COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Many Americans are honoring those lives lost in the line duty Monday, CrossFit gyms across the country are choosing to do so by working out.
After weeks of being out of the gym, many people returned to Boomfit - Home of College Station Crossfit, a week ago. Just in time for the workout that happens each Memorial Day, the Murph Challenge.
“This workout is unique because it’s a really long, hard workout," said Charlie Lima, the owner of Boomfit. "It’s very volume intensive.”
The Murph Challenge is a workout that many CrossFit gyms and members participate in on Memorial Day. It honors Navy Lt. Michael Murphy, who died in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005.
“It’s about him and so many other people," Lima said. "It is a tiny thing that we can do, but it’s a great way to remember the incredible blessing and opportunity it is to live in this country.”
The Murph Challenge has people running one mile, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats and finishing with another one-mile run. People also do it all while wearing a 20 lb. vest or body armor. At Boomfit on Monday, people also participated in modified versions of the Murph Challenge.
"Just have your heart in the right place and if it's in the right place, it all takes care of itself," Lima said.
For some members this year’s Murph Challenge was their first.
“I trained pretty hard the last month with my daughter who is home from college," said Julie White. "I was just wanting to finish it."
For others it is a workout they look forward to doing each year.
“For me it's good to be reminded that it is supposed to suck," Liz Kilpatrick.
Instead of doing the runs this year, Kilpatrick did two 4K rides on a stationary bike all while sporting two people’s names on her wrist, Peter Kraines and Joesph Helton. Both were military men she knew or knew of who lost their lives.
“When I was doing this workout that is who I was thinking of and I was thinking about the Kraines family and all the people that peter left behind," Kilpatrick said.
For many of the athletes who take part in the Murph Challenge thinking of those lives lost helps push them to finish.
"Every time I do something like this I’m just reminded of the sacrifices. I love that we get to do this every year," Kilpatrick said.