY MCKERNAN: They're looking
at a competition floor.

They have no idea if
there's three workouts,

Five workouts, one workout.

Do you give it all here?

Do you wait?

Do you hold some back?

They have zero information.

All they know is that
there's a judge next to them.

Dave Castro's talking to them.

And the fans are screaming.

On the command of three, two,
one, go, you'll do 30 push-ups.

All the way down...

RICH FRONING: I
don't even remember

What he said, to be honest.

You're just kind
of looking around,

And everybody drops
down and does push-ups.

REPORTER: I guess they thought
Dave was kidding there.

Rich Froning assumes the
mentality that I'm going hard.

I'm going to win this one.

They didn't know anybody
else's time from other heats.

He doesn't know if anybody's
finished the thing.

[Interposing voices]

REPORTER: Wow!
Finished.

He did finish.

He's got to get over the rope.

He's got to get over the rope.

He's got 15 seconds
in which to do that.

ANNOUNCER: 49!

REPORTER: He's got 10 seconds.

MAN: And the dude just
sells out, and he finished.

He gets back over the wall
to finish the workout.

He was the only
person who did it.

So then you're in a
complete, just, stupor.

But he suffered a lot
on the second workout.

MAN: He had probably gone
out too hard, too fast

On that first of three, not
knowing what was in store.

REPORTER: It looks like
a lot of gas taken out.

NARRATOR: In the
final event, athletes

Faced burpees over a wall
and 20-foot rope climbs.

Froning had scrapped his
way to a four-point lead

Over Graham Holmberg.

RICH FRONING: Didn't
think anything of it,

Went to climb that rope,
and my arms are shot.

REPORTER: Look at Rich.

Rich Froning...
Doing what he can.

RICH FRONING: Just done.

Very slowly, the
realization set

In that this dude doesn't know
how to get himself up a rope.

JUSTIN BERGH: And I remember,
this is, like, a crisis.

We're huddling up,
trying to decide

What are we going
to do if this guy

Ends up on the
top of the points,

But he didn't have a rope climb?

DAVE CASTRO: Because
it's like, oh my god,

This guy did great through the
past two days of competitions,

And now he can't climb a rope.

And I said, hey, look.

If this kid doesn't
do one rope climb,

We're not even going
to let him podium.

Finally, just was
like, all right.

I'm getting up this rope.

Get up the rope, hit
it, and take about one

Down, and just let go.

[Inaudible] Oh!

[Crowd shouting]

Because here's the reason why...
How can you make it that far

And be the second, or third,
or first fittest person alive,

But not be able to climb a rope?

Amazingly, he was able
to muscle his way up,

And he did get
one or two climbs.

So that negated that fact,
and he was able to podium.

REPORTER: Boy.

In a shirt soaked in
sweat, he signals that he's

Just ready to shoot himself.

NARRATOR: The rope would cost
Rich Froning the championship.

And his run as the most
dominant athlete in CrossFit

Was almost over before it began.

He had a totally new outlook
on CrossFit after 2010.

And there was a few
months after where he

Didn't want to do it anymore.

He was quiet for a couple days.

It was a crappy feeling to feel
like, you know, I'd... I'd let

People down, let myself down.

It was hard to just watch him
beat himself up over one thing.

And I felt like, you should
be proud to be in second.

You know, that
was still awesome.

He was... he couldn't be happy
because he fell off the rope.

Everything happens
for a reason.

I think that was a...
That was a wake-up call

From somebody else.

CrossFit had become my identity.

That's who I was,
and that's what I put

My identity in was CrossFit.

He didn't like
the CrossFit games.

He didn't want to
compete anymore.

What I want to do, Lord.

You know, I want to make my city
proud, my... my family proud,

My, you know, friends proud.

But I wanted to make
them proud of me.

And so that was,
uh, it was selfish.

Faith had always been
in my life, but wasn't

The center of my life.

I didn't have bad stuff
at the center of my life,

Like, people were at
the center of my life.

CrossFit was at the center
of my life, and not my faith.

And so I got baptized again.

It was a big shift
from religion,

Where it was
something I had to do,

Like I felt like I had to go to
church, I had to read my Bible,

I had to pray to I want to.

It just clicked finally.

And it was a pretty cool, like,
an aha moment, like this needs

To be the center of my life.

And my life has changed
since that point.

And so in 2011, it was
to give Him the glory,

Give God the glory,
give Jesus the glory.

You know, He's given
me these gifts,

And my gift back is to
tell everybody I can

About why I do what I do,
and what He's done for me.

