2024 Memorial Day Murph Details And Shirt Order

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It’ll be MAY this week, and if you’ve been a CrossFit athlete for any length of time you’ll know that May means Memorial Day. Which, of course, means our annual Murph Challenge is just around the corner!  Keep reading to learn more about the challenge itself, how to attend, and how to order your 2024 Murph Shirt!

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Memorial Day Murph Challenge – What, When, and Why?

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The Murph challenge is an annual workout that the CrossFit community takes on each Memorial Day.  In fact, “Murph” is one way a lot of people have found CrossFit throughout the years – whether they took on the challenge themselves and then learned about the CrossFit community after completing it, or a friend/ family member dragged them into a local affiliate to complete the workout with a class.  Whatever the case, the Memorial Day Murph Challenge is a bond that many CrossFit athletes share throughout the country and even worldwide!

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So what is the Murph Challenge, exactly?

Murph is what we call a “Hero WOD” in CrossFit, which are workouts created to honor a service member who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country. “Murph” was created in August 2005 to honor Michael Murphy. You can learn more about the Murph Challenge, and the man behind the workout right HERE.

We also highly recommend the film “Lone Survivor” which highlights Michael Murphy and his group, depicting their experience in Afghanistan from the memories of the lone surviving member of the group, Marcus Luttrell.

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The Murph Challenge itself is the following:

For Time, complete:

1 Mile Run

100 Pull-ups

200 Push-ups

300 Air Squats

1 Mile Run

* If you have a weight vest or body armor, wear it

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This workout is NOT for the faint of heart! It’s a long effort that has many different elements to challenge even the fittest athletes.

However, like all CrossFit workouts, the Murph Challenge is absolutely scalable and can be suited to a wide range of fitness levels.

The ability to have a workout that really packs a punch, but is also scalable for all is why the Murph Challenge is such a great community event at CrossFit affiliates, and one of the reasons we will continue to do it every Memorial Day!

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Aevitas Fitness 2024 Memorial Day Murph Challenge Details

Date: Monday, May 27th

Location: Both Aevitas locations

Time: 8:00 AM & 9:15 AM start times. Refreshments will be available after; bring a dish or drink to share if you’d like!

Cost: Free, but you can purchase a t-shirt or make a donation (see link below) – all proceeds go to the Wounded Warrior Project

– NOTE: This year’s Murph Challenge at Aevitas is being sponsored by Barcode, which means that every penny of the cost of your t-shirts is going directly to the cause!

‍Murph After Party!

Enjoy some refreshments post-workout with us! We will have samples of Barcode as well as some food and other drinks available.

Bring something to share with your WOD-mates, and stay to hang out as long as you’d like!

GET YOUR T-SHIRT!

Big thanks as always to Anna Oberkirker and Jon Noonan for making sure this year’s shirts are yet again a must-have item for your summer wardrobe! This year we have a black camo unisex t-shirt and a solid black ladies tank option.

If you’d like to contribute to the Wounded Warrior Project through our Murph Challenge event, but do NOT want a t-shirt, you may also use the t-shirt order form to pledge a $10, $20, or $50 donation.

The 2023 Murph T-Shirt Pre-order will only be open through Friday, May 17th – so make sure to get that order in ASAP!

MURPH T-SHIRT ORDER LINK

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Shortly after we will be in touch with you to confirm your intro session. We are excited to meet you!

Cody Futia

Coach

I have 2 younger brothers and a younger sister that are an army ranger, Michelin star chef, and D1 college athlete respectively. I was fortunate enough to play college lacrosse for Suny Albany from 2010-to 2014. During my time there our highest ranking was #3 in the nation.

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CF-L1, USAW L1

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Katiuska Gamez

Coach

I have always played sports I really enjoyed doing them. Before CF I was a rugby player I belonged to the national team from Venezuela for 6 years and I had the opportunity to move to Brazil and play as a professional there. Through all these years I discovered that I like to help people through the exercises not just for them to be able to move better but also to make better choices about nutrition and now CF has taught me many things, especially it has given me the tools to help more people to improve their lifestyle.

