Corte Madera's Cave People Face 'The Bridgepocalypse'

Feeling a little run down, maybe even hung over, after a night of partying? Recharge those batteries for the Bridgepocalypse, a series of physical challenges organized by The Cave, a Corte Madera CrossFit workout center. The event starts at 10 a.m. at the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge on New Year's Day, but show up early.

The Course:  This year's theme is "Bridgepocalypse" because, if you believe the hype, the world is ending this year.  This event a series of workouts, each individually designed to simulate the physical demands of real-world tasks that you might have to accomplish during a disaster.  The workouts will include obstacles, lifting and carrying odd objects, and traversing uneven and slippery terrain.  In addition, every CrossFit movement is fair game.  Including the workouts and transitions, you're going to be traveling a little over 5-miles.

Rules:  These workouts are designed to be done as a team.  Some of the elements will require a team effort to accomplish, while some elements will test individuals.  Just like in real life, there are no hard-and-fast rules about how the work gets done, or in what order you perform the work.  That said, each Phase has certain requirements that must be met before moving on to the next Phase.  If the instructions for the Phase say "Team Completes X," then the work may be broken up in any order, so long as all reps and rounds are completed.  If the instructions say "Each Person Completes X," then each individual must complete all reps.  Elements with "Each Person" instructions are designed to simulate moving yourself through hazardous terrain, so team members can help, but they may NOT complete reps for another teammate.

Scaling & Time:  We want everybody to be able to accomplish all the workouts.  However you are participating in something that is Epic; something that not everybody can do.  These workouts are hard, just like the real-world tasks they simulate.  There is no scaling.  Just like in real life, if you can't lift a rock or climb a fence, get somebody to help.  We want everybody to complete every element, but we also recognize that real-world tasks are frequently time-sensitive.  In a real situation, failure to complete a task in a timely manner might mean that you or others get injured or killed.  For that reason, each element has a time cut-off.  If your team isn't finished by the allotted time, stop and move to the next Phase.  Use it as an opportunity to learn what might kill you in real life, and what you need to work on in the gym.

Teams: If you haven't already done so, talk with your team and plan out how you're getting there.  Timeline and directions are posted below.  Teamwork starts BEFORE the event.  It's still not too late to bring somebody who isn't registered.  Day-of registration starts at 9:00 AM.

Timeline: If you are registered, be there and ready to go by 9:30AM.  If you're bringing a friend who hasn't registered, they need to be there by 9:00AM.  We're explaining the workout and starting the warm-up at 9:30, and the run will start at 10:00AM on the dot.  If you miss the explanation, you're going to drag your team down and if your whole team misses it, you won't have a clue what you're doing.The workout will be over shortly after 12:00, depending on how long it takes the slowest team to finish the final element.  

Parking & Directions: Parking at the Bridge is free, but very limited.  Your best option is to park at the gym and carpool over with your team and/or anybody else who's participating.  

Here are directions from the gym to the Northwest Parking Area.  Expect the parking lot to be full-- show up early.  You can maybe find "overflow" parking up the hill, here.  I can't stress this enough: show up early.  We will start without you and we aren't issuing refunds, regardless of your reasons.  

Gear: Bring a good pair of running shoes, comfortable clothes, and gloves.  There will be burpees, bear crawls, and other elements done on the concrete.  The forecast says it will be sunny, but it's San Fransciso, so expect fog, mist, and even freezing sideways rain (like last year).  Better to come over-prepared and leave your jacket in the car than to get hypothermia.  If you're planning on going to lunch afterward, you might want to bring a change of clothes, too.