NARRATOR: Refocused
and rededicated,

Froning returned to
the games in 2011.

The rope was waiting for him.

Did Castro create
that intentionally?

I was ready for the rope
climb worked in 2011.

I've done a lot of rope climbs.

REPORTER: Rich Froning,
who's back from the rope

First, for his set
of four rope climbs.

REPORTER: No only did Rich
learn how to climb a rope,

But he is moving
very efficiently.

REPORTER: The crowd
is now on their feet

As Rich Froning approaches
his final rope time.

Rich came out of the
gate and in that event,

Set fire and torched
the field, and let

Everybody know, like, you're not
going to see me do that again.

REPORTER: Rich choosing
to walk with two athletes

Just seconds behind him.

REPORTER: Rich seals the deal...
Four minutes, 57 seconds.

[Inaudible] just seconds behind.

NARRATOR: What people
would see is the start

Of the most dominant
string of performances

Ever in the sport of fitness.

[Music playing]

REPORTER: But it's
Rich Froning who'll

Be the first [inaudible].

REPORTER: Rich Froning
now on pace to...

REPORTER: One more
pull to seal the deal.

And Rich Froning is the
champion of the 2011

Reebok CrossFit Games.

JUSTIN BERGH: 2011, he
wins the CrossFit games.

2012 on, he wins it outright.

[Music playing]

My name's Rich Froning, and
I'm here to defend my title.

REPORTER: And Rich Froning,
the competitor that he is...

REPORTER: And you can start
showing him his gold medal.

REPORTER: I can't
believe Rich hasn't

Put the barbell down yet.

REPORTER: Rich Froning-
one more rep to go!

REPORTER: Rich Froning is the
Fittest Man on the Planet.

REPORTER: Unbelievable!

REPORTER: [inaudible] underway!

REPORTER: [inaudible]
the games champion.

REPORTER: He's going to get
back [inaudible] two seconds,

One second.

Froning won against [inaudible].

REPORTER: Here comes Rich
Froning, who can win this event

If he keeps this pace.

The crowd on its feet as
the champ chewing up ground.

The finish line is within reach.

REPORTER: And he will make it.

Rich Froning is down
100 points richer.

REPORTER: I'll tell you what...
That guy is unbelievable!

You can't throw anything at
this kid that he can't do.

REPORTER: Froning's gotta hurry!

REPORTER: I mean,
when you're this good,

When you're this
good, you really

Aren't threatened by anything.

Wow.

REPORTER: Start shining the
gold medal for Rich Froning!

And he is going to
crush the time to beat.

Rich Froning, unbroken and
across the finish line!

[Cheers]

ANNOUNCER: [inaudible]
CrossFit again.

This man has won three events.

I give you the 2013
Reebok CrossFit

Games Champion, Rich Froning!

NARRATOR: Froning's first
appearance at the tennis

Stadium was the start
of his run as the man

To beat at the games.

As he made his way
to the floor in 2014,

That run was in danger.

So Rich Froning attacked
with reckless abandon.

REPORTER: The 21-15-9
Complex is underway!

RICH FRONING: Luckily, James
had went out before me,

And he said, go faster
than you think you should.

It's short.

You'll be fine.

Just go.

[Cheers]

REPORTER: The crowd
coming to its feet

As the three-time
defending champion Rich

Froning moves to the barbell.

REPORTER: Froning needs a big
performance in this event.

REPORTER: [inaudible] you don't
see Rich jump onto the front,

But after the... the devastating
day that he's had today,

He has to.

DAVE CASTRO: We usually
don't see him go 100%.

And he doesn't have
to, so he doesn't.

So we're very rarely seeing
him push to the complete edge.

But when he does, that's
a thing of beauty.

REPORTER: This is
the first time.

I've never seen Rich
look around to see

Where the other athletes are.

He's going into this, I mean,
with true reckless abandon

That we haven't
seen him do before.

He's not stopping or
breaking [inaudible].

He is attacking this workout.

REPORTER: Froning at
the bar muscle-ups.

One more to go... and
the champ is back!

Rich Froning, demolishing
the time to beat... 416.63.

DAVE CASTRO: In
that heat, he didn't

Have the same type
of competition

He would in the final.

So he has to go harder
than whereas earlier, as I

Was saying, he
doesn't always go 100%

Because he doesn't have to.

That... he really had to because
he knew in the next heat,

He'd have to just set
the score to beat.

[Inaudible] that
second-to-last heat no more!

I know, bro.

[Inaudible]

I feel like
sand-bagging some stuff.