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CrossFit level 2 certification
Gymnastics course certification
CrossFit training master certification

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Anna Oberkircher

Coach

I grew up playing soccer the moment I could walk and then began swimming competitively around 8 years old. During high school, I suffered 2 major injuries that took me out of sports and another one in my first year of college. Even when I couldn’t play sports I loved going to the gym and that helped me get back into soccer to play my 2nd year of college. That was a tough moment for me because I wasn’t the same player I once was, and the environment wasn’t for me. After that, I continued going to a commercial gym but I still struggled. I miss the competitive edge and the community you get from sports. By Dec. 2017 I signed up for my first CrossFit class. I won’t lie I was very nervous but after my first month and meeting so many wonderful people, I was hooked! After a few years, I transitioned into just weightlifting. In 2020, I competed in my first mock-meet and even though I struggled with lifting in front of everyone, I wanted to keep getting better. Every competition after that I grew more and more confident, and I would always learn something new. These are some of my most cherished memories and they make me who I am today! In the summer of 2021, I started my training, to coach, under our Head Weightlifting Coach – Sam Axten. I absolutely love coaching Weightlifting and watching all our athletes grow both physically and mentally.

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USAW Level 1
USAW for Sport Performance
USAW LWC Referee
American Red Cross CPR/AED/First Aid Certified

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Lexi Nelson

Coach

I’ve been in the CrossFit/Fitness community for 8 years. It started as a way to exercise with my best friend and morphed into something I cannot live without. I met my husband through this community and have met so many awesome people along the way. I did competitive cheerleading growing up and found CrossFit right at the tail end of that.

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Original Strength Certification
Power Monkey (Gymnastics & Weightlifting) Seminars
The Movement Fix Seminar
Bachelors & Masters in Education
Working on my Administrative Leadership Certification

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Alyssa Garrison

Coach

I started playing softball at four years old and through the end of my collegiate career, much of my life revolved around sport. Through this, I spent a lot of time with my coaches. Knowing how big of an impact each of my coaches had on my life is what made me realize I wanted to coach athletes one day. While trying to become stronger for softball, I found CrossFit in 2015 and fell in love with it right away. Once I became a bit more seasoned in CrossFit and the community became my family, I knew I wanted to coach it. Becoming a coach allowed me to learn better movement patterns, become a stronger and healthier version of myself, and then help others do the same for themselves.

CERTIFICATIONS

CrossFit level 1 certified trainer
CrossFit level 1 certified trainer
USA W level 1 coach certification
USAW athlete rep for the NY WSO

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Dave Edelson

Coach

I’ve lived in the capital region since 2002 with my wife Diana. My favorite things to do in my spare time are hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, and of course CrossFit. In the past I’ve done lots of rock climbing, competed in adventure races, and played in countless hockey, softball, and racquetball leagues. Prior to moving to the area, I had the privilege of living in several different cities around the US, and several different countries around the world. This taught me a lot about people, and their differences and similarities. The most important thing I’ve learned through my life’s journey is how much you can learn by simply listening deeply to people and asking follow-up questions. I love to learn about people, what energizes them, and why they see things in certain ways.

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CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
CrossFit Level 2 Trainer

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Owen Putman

Coach

I started my athletic life as a Nordic skier when I was 5. I also started playing lacrosse around that time. I started competing in Nordic ski racing at 15 and was able to compete at junior nationals in 2015 and 2016. I played competitive lacrosse through college, playing 5 years at RPI and was a two year captain. After finishing skiing at the end of high school, I found CrossFit as a way to get in shape for college lacrosse. I instantley fell in love with crossfit and was at the gym 6 days a week for multiplel hours working out. I then realized that the weightlifting movements were my favorite parts of CrossFit. This lead me to doing exclusively Olympic weightlifting as a sport. Once in college I fell in love with the sport and trained continually through my career. During this time, I competed in multiple local meets, qualified for Junior Nationals, and competed in University Nationals in 2020.

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USAW L1, CF L1

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Kevin Drown

COACH

Sports have always played an important role in my life. I lettered in three varsity sports in high school: Football, basketball, and baseball. Our football team won the 2008 NYS Class C Section IX Championship and our basketball team won the 2007-2008 NYS Class NYS Class C Section IX Championship and Regional Championship. My high school coaches had a profound impact on my development as a person. I always knew I wanted to coach and try to have a similar impact on others. When I got hired at Shenendehowa as a social studies teacher, the opportunity presented itself for me to begin coaching at the high school level. That eventually led to me coaching and developing players in various camps and clinics. I have always tried to focus on the fundamentals behind the specific movements of the sports I coach. When I started doing CrossFit, I realized the tremendous benefits that this style of training can have on athletes at any age. As I have continued to work on my own fitness, I have become more focused on movement efficiency that allows athletes to perform at a higher level and prevent injuries. I now get to use what I learn in the world of CrossFit and fitness with my high school athletes and vice-versa.

