Thursday, September 10^th [5:00 PM]

Registration commences in the National Hockey Center. 1300 Athletes descend upon St Cloud from all corners of the country, and further still. We welcomed Athletes from countries near and far, some even making the trek from places like Panama, Venezuela, or Australia. Energy ran high and the atmosphere was electric as Athletes in all divisions secured their Granite Games swag and snapped pre-competition selfies. Many traveled with an entourage–family and friends who made the trip as well to offer support and a dedicated cheering section in the stands. Some ran into almost every snag imaginable in their quest to (literally) travel the Road to Minnesota–delayed and canceled flights, missed connections, unplanned road trips, flat tires, bad weather, road construction… But the determination to reach their destination won out, even if it meant late check-in at 6 AM the next morning! When it was all said and done, over a thousand Athletes passed through registration, ready to take on three days of competition, challenge themselves on new levels, and create incredible memories to take away from it all.

Friday, September 11^th [10:00 AM]

The first event of the 2015 Granite Games kicks off, the Minnesota Triathlon, which featured a new (third) venue this year, taking place outside in the crisp autumn sunshine in front of the National Hockey Center. Community Teams are the first to face down the Ski-Erg/Assault Bike-Run triplet, and it was punishing. As the day progressed, we saw Athletes across divisions taking on all sorts of challenges. Among them were Strict & Heavy, Doubles & Squats, 40-30-20-10, Syncro Double Time, and Carry & Climb. The sandbags made quite the impression on Athletes, some of them flipping them for the very first time, and legless rope, as always, climbs proved to be a great separator amongst the field.

Saturday, September 12^th [6:50 AM]

Masters Athletes are up and ready to get day two started with their go at the Minnesota Triathlon. Things get real heavy on Saturday with the 1 Rep Max Clean, then shift gears for some Gymnasty work in Handstands, Gymnasty Chipper and Nine Lives before picking up the pace with the Speed Squat. Community Teams meet Strict & Heavy, while the Pros, AsRx and Masters Athletes Hang Ten. We ended the night with Stubby, breaking out the axle bars for a little shoulder to overhead and walking lunge action before crowning our Pro Individual champs. The granite changed hands this year, with Albert-dominic Larouche and birthday girl Sara Sigmundsdottir taking top honors. Larouche, we’d be remiss not to point out, actually started his Road to Minnesota with the Online Qualifier, fought his way through the ranks for a qualifying spot in the Pro Division, and dominated the field for first place. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for this Athlete’s fitness future!

Saturday was also Fan Appreciation Day at the Granite Games. Fitness fans and their families were able to enjoy the gorgeous Minnesota sunshine with some outdoor beanbag toss fun in the afternoon and in the evening, Pro Athletes, still sweaty from their final workout, were signing autographs and snapping photos with the crowd at our Meet & Greet event.

Sunday, September 13^th [8:00 AM]

The final day of competition starts off strong with Women’s Open Teams of III facing off with Waterfall and Pro Teams going up against Sandbags & Doubles. More divisions try their hands against Stubby, and Over the Hill/Up the Hill gives everyone a run for their money. The Pros put on a spectacular midday show with the Oly Meet, lifting superhuman loads for an appreciative crowd. Some, like Talayna Fortunato of Team Tasty, even came away with a new PR! Syncro Fran also made an appearance on Sunday for the Pros, who had to work together in this variation on the well-known workout. Finally, we wrapped the day with the crowning of our top Athletes & teams in all divisions. So many fantastic stories came out of this year’s Granite Games, and we wish we could cover them all here, but we’ll need to save some of it for future blogs! Amongst the highlights: Canadian women dominated the field in the Women 45 – 49 Division and showed their national pride on the podium. Shawn Ramirez, Christine Watts, Ron Ortiz, Kathy Ljubicic, Rob Bernet and Cindy Briggs showed us that fitness doesn’t end at 40. And Community Teams Reebok North, Timberwolf CrossFit A-Team and Redline Gear repped their communities with a 1-2-3 placing in their division. For the full leaderboard, click here.

And because it’s not a wrap without an after-party, following the crowning of our victors, spectators and Athletes alike proceeded to The Pickled Loon in downtown St Cloud for some socializing. Kill Cliff stocked the bar for us, and we were mixing up some Tasty cocktails all night long!