I'm going to start
weighing some events.

There we go!

There we go!

That's the champ
I know and love!

Either crash or go for it.

I got your stuff.

I got you this.

Thanks, man.

Where's the check?

Where's the baby?

That's what I'm going to do.

Get ready for
push-ups tomorrow.

Just saying, dude, just
saying, if you want to keep up...

Just sit on his back
while he's doing them.

[Laughing]

After a day of
training, [inaudible].

Cheese quesadilla and
a half a pound of pork.

Um, she slept the
whole time [inaudible].

So she probably needs
to be fed and a diaper.

OK, I love you.

I'll be back.

When are you coming back?

I just have to take her
laundry to the house.

And then I'll be back.

So you're trusting
Rich with your child.

No, you guys are in here.

Um, but she'll be fine.

You can... it's fine.
I'm a father.

I'm good.
You're a father.

She's on camera, so she's
like, no, you'll be... it's OK.

It's OK.

[Interposing voices]

[Crying]

Hey, Lakelyn, Lakelyn.

And here we [inaudible].

Is this the first time you've
been alone with Lakelyn?

Yeah.

[Laughing]

Why is that so funny?

I... I don't know.

I just can't stop laughing.

No... yeah.

Little... I know.

I know.

[Crying]

Yeah.

Oh, [inaudible].

[Crying]

You probably pooped, didn't you?

Do I change her before the
bottle or after the bottle?

Before.

Shoot.
[crying]

Flip it over.
[inaudible]

OK.

[Inaudible] flip it over?

I mean, oh, wow.

[Laughing]

Ugh.

Look.

Open that one up.

OK.

It's OK.

Get a wipe ready.

OK.

And when you leave... and then
when you open that one up

And use the... OK, you're good.

You got it.

Girl...

All right.

Now... yeah.

Yeah.

You're good to go.

Come on, bro.

Come at me, bro.

I think it's squeezing
her brain, actually.

That's why she's crying.

I don't like this bow!

[Humming]

Oh, no.

Oh, no It fell off!

[Laughing]

Whoops.

Oh, Lakelyn, you want
to watch SportsCenter?

What?

You want to watch SportsCenter?

OK.

Last time.

Good night.

Love you all.

RICH FRONING: (YAWNING) See ya.

See ya all tomorrow.

Hasta manana.

See ya.

Get that beauty sleep.

You need it.

[Interposing voices]

Especially for you, Darren.

Especially.

Cause you're pretty.

Muscle-up biathlon...
Muscle-up biathlon

Is something I looked forward
to, other than the run, I mean,

Of course.

But muscle-ups are something
I like, something I enjoy.

JUSTIN BERGH: I think
secretly, a lot of those guys

Thought it was
going to be easier

Than what it was on the day.

They thought it was going
to be an unbroken challenge.

They didn't think they were
going to hit the penalty loop.

I think most of them, in
the back of their minds,

Had a break-up strategy.

But they didn't think they
were going to have to. Use it.

REPORTER: It's the
muscle-up biathlon

Avalon for the men at the
2014 Reebok CrossFit games.

I thought I could
do it unbroken.

You know, that
was the game plan.

I was kind of like, I'll
get into it, and, you know,

Adjust as needed.

But legitimately
thought I could do

It, came back around
to do my twelve.

I was like, I got this.

You know, some other
guys are already running.

I'm like, shoot, I'm going to
make up some points right here,

Not going to be first,
but I'll be top 10,

Get to 11 muscle-ups, and
missed that twelfth one.

REPORTER: He says Froning
has dropped off the rings.

And he's on the
200-meter penalty lap.

REPORTER: That
right there proves

How deadly that penalty box is.

JUSTIN BERGH: Watching
athletes fail a muscle-up

Or get almost to
the end of their set

And then have to take
that penalty lap,

You could just watch the
life leave their face.

It's hard.

And it's hard there, too,
because you know you take

A quick penalty lap,
and the last couple

Reps are going to be easy.

And it's disappointing.

The chips weren't falling where
I thought they, uh, usually

Should, and pretty frustrated.

And then the carry...

REPORTER: It's time for
some straight-up gruntwork.

How fast can you move
some heavy objects?

The final heat of the
sprint carry is underway,

And Rich Froning taking off.

He comes in to this,
again, in fourth place

Overall... just 32 points
back of leader Noah Ohlsen.

RICH FRONING: I mean, started
out a little too slow... part

Of it... on the carry, made up
some ground towards the end,

But still... I was like 15th or
something... something not good.

[Inaudible]

Stupid!

Shoot!

