Creek Road Runners are proud to recognize one of its own, CRR Sue Barton, as a world champion!
A longtime triathlete, Barton has recently become involved in the CrossFit craze—billed as the “sport of fitness.” Competing for the team UD CrossFit, the 60-year-old Barton recently bested 635 other women worldwide in the 60-69 age group within the slightly easier “scaled” (as opposed to the “prescribed” or “Rx”) category in the CrossFit Games, held over a five-week period from October 11 to November 8 all over the world in separate CrossFit venues.
The CrossFit Games involved five events (workouts) meant to challenge one’s strength, agility, and stamina within a timed and judge-certified environment. Each workout takes place over the period of a weekend and is announced on a Thursday.
As in a cross-country meet, the lowest score combining five workout places is the winner. Barton’s total of 79 points bettered American women who placed second with 88 points and third with 99 points, respectively. She was tops in the world in the third workout, which certainly gave her a good edge on the title.
Other Creek Road Runners who competed in the Rx open division for the UD CrossFit team, which placed 3,565th worldwide and 10th among teams within the state of Delaware, included CRR Andrew Weber, CRR Barret Michalec, and CRR Anja Leefeldt. Weber, who also certified four of Barton’s five workouts, placed 4th among the 16 male UD CrossFit competitors in the Rx division; Michalec placed 12th. Leefeldt was 10th among the UD CrossFit women in the Rx division.
The five workouts included:
Workout One (Time cap: 15 minutes)
10 rounds for time of:
8 ground-to-overheads, 45 lb.
10 bar-facing burpees
Workout Two (Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:)
4 dumbbell thrusters
6 sit-ups
24 single-unders
15-lb. dumbbells
Workout Three (For time; Time cap: 9 min.)
21 deadlifts, 80 lb.
21 hand-release knee push-ups
15 deadlifts, 80 lb.
15 hand-release knee push-ups
9 deadlifts, 80 lb.
9 hand-release knee push-ups
21 deadlifts, 105 lb.
50-ft. bear crawl
15 deadlifts, 105 lb.
50-ft. bear crawl
9 deadlifts, 105 lb.
50-ft. bear crawl
Workout Four (For time; Time cap: 20 min.)
30 box jumps, 16 in.
15 clean and jerks, 35 lb.
30 box jumps, 16 in.
15 clean and jerks, 45 lb.
30 box jumps, 16 in.
10 clean and jerks, 65 lb.
30 medicine-ball step-ups, 14 lb.
10 clean and jerks, 75 lb.
30 medicine-ball step-ups, 14 lb.
5 clean and jerks, 85 lb.
30 medicine-ball step-ups, 14 lb.
5 clean and jerks, 105 lb.
Workout Five (For time, partitioned in any way; Time cap: 20 min.)
40 jumping chest-to-bar pull-ups
80-cal. row
120 wall-ball shots, 10-lb. ball to 8 ft.
Here are Barton’s scores and world ranking among 60-69-yr.-olds in each of the five CrossFit Games competitive workouts (click to see larger view).
Barton is a professor and Extension Specialist in plant and soil sciences at the University of Delaware.
CRR Barret Michalec, associate dean of Interprofessional Education for the College of Health Sciences and associate professor of sociology at the University of Delaware, was named one of five Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation’s 2019 Macy Faculty Scholars nationwide. The Scholars program, open to educators in medicine and nursing schools, aims to identify innovators in medicine and nursing education and give them the resources to establish new programs at their respective institutions. Michalec was selected from more than 70 applicants for the prestigious award.
In the half-marathon, CRR Dan Weile took 3rd in the 40-44 age group and finished 41st overall (out of 892 finishers) in a fast 1:35:04. CRR Tripp Shenton finished 2nd among his peers in the 55-59 age group and 83rd overall in 1:43:25.
On Saturday in the Delaware Marathon Running Festival 5K, CRR Diane Kukich won the 60-69 age group, coming in 15th overall (out of 115 finishers) in 23:55. This was Kukich’s best 5K time in five years.
On April 3rd, three men from our group ran the Caesar Rodney Half Marathon. At age 37, CRR Barret Michalec led the way with an impressive 1:29:10, finishing 27th overall out of 612 competitors, while 65-yr.-old CRR Doug Repetti (65-69) ran a 1:50:26, and 63-yr.-old CRR Jon Fletcher finished in 2:06:03 (2:04:57 chip).
At this past Monday’s Boston Marathon, CRR Christina Parsons set a personal best at Boston by 5 minutes and 36 seconds, coming down Boylston Street and across the finish line in 3:48:56.