Ep. 021: 2022 Wodapalooza Preview

Published: Jan. 12, 2022, noon

In this episode, Games athletes Margaux Alvarez and Adrian Conway join host Chase Ingraham to preview the competition that is set to take place Thursday, Jan. 13, to Sunday, Jan. 16.

"This field is absolutely stacked. I have never had a harder time picking a top three \u2014 for both the men and women \u2014 than I have now, because this is just riddled with multiple-year Games athletes, elite individuals from top to bottom.\u201d \u2014Chase Ingraham

Things are heating up in Miami, Florida, as a stacked field of athletes gets fired up to compete at Wodapalooza (WZA), an offseason, CrossFit-licensed event. This year marks the competition\u2019s 10th anniversary.

What began as a one-day event has grown into a four-day \u201cFunctional Fitness Festival,\u201d with over 2,300 athletes competing across 20+ different divisions, including teen, masters, and adaptive divisions.

After reminiscing about their own experiences competing, spectating, and soaking up the ambiance at WZA, Alvarez, Conway, and Ingraham discuss their podium picks for the men\u2019s and women\u2019s divisions as well as the three-person elite team divisions.

The trio unanimously predicts second-fittest man on Earth Pat Vellner and West Coast Classic winner Bethany Shadburne will rise to the top of the leaderboard.

On the team side, Mayfem \u2014 with teammates Andrea Nisler, Taylor Williamson, and Haley Adams \u2014 is the front runner for the women, while The Boys \u2014 Noah Ohlsen, Chandler Smith, and Travis Mayer \u2014 and Mayhem In Paradise \u2014 Rich Froning, Angelo Diciccio, and Luke Parker \u2014 are heavy favorites to win for the men.

Ingraham also reveals that Scott Panchik, who announced his retirement days before the 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games, has accepted an invitation to compete at the event.

Don\u2019t miss the action! Watch Wodapalooza live on Wodapalooza\u2019s YouTube channel for free and tune in to the CrossFit Games podcast each day following the competition for a live recap of the day\u2019s events.

For more information, visit www.wodapalooza.com or follow @wodapalooza on Instagram.