I’m thrilled we’re able to host Memorial Day Murph in person at The Port this year! Together as a community, we memorialize the veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country by completing the CrossFit hero WOD “Murph”.
The doors will open at 8am on Memorial Day, Monday, May 31st. We will begin the day with a quick group warm-up, stretch, and photo! Heats will start around 8:30am and will continue until everyone is finished. After you complete the workout we will have refreshments and a delicious catered brunch available for all! Feel free to hang out, socialize, and play some lawn games with your Port family.
We hope you will join us. It’s going to be a great day!
“Murph”
1 Mile Run
100 Pull-Ups
200 Push-Ups
300 Air Squats
1 Mile Run
This year we will be requiring all of you to register for this workout and you will be placed in specific heats and lanes. Please take some time to read over all the details below and chat with a Coach if you have any questions.
“Murph” is a grueling workout and as athletes, we must be smart about how we approach it. The volume and intensity are very high so please modify the movements and reps as necessary. We want you to successfully complete this workout so take a peek at the options below and decide what will work best for you. Again, if you have any questions on how you should approach this ask a coach!
WOD options are as follows –
1) Straight through with or without a weight vest
This is a great option for those who are experienced CrossFit athletes who have been diligently training for Murph using our Murph Prep Program.
2) Rounds of Cindy (5 Pull-Ups, 10 Push-Ups, 15 Air Squats)
This is a great option for athletes who want to complete all the reps but find moving from one movement to the other can minimize fatigue and muscle failure. You can increase the # of reps each round and reduce the total number of rounds.
3) With a PARTNER – either Straight Through or with Round of Cindy
This is my preferred way to complete this WOD! So fun and really manageable for those who want to participate but know the volume would be too much for them. Partners run the mile at the beginning and end together.
4) Scaling will be key for those who can not do the RX movements. Here are some options for you:
– Pull-Ups can be scaled with ring rows or kneeling pull-ups using a racked barbell.
– Push-Ups can be scaled with a monster band or a box.
– Air Squats can be performed onto a box or ball.
– The 1-mile run can be a row (2000/1600m) or a bike (120/96 cal)
Hopefully, this helps you decide how you will tackle this workout. Again, you MUST register for this event by Saturday, May 29th. Here is the link to do so – https://forms.gle/aqBgmJFapLJptKQKA
In closing here is a little background about this workout and why it’s so special to participate in it!
Murph is more than just a workout, it is a tradition that helps push us, humble us, and dedicate a bit of pain and sweat to honor a man who gave everything he had. The Hero WOD was one of Mike’s favorites which he named “Body Armor”. But due to his incredible sacrifice, it is now referred to in the CrossFit community as “Murph”. We participate in remembering and honoring the great Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005.
LT. Michael P. Murphy was the officer-in-charge of a four-man SEAL element in support of Operation Red Wings, tasked with finding a key anti-coalition militia commander near Asadabad, Afghanistan. Shortly after inserting into the objective area, the SEALs were spotted by three goat herders who were initially detained and then released. It is believed the goat herders immediately reported the SEALs’ presence to Taliban fighters.
A fierce gun battle ensued on the steep face of the mountain between the SEALs and a much larger enemy force. Despite the intensity of the firefight and suffering grave gunshot wounds himself, Murphy is credited with risking his own life to save the lives of his teammates. Murphy, intent on making contact with headquarters, but realizing this would be impossible in the extreme terrain where they were fighting, unhesitatingly and with complete disregard for his own life moved into the open, where he could gain a better position to transmit a call to get help for his men.
Moving away from the protective mountain rocks, he knowingly exposed himself to increased enemy gunfire. This deliberate and heroic act deprived him of cover and made him a target for the enemy. While continuing to be fired upon, Murphy made contact with the SOF Quick Reaction Force at Bagram Air Base and requested assistance. He calmly provided his unit’s location and the size of the enemy force while requesting immediate support for his team. At one point, he was shot in the back causing him to drop the transmitter. Murphy picked it back up, completed the call, and continued firing at the enemy who was closing in. Severely wounded, LT. Murphy returned to his cover position with his men and continued the battle.
LT. Murphy fought on, allowing one member of his team (Marcus Luttrell) to escape before he was killed. For his selfless actions, LT. Michael Murphy was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor on October 27, 2007. We honor his sacrifice and memory through a little sweat and a little pain on Memorial Day.