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CrossFit Level 1 Trainer (CF-L1)
CrossFit’s Online Scaling Course, Dumbbells Course, Spot the Flaw Course, Anatomy Course, Running Course, and Master’s Course
NYS Dept. of Ed. Philosophy, Principals, and Organization of Athletics Ed.
NYS Dept. of Ed. Health Sciences Applied to Coaching
NYS Dept. of Ed. Theory and Techniques of Coaching

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Dave "Jazz" Jaskolka

COACH

In my youth, I enjoyed a lot of success as an athlete. I was blessed with a decent amount of natural ability, and my athleticism carried me pretty far. But once I started losing out to younger, bigger, stronger, faster, and more skilled athletes, I realized that just showing up wasn’t enough anymore. And when combined with the challenges of being a full blown adult (career, marriage, kids, homeownership, etc…), I began to struggle not only in my athletic pursuits, but also in my general health and fitness. I realized that for long term success, I needed to stop making excuses and just do the work. Now, I’m dedicated to sharing that realization with anyone and everyone who is willing to listen.

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CrossFit Level 1,
CrossFit StrongMan,
Spartan SGX

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Sam Axten

COACH

I am an endurance athlete by trade, but as a coach, I have been involved with CrossFit and weightlifting for ten years. Over those years, I’ve provided my expertise to a broad spectrum of athletes spanning all age categories and ability levels. My attention is now fixated on expanding my understanding of healthcare systems and the practice of medicine to serve better those who need fitness the most.

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License of Massage Therapy,
USAW National Coach, CF-L3

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Mike Pickering

Coach

Powered by careers as a safety engineer, corporate executive, combat veteran, proud father of five, and soon to be registered nurse, my story is about driving change, improving the lives of others, and a relentless drive for results. Whether on the battle field or in the boardroom, I have focused on our family motto “Keep Moving Forward.” As the famous Rocky Balboa says “You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.”

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CrossFit Level 1 Trainer, CrossFit Level 2 Trainer, Certified Pose Running Technique Specialist & Certified Running Coach (L1), CrossFit Regional Judge, CrossFit KB Cert, CrossFit Running Cert, Army Combat Veteran, Certified Spin Instructor

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Victoria Swann

Coach

Beginning both Irish and Scottish dance at the age of 5, I immediately fell in love with the movement, dedication, and hard work it took to actively compete and perform in the dance world. After being ranked 5th in the East for multiple years in a row (2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012), I decided to make a pivot and try my hand at teaching dance. I became a teacher at the age of 15, and have been actively teaching ever since. Aside from my dance career, I also played volleyball all throughout middle and high school. Let’s just say…that didn’t go as well as my dance career did. 

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CrossFit Level 1
CrossFit Level 2
Certified Dance Teacher since 2011

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Karen Southwick

Owner & Coach

I grew up playing team sports, and try to approach every challenge in and out of the gym with a do-it-together mentality. I strongly believe that the support of those around you is just as important as your personal strength when struggling through a grueling workout. And also, I like to have fun! Whether in the gym or adventuring outside, I’m usually having the time of my life.

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CrossFit Level 1 Certification
CrossFit Level 2 Certification
CrossFit Kids Certification

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Chad Southwick

Owner & Coach

I’ve always been fascinated by biomechanics. Fueled by my love for science and mathematics, physics was my favorite subject in school. My athletic career was primarily hockey for 8 months out of every year growing up, and peaked at the Clarkson University Division I practice squad.

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Masters Degree In Engineering From Georgia Tech
10 Years Of CrossFit Coaching Experience
8 Years Owning/Operating A CrossFit Affiliate
CrossFit Level 2 Certification
CrossFit Gymnastics Certificate
PR/First-Aid

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HAVE QUESTIONS?

Guilderland

We Would Love To Meet You!

Simply fill out the form below
& one of our amazing
coaches will be in touch asap! We are excited to meet you!

ARE YOU EXPERIENCED IN CROSSFIT AND LOOKING TO DROP-IN?

Guilderland

We Would Love To Meet You!
WARNING! Class Sizes Are Limited.

If you would like to reserve a spot… Simply fill out the form below letting us know what day you might come by & one of our amazing coaches will reach out to you to reserve your class.

OUR DROP-IN RATES

FIND US AT:

1 Charles Blvd, Albany, NY 12084

(518) 975-2787

OUR PRICING IS SIMPLE

Guilderland

We Want To Offer You The PERFECT Membership For YouR NEEDS.

Simply fill out the form below and one of our amazing coaches will send you our current membership information.