Gosh darnit!

Gosh darnit!

NARRATOR: With his
momentum stalled

And an unknown event looming,
Froning needed a break.

He would get one in the form
of the clean speed ladder...

Lift five increasingly heavy
barbells as fast as possible.

With each round, the
field got smaller,

And the weights got heavier.

JUSTIN BERGH: So Rich
Froning's one of the best

Lifters in the sport.

The guy is super strong,
great technique, moves

Fast and efficiently.

[Music playing]

The speed clean ladder should
have been one of the events

That he could really
turn it around.

And I remember the
event starting off,

And he had a little
bit of a stumble

On his very first round.

RICH FRONING: I go to hit 245,
and catch it too far back.

And so I'm thinking,
I didn't make it.

That's a lot of points on an
event I should do well at.

So Dave calls the
first heat first.

And I figured since
my time was so bad,

I'd be in that first heat.

Well, he doesn't call my name.

So at that point, I'd honestly
lost my chances to win

The CrossFit games were over.

Took my belt off,
put it on the clock,

Just kind of standing there.

Second heat... he calls my name.
DAVE CASTRO: Rich Froning!

Yeah, Rich!

REPORTER: Heat
number two coming up.

Look who's in lane
one... Rich Froning.

REPORTER: He knows
that this is important.

He needs to do
well on this event.

REPORTER: And Rich Froning
attacks the 280-pound bar.

No problem for him.

He is in the lead.

DAVE CASTRO: He
made a big mistake.

He looked left and
right in his heat,

And saw where he was
relative to the field.

And he walked to
the next barbells,

Knowing there was
still one more heat.

But Rich is so strong
and good at those lifts

That he should've cleaned, stood
up, and moved with a purpose.

REPORTER: He looked
over to the side

To see where people
were on that one.

Not so much [inaudible]
that we know.

REPORTER: Rich Froning
will take heat number two!

JAMES HOBART: I definitely
remember Rich not making

The final heat of the cleans.

I was pretty surprised
because I think, uh, I

Remember when I was walking
off, I was listening

To them announce names.

And then there was Rich
sitting right on the edge

Of the... edge of the court.

JUSTIN BERGH: And you could tell
when you looked at Rich's face

At that point, he
wasn't himself.

He didn't look like the same
confident past champion,

Like everything
was going his way,

Or he was just waiting on
Sunday to make a big push.

It looked like he was mentally
and physically just out

Of it, at that point.

And I remember thinking, like,
he could be in trouble here.

Dang it, [inaudible].

Not only do you have
to win these heats,

You must dominate these heats.

Thanks, Darren.
Thanks, Coach.

I know.

I know.
But...

I'm trying.

It's not that I'm not trying.
Well,

I know that.

I mean, what's the top weight?

JUSTIN BERGH: It was about
halfway through Saturday.

I remember that Rich
Froning wasn't standing

Out the way he had in the past.

Normally by Saturday afternoon,
he's starting to climb,

And it looks like he's
going to run away from it.

And this is the first time that
going into Saturday evening,

It looked like he was
really in trouble.

And it didn't look like anybody
that was in the top three

Was going to give
him any relief.

[Music playing]

NARRATOR: Froning was no
stranger to adversity,

Especially in life.

In 2007, tragedy
struck his family.

Donnie, Froning's best
friend, cousin, and brother

Was killed in a car accident.

It was... it was pretty hard
to watch just because Donnie

Was his... he was his guy.

Man, he was my best friend,
and, uh, it was tough.

It was hard... still hard.

[Crying]

So also, his younger brother...
Who was two years younger than

Him, two years older than Darren
and Matt passed away too, so...

It was pretty traumatic to
our family to lose both of them

In such a short period of time.

It put a lot of things
into perspective,

Showed, uh, you're
not invincible.

Something you don't
normally prioritize

Becomes a priority... family.

I was the middle
child, and going around

From being the middle
child to the oldest

Just like that... it just
kind of... it hit me hard.

I really didn't
know how to take it.

It was... it was devastating,
to say the least.

You're never going to
be able to replace them,

But you want to watch out
for them... like Darren,

And all the... and Mitch,
and Dustin, and Marcus... you

Take some
responsibility for them.

And so, you know, like I
said, never want to replace,

But you still try to step
into that role a little bit.

He stepped in like a
big brother, you know.

He kind of took
me under his wing

And watched out for me, which
at the time, I really needed it.

I think it helped, um, a lot
when Darren moved down here.

It kind of healed Rich a
little bit because Darren

And Donnie were a lot alike.

