The Diablo “Totally Unofficial Turkey Trot”: Year 1 vs. Year 16.
Join us for our 17th!
8:30A HIDDEN LAKES PARK, MARTINEZ (at the Soccer Field)
Families, Friends, Dogs & Strollers Welcome!
(done by 9:30AM)
“Progress is a nice word. But change is its motivator. And change has its enemies.”
Robert Kennedy
CROSSFIT GAMES SEASON 2025 – “The Only Constant Is Change.” The 2025 CrossFit Open and Games competition schedule was announced on Friday to mixed reviews from the community. The Open will be 3 weeks beginning Feb 27th! CrossFit also announced NEW competitions for the community that sound like a lot of fun: the Community Cup and a Pairs Competition.
Before I render an opinion, I want to remind everyone, that qualifying for and participating in the CrossFit Games has changed almost EVERY year since it’s inception in 2007.
- 2007-2008: “Walk-on” CrossFit Games participation
- 2009 – 2010: Sectionals > Regionals (different venues each year!) > CrossFit Games (Teams of 6 Introduced)
- 2010: Masters 50+ Division Introduced
- 2011: The worldwide, online OPEN (6 weeks!) > 17 Regionals > Games
- 2015-2018: 5wk Open > 8 SUPER Regionals > Games
- 2019: 5wk Open > 20+ Sponsored Sanctional Events > Games (International Open Champions invited to the Games) + 2020 Open!
- 2020: Covid – Online Regionals and only 5 men/women to the Games (no Teams & Masters)
- 2021: 3wk Open > Semifinals + Sanctionals > Games (Masters cut to 10 per a/g – Teams of 4)
- 2022: Open > Online Quarterfinals (top 10%) > Semifinals + Independent Semis (only 2 had the same workouts) > Games
- 2023: Open > Online Quarterfinals (top 25%) > 7 Semifinals > Games
- 2024: Open > In-Affiliate (Online) SemiFinals + Independent Semis > Games
The above changes don’t include rules changes, Masters & Team division changes, the addition of Adaptive Athlete divisions and so much more. Change is all we know!
So, what’s new for 2025?
- Quarterfinals are gone!
- 30 men & 30 women will qualify for the Games via the Open > In-Affiliate Semifinals + a few in-person Semifinals.
- In-Affiliate (online) Semifinals for the top 1% of Open Athletes and top 2% of Age Groups.
- Teams qualify via In-Affiliate Semifinals
- Semi-Finals judges must be Level 1 certified and pass a new “Advanced Judges Course” that expires in 3 years( (!!)
The loss of the quarterfinals will be felt in the affiliate member community for sure. Many athletes in our community loved the challenge of trying to qualify to be part of the top 25% in their respective age-group in order to participate in the next level of competition. Now, to quality for the next level of competition, they must be in the top 1% in the world as individuals and top 2% in the world in an age group – an especially difficult task, especially for the younger age groups. No qualifying % standards have yet been announced for teams, but they are expected to be equally challenging. However, CrossFit did announce that only 1 team per affiliate may participate in the Games.
Overall, I’m ok with the changes for the 2025 season – remember, I’m used to CFG changes. But, I’m very bummed that many of our Quarterfinal athletes from last year (and those who almost qualified) won’t get a chance to move on to the next level. On the other hand, I love the deliberate support of the affiliates with the “In-Affiliate” Semifinals. And I’m very happy about the Judge standards for Semi-Finals!
Additionally, I’m excited for the “Community” Cup in June (based upon affiliate athlete Open performances) and the new Pairs competitions. Those have always been a blast in the past.
Finally, at the end of the day, it’s important to remember, that despite all of the changes, the fittest athletes in the world will still qualify for the CrossFit Games and win.
JOIN OUR 17TH ANNUAL TURKEY TROT / RUCK! – on Thanksgiving morning (8:30A) at Hidden Lakes Park in Martinez. Kids, dogs & strollers welcome! Along our 3k route, there will be obstacles or tasks to complete to earn a ticket for a raffle to be held at the end! We’ll be done by 9:30AM.
HOLIDAY HOURS – Check your Diablo app for official schedule changes.
- Mon & Tue: 5:00A – 7:30P (Last class 6:30P) No Teens.
- Wed: 5A – 6:30P (Last class 5:30P) No Teens
- Thu: CLOSED – Turkey Trot
- Fri: 7AM – 5:30P (Last class 4:30P)
- Sat / Sun: No change.
BEST PRs WORKOUT LAST WEEK (Deadlifts were the rest) – Gotta go with the classic CrossFit all-barbell metcon on Monday:
5 Rounds for Time (#75/115):
- 7 Hang Clean
- 7 Thrusters
- 7 Deadlifts
PODCAST.. We’re Back! (We’re on YouTube, Apple Podcasts & Spotify, btw)
- THIS WEEK: Meal Prep with Kim & Yvonne: MON NOV 25 @11:30 AM –
- LAST WEEK: 2025 CrossFit Games CHANGES – No more quarterfinals!
- ALSO LAST WEEK: Dr. Tom McCoy – CrossFit Health Care Coverage!
A BIT ABOUT DIABLO – Totally Unofficial Turkey Trot
In 2008 my partner, Jeremy Jones and I decided to host a “Totally Unofficial” Turkey Trot for our small community as a CrossFit style event to mimic the popular “5k Turkey Trot” hosted by a local fitness gym in Walnut Creek. So, on a very foggy Thanksgiving morning, 12 Diablo members & coaches headed to Briones park (across from Acalanes Highschool) and ran to the top of the hill – about 2.5 miles round trip. The catch: we carried several medicine balls – sharing the load all along the way. At the top, if I remember correctly, we did some burpees.
In 2009 we returned to the same hill, extended the course to the high school across the street and added some obstacles and exercises along the way. In 2010 or 11, we moved to Hidden Lakes park in Martinez and continued the tradition – growing every year. In 2023, about 120 members and their families participated in our Turkey Ruck – a Trot with a weighted backpack added to the mix!
The tradition will continue again at Hidden Lakes Park with a Ruck and fitness challenges along a 3 mile-ish course. This year, we’ll have some awesome prizes to raffle at the end, courtesy of our member, and 2023 Tom Jones Award winner Rod Abdo!
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November Focus: 1. Front Squat. 2. Deadlift. Skill: Conditioning / Handstands
(PRs: Newsletter)
- Mon: E2MOMx7 – Amrap 9 C2B, 3 WW, 35 DUs
- Tue: Front Squat. Metcon: Tabata Burpees
- Wed: Row 5k
- Thu: TURKEY TROT!
- Fri: Partner Workout: Ski Erg, 60 C&J, 60 C2B, Air Bike
- Sat: 10RFT – 250/300m Row, 10 WB
- Sun: 5RFT – 6 Snatch, 12 T2B, 35 DUs
- YT: Best Car Ad Ever -Volvo – Must Watch
- IG: Will Taking Time Off Kill Your Gains? – Fantastic data from @strongerbyscience suggesting that recovery from time off (injury!) happens faster than we think!
- YT: Oliver Anthony – Country Roads – Love this.
Craig
