Saturday morning in Seattle…The rain is coming down with a vengeance as the 12th Man Legion prepares for the battle against the New Orleans Saints just a few miles away. And I too am preparing…to help a friend with a battle unlike any other.
I’m at Crossfit Belltown (http://crossfitbelltown.com/) with the Seattle/Tacoma TRVLSQD Team to assist John Templeman in his quest to raise money for his beloved Green Beret Foundation (http://greenberetfoundation.org/). He’ll attempt to execute as many burpees in 6 hours as he can – a feat 99.9% of this world wouldn’t even consider attempting. I’d rather help manage the pouring of the cold nectar supplied by Georgetown Brewery (http://georgetownbeer.com/)Â ,update our teams across the country, and to simply be on hand to witness such an unusually beautiful spectacle!
John is a sinewy fella, a jovial spirit with the toughness of a truly weathered warrior. He had his “stage” set….the towels, the electrolyte drinks, the bucket of water, food, the countdown timer, the Team he had asked for, and most importantly – he had a focus as intense as any professional athlete (you’d just never know it – that Templeman grin reveals nothing, except to leave you wondering what is really going on in his mind).
As the minutes turned into hours, you could see the burpee demons nibbling on John’s shoulders, his wrists, and eventually a knee. Between watching the live broadcast of the game and trying to focus on the task at hand, I was lucky enough to simply watch John fight…..and fight….and fight, until he did reach the end of the suffering. Pride is the only thing anyone felt at this moment…a chance to congratulate John as his sweaty carcass lay on the floor. He had a new personal best, and he surpassed his financial goal. Mission complete.
To everyone that supported him, friends, family, co-workers, teammates, and those across the country – there is always something to be passionate about. Go find your passion – and suffer well!
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