So you grow up, mature a
little bit... not immediately.

Took a little bit of time,
took getting married.

They're there with them,
picking him up when he's down,

And I pray to Donnie and
Matt specifically to just

Be there, just be with Rich.

I feel like he's their main
reason he's done so well.

I feel like they have
not left his side

Through this whole experience.

MAN: So there's something
special about when

You turn the lights
on for the final heats

In the tennis stadium.

Push pull... yup, did
not think that event

Was going to be great.

REPORTER: Rich Froning...
Fifth place overall,

Coming into this event...

MAN: I absolutely love
events like that because I

Like where... where people
have to figure stuff out,

Like on the fly.

And I think that...
That event was great.

It was just one of those
events... you've never done

Anything really
like it so you don't

Really know what to expect.

This is a good
workout for Rich.

Handstand push-ups of any kind
are always in his wheelhouse.

I think in the
back of his head,

He knew that he had
to beat everybody

That was within range.

REPORTER: The final heat of
the final event of Saturday.

REPORTER: You can see
that he's got to throw it,

Trying to battle for [inaudible]
to keep that rope under

Tension... one, and to keep
moving... and consistently

The whole time, too.

Going out, hit my first
set of handstand push-ups

Better than I thought I would,
and then kept doing them fine.

My shoulders were
good, kept going,

Staying write
neck-and-neck with Josh.

REPORTER: Rich Froning,
on his second sled pull.

Rich Froning got his sled hung
up there for a second now.

Stoneberg's sled is the closest.

But Froning is chewing up
more ground with each pull.

Rich Froning!

[Cheers]

[Inaudible] as he is
the first one done.

But Josh Bridges is in the lead.

Rich Froning is through nine.

Josh Bridges has a
chance to win this event,

But here comes Rich Froning.

Josh Bridges with
about a 10-foot lead.

Froning on the left,
Bridges on the right.

Bridges is keeping just ahead
of Froning on the sled pull.

Josh Bridges will not quit!

Neither will Rich Froning!

Josh Bridges, under the
lights, does it again!

JUSTIN BERGH: They both
cross the finish line.

Rich is pumped.

Josh is pumped.

And they give each
other, like, this, like,

Bro hug at the end of things.

And it felt like you
could have, like, set off

An earthquake at that point.

What are you wearing
tomorrow so we can match again

Like we did the last two days?

I'll probably wear the red.

No, I washed the blue in
my sink with regular soap.

The blue and red... here.

ANNOUNCER: [inaudible] is with
Josh Bridges and Rich Froning.

Oh, shit!

[Inaudible] back on top.

Let me just take a second
and ask you about this event.

[Cheers]

The overall men's
standings just showed

Us... that's what everyone's
cheering about at the moment.

My... my bros.

[Inaudible]

Yup.

Fronterage

Fonterage.

JAMES HOBART: I would kind
of describe Rich's hotel room

At the games this past
year sort of like "Animal"

House" meets "Pumping Iron."

Crazy.

Chaos

Controlled chaos.

MAN: Like a low-end
college frat house.

HILLARY FRONING: The total
opposite of everybody

Else at the CrossFit games.

People, bodies everywhere.

There was a pile of all
the clothes of the colors

He didn't want to wear.

MAN: People coming in and
out, just joking around.

JAMES HOBART: A little mini
fridge, which I don't think

Was ever shut during
the entire time.

Just food, like, thrown
around, like, everywhere.

And food, everywhere.

We had, like, Lay's potato
chips, and Pringles cans,

And, uh, probably there
was a bag of Mini-Snickers

Laying around somewhere.

OK.

There's two beds.

There's a minimum eight to
nine guys in his hotel room.

Every night.

This is actually the
same set-up at home.

[Laughing]

Keeps him in... keeps
him in game mode.

JAMES HOBART: Going
into Sunday morning,

There was a solid stack of
Papa John's pizza boxes,

Half-eaten and empty.

You're just scratching off
the cheese... my favorite part.

Yup.

I've had three bites off of it.

I don't know.

JAMES HOBART: It was
just a total mess.

HILLARY FRONING: They
don't talk about the games.

They don't talk about CrossFit.

Kind of keeping the mood
loose and stuff, you know.

But everybody's joking
around, watching TV.

And he wants to be around
people who are funny

And who just want to hang out.

[Inaudible] hair
regrowth [inaudible].

MAN: I'm so glad that's not me.

[Laughing]

Oh, you know, just getting
ready for another day coaching.

Uh, it's... it's better for
me, too, just mentally.

I like to be around people.

