With the 2017 Reebok CrossFit Games in the rearview mirror and the changes in the 2018 season looming over the horizon, it's time to look back at the 2017 Games for some lessons.

1. Madison, Wisconsin, Is A Worthy Home For The Games

When news broke that the Games would be moving to Madison, Wisconsin, no one outside of HQ really knew what they were aiming to achieve with the move. That decision turned out to be really awesome for the Games.

The Coliseum venue was fantastic, and the energy there was greater than at any of the events at the Tennis Stadium. The potential of the rest of the city and venue is also incredibly high. While the North Park area could be improved with some different design choices, the Dog Park could be home to some iconic Games events in the future.

2. The Range Of Testing In The Games Is Getting Bigger And That's Awesome

Running, swimming, biking, couplets, triplets, chippers, barbells, dumbbells, and more. You name it, the athletes at the CrossFit Games were tested on it. Short workouts, long workouts, muscle endurance, and power output were all there in spades.

With greater scope of testing comes more validity to the Games as the ultimate test of fitness.

3. Games Athletes Were Already Superhuman, Now They're Absolute Mutants

CrossFit Games athletes have always been the tip of the spear when it comes to fitness, but this era of CrossFit Games athletes are more capable and fit than anyone could have predicted.

From biking to obstacle courses to heavy snatches, the best male and female CrossFitters in the world have an insane capacity across everything. To put the escalation of fitness into perspective, the top women's time in Amanda 45, 8:51 by Jamie Greene, would have been 8th place at the original Amanda event in 2010 even though it's more than twice the volume.

On the men's 1RM snatch, the winning lift of 305lb by Garret Fisher was greater than or equal to nine of the max clean & jerks from the 2015 CrossFit Games.

4. Mat Fraser Will Be The Games Champion As Long As He Wants To Be

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Fraser is one of the rare athletes with talent, commitment, and the desire to win. He's shown what he can do with time and dedication to his craft, going from barely second place in 2014 and 2015 to the two most dominant victories in CrossFit Games history.

He's been pushed by his own successes and failures as much as he has by contenders like Ben Smith, Patrick Vellner, and Brent Fikowski. As far as a recipe for success, Fraser has found it: commit to the process, smash your weaknesses, and compete with a thirst for blood.

5. The Women's Division Is The Most Exciting Show At The Games

If the finale from the 2017 Games didn't convince you, you only need to look back at the top finishes from the past few years of women's division at the Games. Since 2014, the women's winner has been decided in the last event and the women's division has never had an unstoppable, dominant champion like Rich Froning or Mat Fraser.

Katrin Davidsdottir's wins in 2015 and 2016 were down to the wire and the 2017 championship came down to just two points, and on top of that the women's division is getting deeper and more talented every year.

Camille Leblanc-Bazinet, the 2014 champ, entered the 2017 Games better than ever. The 2015 and 2016 champ Katrin Davidsdottir is poised to be a perennial contender for the title. Tia-Clair Toomey has been ready to take the championship for years and showed up in 2017 hungry and ready to die for it. Kara Webb finally lived up to her potential with an epic performance at the 2017 Games. Tennil Reed-Beuerlein had the lead for several days at the 2017 Games and is only going to get better as she matures into the sport more.

Overall, the future of the CrossFit Games is brighter than ever with the best athletes, on the biggest stage, competing in the toughest test.