The Fittest on Earth (& in the Office)
Chris Rhyme, our CEO and partner, is a CrossFit enthusiast. He got a dose of CrossFit training and instantly found a passion for it. He had been training in his garage consistently for a few years and had never dreamed of trying to go to the Crossfit Games. Despite not sharing this widely among his friends and clients until now, Chris was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2014. Crossfit offered him an outlet to fight back against MS and helped cultivate physical, but more importantly mental toughness as he weathered the vicissitudes of this often-debilitating neurological disease. While in Wisconsin on a family trip in August of 2022 he stumbled across an article describing the winner of the CrossFit Games’ neuromuscular (now named the “multi modal division”) division that year who had Multiple Sclerosis just like he did. After realizing there was a division for people with similar adaptive impairments, he went home that week and tried some of the workouts in his garage that his division did that year at the Games. His performance on those workouts started a spark of hope that he just might have a chance to make it to the Crossfit Games in 2023 if he trained hard for the next year.
In order to make it to Madison Wisconsin in 2023 for the Crossfit Games known as the ultimate test of fitness and the proving grounds of the fittest athletes on earth, he would have to compete in the CrossFit Open in February 2023 which is a worldwide competition consisting of 4 workouts released each week in February. He would need to place in the top 5 in the world in his division to receive an invitation to the Crossfit Games that following August.
So starting at 5AM on August 13th, 2022 Chris started training 6 days a week with a seemingly impossible goal in mind. He also sought out Kevin Ogar who was a leading adaptive Crossfit Coach and owned a gym about 30 minutes from Chris’s house called Crossfit Watchtower. As he walked into the gym to meet Kevin He saw a sign that typified the year ahead if read:
“Will it be Easy? Nope. Worth it? Absolutely."
With many early mornings and a firm dedication to the process Chris trained hard until he counted down the days to the Open. He did well enough to qualify in the Multi Extremity division and received his formal invite to the Crossfit Games on May 12th.
With a formal invite and official dates in hand he started ramping up training to 2-3 sessions per day to prepare for the volume the Crossfit Games would require of him. He prioritized his training and carved out time throughout his day—making it to the gym before sunrise, during his lunch, or after a long day in the office. Chris is an inspiration to us all in the office, just hearing about his latest training regimen made us work up a sweat.
In August, Chris and his family traveled to Madison, Wisconsin for the week-long competition. Chris was welcomed with Nobull-branded workout clothes and an athletic locker. The fittest athletes from across the globe were under one arena roof, competing for a spot on the podium. Chris was faced with 8 demanding workouts over 3 days. The difficulty was amplified by the heat which reached 124 degrees on the Northpark Field where Chris had 5 of the 8 workouts. The games are known to create unique movements and formats that athletes can’t specifically prepare for before taking the competition floor.
Through the emotional roller coaster that included 4 first place event finishes and one last place finish Chris ended up crossing the finish line of his final workout on August 3rd 2023 (his 37th birthday) the Champion of the multi extremity division. He was crowned the Fittest on Earth in the 2023 Nobull Crossfit Games. He was surrounded by CrossFit legends throughout the arena and his family—his number one supporters throughout his journey.
Chris returned to the office with a “Fittest on Earth” medal around his neck, proudly flexing his latest accomplishment! The Noble team couldn’t be happier for our leader—he has worked extremely hard and proved that each of us is capable of more than we imagine if we have the courage to attempt something audacious and the discipline to earn it.