If I'm by myself, then I start
to... you know, especially,

Earlier in the week this
year, I start feeling sorry

For myself, stuff like that.

So some people might
look at it, and think

It's a little interesting,
but hey, it's what we do.

[Interposing voices]

Who's getting breakfast?

Please, tell.

I don't want to release
it, like, right now.

Otherwise, it
won't mean anything

When I'm screaming at him.

He's like, yeah, yeah,
I've already heard this.

My legs...

This is gonna hurt.

It's gonna be
fun, gonna be fun.

RICH FRONING: I don't know
what it is about Sunday.

I don't know if it's just that
when everybody else is kind

Of beat down and
wore out, that's kind

Of where I hit my stride is.

For me, that's a normal day.

I don't know how to
work out not feeling

Sore, not feeling beat up.

I don't know if it's just
something in my head clicks,

And it's like, all right.

It's go time, you know.

This is... this is the day
when you make some moves.

[Bell]

REPORTER: Third and
final heat underway.

MAN: Traditionally,
the athletes are not

Able to be at
their highest level

Anymore because it's
the end of a long week.

But he's still performing
at a really high level

As if he's not fatigued at all.

REPORTER: And Rich Froning
has taken the lead!

When that event came up, I
was very excited about it.

He does GHDs nonstop.

He can walk on
his hands all day.

I like GHDs.

I do a lot of GHDs.

Pretty decent at handstand
walking and overhead lunge.

You know, my shoulder
stamina's pretty decent.

MAN: I remember getting
off my last set of GHDs

And seeing Rich way up in front.

How'd he get up there?

REPORTER: That Rich Froning
is making his Sunday charge.

REPORTER: You're
kidding me right now.

REPORTER: Rich Froning
is filing up his crown.

A win on Sunday
for Froning... that

Is four straight wins
on Sunday for Rich

Froning at the CrossFit games.

It was what I needed to
do... start Sunday off right.

I didn't need Matt to do as well
as he did on that one, needed

To get some points
between us because he

Was in second at that point.

But, you know, hey, you got
to do what you got to do.

And he did what he
did... needed to do.

I just think that
that event was

Something that was
great for... for him

To get his confidence back up.

[Cheers]

NARRATOR: Familiar obstacles
stand in the way of Rich

Froning and a fourth straight
CrossFit Games championship...

A rope, an unknown event,
a dangerous challenger,

And seclusion.

ANNOUNCER: Immediately
following that event,

Your next event will
be [inaudible] to you

For the first time on the
floor once you finish this.

[Inaudible].

Therefore, immediately
following this [inaudible],

The 30 males and the
30 women who advance

Are going into seclusion
until their heat.

Oh man, that was... when Dave
said that, I was like, well,

This solidifies my,
uh, decision to retire.

Workout will be fun.

The seclusion thing I
don't enjoy, but whatever.

This one's going to be fast.

Four minutes [inaudible],
30 people, six people

In each heat... is that it?

[Inaudible]

Be fast.

[Interposing voices]

When Fraser's behind me...

Just be fast.

I think... I think
you've figured out

Finally how to move fast now.

Thank you.

Bar of some sort...

[Inaudible]

Let's go sit in a room
and look at each other

And twiddle our
thumbs for awhile.

Lord, [inaudible] today.

Just ask You to be
with Rich right now

And help him to be strong.

Give him Your warrior
spirit, give him Your speed,

And give him You grace, Lord.

Ask You just to be with him now.

Walk with him.

And be with all these athletes.

It's in Your name we pray, Amen.

Amen.

Good luck, bud.

Get them.

We're going to
seclusion right now.

Dude, remember that year we
were all stuck in that cave?

That's exactly where
we're going again.

That's where we're going.

It's so bad.

Was that 2010?

Gave me, like, I had
nightmares about that for years.

Being sequestered, or put in
a room... and it was, like,

The one thing I remember
from the games in 2010

That I just... I hated it.

It was one of those things.

If we'd have done it in
2011, and 2012, and 2013,

It would have been too
routine and too gimicky.

And I didn't think
they saw it coming.

And I was right.

They didn't see it coming.

I'm telling you.

You better check Fraser, Dude.

He's got something
taped up in here.

I heard something
vibrating up his butt.

[Inaudible]

Just... you don't
have to like it.

You don't have to like it.

As long as you don't...
[interposing voices] A little

Higher... a little higher.

Yeah!

We went back, of course,
back in that room.

And this was a completely
different experience than 2010.

It was... we were having fun.

Bring it in, boys.

Bring it in.

