Wodapalooza 2019 is in the books, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Outside of the weather being a small issue on Sunday morning, the entire weekend was filled with intensity, energy and good competition for all involved. 

At the end of the day we have another man, woman and team that officially qualified for the Reebok CrossFit Games in the second sanctioned of the new system. In case you didn’t catch all the action live here on FloElite, here’s a brief recap of what happened.

Men

First place: Patrick Vellner

Vellner knew that consistency would be key to achieving victory, and the second fittest man on Earth did just that. He took second in Double Vision and won Special Delivery and didn’t look back. He was doing so well that by the time the men started the final event, Robin, he had already clinched the victory. That said, Vellner was feeling pressure to perform well. 

“There were at least two events that were very high-execution events where any small mistake would be very costly, so they were very stressful,” he told FloElite. 

Vellner joins Fittest Man on Earth, Mat Fraser, as the second man to make it to Madison. With this win, Vellner showed that he should be considered the No. 1 contender to the title. Taking home $25,000 is certainly nice, too. Although he is going to Madison, Vellner does plan on competing again before then. 

“I’ll do the Open and the Rogue Invitational to check in,” he said.

Vellner also shared his appreciation for his fans, followers, and supporters: “Thanks for all the love and support. I might go off the grid for a bit now, but I appreciate the love.”

Second Place: Travis Mayer

Mayer has been on a mission to make it back to the Games after missing an opportunity to compete there in 2018. The 2018 Granite Games champ may not have won this weekend, but he’s in a good spot. Should Vellner win a spot in the Open, then the qualifying spot here will go to the second-place finisher. Mayer likely won’t settle for that and still attempt to earn his own place.

Third Place: Noah Ohlsen 

Ohlsen is a local favorite but didn’t start the weekend the way he wanted. He finished the first day in 19th place in what he called “the worst day of competition I’ve had in a while.” What he did over the course of the weekend was nothing short of inspiring, as he worked and gave all he had to climb his way back up and make the podium. Had it not been for the rough start, he could’ve very well taken the win, but there will be other opportunities.

Women 

First Place: Tia-Clair Toomey

If you watched Toomey compete in Robin, then you know why she’s the Fittest Woman on Earth for the last two years. It was transitions and smaller things that she does so well which keeps her in the lead. For example, when she was dropping the barbell, she would stop it from bouncing so she can restart faster. She also kept transitions from one activity to the next to a minimum by running and starting immediately which saved precious seconds. While details like that are important, her overall performance from start to finish is why she’s leaving Miami with $25,000 and going to Madison to attempt a three-peat.

Second Place: Kari Pearce

Pearce started the weekend winning Double Vision and tying with Toomey for second on Special Delivery but wasn’t able to stop the champ from taking the lead. As with Mayer on the men’s side, Pearce does have a chance to still qualify should Toomey compete in and win a spot in the Open; then Pearce moves on to Madison thanks to being runner-up in Miami.

Third Place: Sara Sigmundsdottir

Saturday was Sigmundsdottir’s best day of the weekend, but unfortunately for her, it wasn’t enough to overtake Pearce for second. Whereas Toomey was transitioning well from one activity to another, Sigmundsdottir took a couple more seconds at different times and it cost her. Like Mayer on the men’s side, Sigmundsdottir wants this new season to be one of redemption. While she may not have won this weekend, this is her second podium finish in a row, so definitely keep your eye on her in future events.

Other Notes

Team ROMWOD/WIT won the elite coed team competition and joins CrossFit Invictus as the second team to have qualified for the CrossFit Games. 

The next sanctioned event will be coming up in a couple weeks. “Fittest in Cape Town” starts on Jan. 31 and will be the next opportunity for athletes to win a qualifying spot. 

The Open starts on Feb. 22 and will include five weeks of workouts. Remember that if any of the winners earns a spot in the Open, second-place finishers from this weekend will also qualify for the Games.

For more information and full results, you can go to wodapalooza.com. You can also catch replays of all the action from Miami right here on FloElite.

Roger Lockridge is from Lewisburg, West Virginia. His work has been featured on numerous platforms and magazines in the fitness industry over the last 10 years. You can find him on Twitter and Instagram @rocklockridge.