After a spirited warm up, we’ll tackle the CrossFit Hero Chad 1000x in teams of 2.
Chad’s story through The Step Up Foundation
October 29, 2018, Navy SEAL Chad Wilkinson took his life.
While approaching his 21st year of active duty and experiencing multiple combat deployments, his body and his mind had taken too much.
Following his death, his family donated his brain to science and would later learn he suffered from interface astroglial scarring. This scarring is similar to the more readily heard chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) or punch drunk. However, interface astroglial scarring is specific to our veterans in that it doesn’t necessarily occur with physical contact or trauma but rather blast waves they are exposed to in both training and combat.
This scarring is making its way into our military due to excessive exposure to blast wave injury experienced in both training and combat.
Chad was an aspiring mountaineer, and following his death the world took to Chad’s workout for climbing expeditions: 1,000 box step-ups with a 45 lb pack. This workout is now known as CHAD1000X, and has grown to be a testament of the struggles our military face with PTSD, TBI’s and blast wave injury. As Chad often said, “Uncomfortable can’t last forever”. This annual Veterans Day workout now serves as a trademarked platform for fellow Americans to honor our veterans and their invisible wounds. We stand beside them in support, we honor their struggle and will fight for their comfort as they have for us.
Thus, The Step Up Foundation was born.
Take a quick look at a CrossFit video about Grace.