Real close.

Come on.

I got a story to tell.

We're joking around.

It was a lot different.

It was a lot like hanging
out here... movie quotes,

Making fun of people...
It's what we do.

This was the first
year that Rich Froning

Had not clenched by the time the
final workout was administered.

So you've got two
athletes, in particular.

You've got Tommy
Hackenbruck and Matt Fraser.

Both of them performed better
than Rich on a very similar

Workout at Regionals,
and that's the pull-ups

And the overhead squat.

MAN: Tommy Hackenbruck
and Matt Fraser dismantled

That 64 and 8 workout.

DAVE CASTRO: That workout,
obviously, was an expression

And evolution of the 64 and 8.

It was the games version.

It wasn't totally obvious,
I think, to everyone who

Was going to come out on top.

Like there was definitely
an opportunity,

I think, for Fraser to
come out and make an upset.

And so Rich, by no means,
has this thing on luck.

Someone said, oh, don't worry.

A couple years ago, Rich-
Rich lost the whole thing

Because of rope climbs.

And just remember
then, I'm like,

This man lost the World
Championships off rope

Climbs five years ago.

You don't think he's
practiced a couple times?

And Matt was close.

So I was a little... there
was some pressure there.

I was like, I gotta go.

It's not one of these workouts
that I can just take my time,

Stay within myself.

I was like, you're
going to have to go

And just hope nothing...
Nothing happens.

He's good at overhead squats.

I'm good at overhead squats.

So it was just kind of
a... whoever got to the bar

First is... is going
to finish it up.

Is there water or
chalk on the floor?

Out... out there?

No idea.

Now you get to this deal
where he's battled back.

He's got a couple workouts left.

The other one... he doesn't
know what's going to be,

Like he's not looking to
make anymore mistakes.

And he knows every
single point matters.

And it's just the whole... it's
a rope climb again, right?

It's Rich Froning in a rope
climb, which is his nemesis

From the past which
he's so murdered

That will never even
be close to a weakness

Ever again, as he displayed.

He's so talented with a barbell
that when that thing came out,

I think he was just like, oh
yeah, it's going to happen.

And once again, I'm going to let
everyone around here know you

Guys are working out with me.

I'm not working out with you.

[Cheers]

REPORTER: Two events
remain, and these athletes

Only know one of them.

Up next for them,
it's Thick 'n Quick.

[Bell]

Final heat of Thick
'n Quick underway.

Three, two, one, go... one
rope climb didn't feel so bad.

I did not want to get
[inaudible] on the rope climb.

That's just... you're
done at that point.

MAN: You get to the top
of the first rope climb.

You hit, and then I remember him
just, like, firemen pole donw...

Shoot!

And I just remember
thinking, like, oh, shit.

I gotta learn how to do that.

REPORTER: Last year, three
events on Sunday... Rich Froning

Won them all.

This year, three events
on Sunday... Rich Froning

Has already won one of them.

[Cheers]

REPORTER: Rich's... Rich
Froning's speed up this

Rope is absolutely impressive.

But he is speed-roping
up and speed-roping down.

You go on that fourth one,
and I was like, ooh, man, went

A little too quick on this one.

About halfway up, I was like,
ooh, grips... grips going.

I needed some chalk.

Come down, borrowed
some of Matt's chalk.

I was gonna give it back.

Sorry, bro.
Yeah.

That was my favorite
moment of the games.

He got off the rope,
and he saw chalk there.

And he just reached over.

But it looked
really intentional.

It looked really, like, yeah,
like I'm taking your chalk,

And I'm going to
take this crown.

And you know, while
I'm still here,

I am the CrossFit
Games Champion.

What he did on the Think
'n Quick was so damn cool.

REPORTER: And now he makes his
way to the 245-pound barbell.

There's no bar going on the
back, just closed-hand jerk,

And just starts going.

You're like, this dude
is running this thing.

[Inaudible]

I thought Matt was a
lot closer than he was.

So I was... I was going.

I was like, I'm not having the
same thing that happened to me

At Regionals with Scott going.

Just running it
start to finish,

And everyone else is
here because he permits

Them to work out with him.

[Cheers]

REPORTER: Three for Froning.

And he is one step closer
to his fourth CrossFit

Games Championship.

Five straight event
wins on Sunday,

Dating back to last year.

DAVE CASTRO: He
kills all the doubt.

You know, Matt Fraser
wasn't going to win.

Matt Fraser did great.

But Rich just...
Just cleared house.

I love a blowout.

I love when they just romp the
crap out of the other team.

