CrossFit at the Infantry School: strength, endurance, agility and a lot of mud

01/06/15

At the Infantry School, in one of Europe's largest military districts, a CrossFit race called the "Cross X Race" took place last Saturday.

The sporting event, authorized by the Army General Staff on the initiative of the Xample Sport asd Association, saw the presence of the commander of the Institute, divisional general Giovanni Manione, and of about 200 athletes, professionals and amateurs, of all ages and sex, which were measured on a very challenging military path to obstacles.

There are two types of routes planned for the competition, both of which have remained secret to the last, so as not to allow participants to know in advance what obstacles they would have faced: the first of 8 km, called "Iron Cross", open to amateurs and average trained athletes, with a minimum age of 16 years; the second, instead, of 13 km, called "Super Iron Cross", for well-trained and adult athletes.

Gates opened in the barracks already at 9 in the morning, to allow participants to have their data recorded for access to the military installation and thus begin preparation and heating for the competition, then, at 11.00, the start of the first batteries , among the applause and the looks of so many wives, children, husbands and girlfriends to support their loved ones.

The carefully prepared course of the race was characterized by a continuous alternation of hard and irregular terrain, slippery, marshy and muddy areas, some of which can only be overcome using the "leopard pass" technique. Many natural and artificial obstacles, walls to climb, ditches to jump, ropes on which to climb and, in the end, so much mud, sweat and ... satisfaction.

The Xample Sport is one of the many associations in Italy that today organizes sporting events on routes that, with ever greater accuracy, refer to physical training and military training to which the soldiers of the Italian Army are subjected and who are peculiar activities for the performance of the specific tasks of the Armed Force. In this context, the Army, and the Infantry School in particular, contributed to the organization of the competition, providing logistical support and hosting the event within the military district.

At the end of the race, the divisional general Giovanni Manione congratulated the organizers of the event, emphasizing the fundamental importance that sport must have in the life of each of us and, in particular, in military training, and wanted to personally reward the top three finishers.