All Hero WODs are special but this one is about my friend Glen.
Glen beat me in my first ever Crossfit contest. I took 3rd, he placed 2nd. I remember looking over and seeing him drink beer in between sets of deadlifts. After the awards were given out they realized there had been a mistake and Glen had actually won. He said that it didn’t matter. Glen wanted you to win. As long as everyone had fun he was fine with second. He then gave his prizes away to some kids.
Coach Ali and I knew Glen in California. We always used to joke that the girls hated it when Glen would walk in the bar. Every guy in the place would step over their own mother to go talk to Glen. He was the only person who could cock-block an entire bar for both men and women. After all, Glen was amongst other things; hilarious, charming, a pilot, a badass skier, a badass surfer, a sniper, a paramedic and oh yeah… a Navy SEAL. Glen had been a ski bum in Utah before deciding to give up a life of recreation and take up something completely different. After 9/11 Glen stayed in the Navy despite multiple recurrent injuries.
I couldn’t wait to talk to Glen. Hearing about clandestine adventures in exotic places we would be like kids lining up to hang on every word. He would tell every story with this aloof sense of humor. His casual “can you believe they let ME do this” way made it seem like he was just a normal guy. He was anything but.
The thing with Glen was, after about a minute he would flip the script and have whoever he was talking to telling him their stories. It would always be something like, “So yeah, we had to run back across the border to meet our helicopter home, somewhere along the way I lost my pants. But hey! I hear you just signed up for a new lacrosse league?! Thats awesome, I never played lacrosse but wish I had, tell me more!”
He would listen, really listen. He would sound jealous of the knee-high waves I surfed or the lines I skied. He hung on every word. He could have trumped every story I told but never did. Everyone saw him as larger than life and when you got to hang out with him you got to feel that way too. Glen wasn’t the best guy I knew because he was a SEAL or a pilot. Glen was the best guy because when you were with him he made you the best as well. Glen wanted you to win.
Glen was killed on September 11th, 2012 at the U.S. consulate in Lybia.
“Glen”
For time:
30 Clean and Jerk 135/95
1 mile run
10 rope climbs
1 mile run
100 burpees
During the workout you must drink 1 bottle of beer.