And I like to see when Froning
just decimates the field

And walks around
like, oh, I thought

I was the only one working out.

I just... I love that.

He seals the deal in clenches.

And all he's gotta
do after that is beat

Matt through Double Grace.

I want to throw up.

[Cheers]

I want to throw up right now.

DAVE CASTRO: One
minute, one minute!

So Dave announces it.

But then, in your
mind, you're like,

Was somebody playing a trick?

Like, are they just
messing with us?

There's a lot of things
going through your head.

That just mental aspect of
OK, Grace... cool, got it.

But then hearing that
you have to do 60 reps,

And you have 30
seconds to do it,

And all the game plans
that athletes put together

To attack a workout... you can't
do that on something like that.

And that's the cool
aspect of it is like, OK,

I just have to move.

What also must be
so terrifying to work

Out with this dude is how
incredibly compliant he is,

Right?

Oh, you're going to do grace.

He's like, OK, we can
do grace... got you.

Double Grace... OK, fine.

Now it's 60 reps.

Like there's just no... just
whatever you tell him to do,

He's like, OK well,
I'll excel at that.

If anything is Rich's jam,
I would say it's something

Like Double Grace.

[Bell]

ANNOUNCER: Here we go!

Final heat of the final
event of the 2014 Reebok

CrossFit Games... Double Grace.

Three, two, one, go.

I was talking to Matt.

He's like, I don't know if
singles may be the way to go.

And he's like, I
think we can do fives.

So I'm like all right.

So I tried.

I was like, nope... twos.

But if you watch him drop the
barbell, count in your head.

On the first grace, there's
about three to four seconds.

On the second grace, there's
five seconds in between.

1,001, 1,002, 1,003,
1,004, 1,000-pick it up.

For 60 repetitions... boom.

Just like that... and
that's Rich's game.

REPORTER: He just
dominates the field

In anything and everything
that's thrown in his direction.

Jason was right ahead of
me, so I had to do some work.

And I was like,
well, I'm this close.

I'm almost done.

It's the last time I'll
be in this stadium,

Might as well push through
and try to win another event.

REPORTER: Five reps to
go for Rich Froning.

2011 Fittest Man on Earth,
2012 Fittest Man on Earth,

2013... Rich Froning...
The Fittest Man on Earth.

In 2014, Rich Froning is
the Fittest Man in History!

[Cheers]

I was happy.

It was... it was good.

It was what I needed to do.

Finishing the games with a win
was the way I needed it to end.

It was the way I
wanted it to end.

I wanted him to win because
I knew that this was it.

And he wasn't just saying it.

[Cheers]

No doubt that Rich Froning is
the fittest athlete on earth.

And I maintain the
argument about the fittest

Athlete in history.

JAMES HOBART: Rich, being
the fittest man in history.

He is without a doubt the
fittest man in history.

DAVE CASTRO:
There's no one who's

Ever been this fit before.

There's no one this fit now.

JUSTIN BERGH: He's not just
the fittest man in history.

He's probably will go down as
one of the best competitors

That you're ever gonna find.

MAN: Any single
metric that you could

Test... he can blend
them together and come

Out on top of any field.

We have seen the data.

We have it listed of
what he's accomplished.

JAMES HOBART: Especially
with his performance

Across the open, across
Regionals, across sectionals,

Across the games... an
extremely legitimate claim

Born through competition that he
is the fitness man in history.

Yeah, I think so.

He established a
precedent in fitness

That everybody else will
be measuring themselves

Against for the rest of time.

PAT SHERWOOD: I don't know
what he's doing right now.

But wherever he is right
now, he's the fittest

Person in the world.

And wherever he is
tomorrow at this time,

That's where the fittest
person in the world will be.

And there's the potential
that if he doesn't show up

At the games and
someone else wins,

They're just the fittest because
he didn't show up that year.

I want to see somebody
beat him at the games,

And then I will be able to say
without a shadow of a doubt,

Yes, you're fitter
than Rich Froning

Because I saw it with
my own eyes, you know,

Not just that he was out
doing something else.

He's redefined what it means
to be fit through using CrossFit

And how we've tested
it in CrossFit.

Was there someone
20, 30, 40 years ago

Who had the capacity he did?

Possibly... who know?

But they didn't
have the constantly,

Very functional movements
executed at high intensity

To express that capacity.

And they didn't have an
event like the CrossFit games

To show it to the world.

So no, not satisfied with
what I've done so far.

There's so... I've
got to do more.

I don't know what that more is.

But there's still more to do.

[Music playing]

[Music playing]

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