The Granite Games is always a popular event on the CrossFit calendar and has a great history behind it. With that said, the stakes at this event have never been higher than they are this year. The top finishers this weekend who aren’t already qualified for the CrossFit Games have a chance to earn a spot. So one man and woman will join the elite of the fitness community by the end of this weekend.

Obviously, there is no room for error and nothing can be held back. The athletes went all in on day 1, and here is how it all went down.

Women

1st – Sarah Viets

Viets didn’t win any individual events today, but placing high consistently can pay off. She finished in fifth place on the trail run and followed that up with a third-place effort in the hill sprint. After coming in ninth at the clean ladder, she ended the day on top of the leaderboard with 232 points.

2nd – Ehea Schuerch

After starting off the day coming in eighth at the trail run, Schuerch actually went the wrong way, ending the hill sprint in 12th. Momentum would swing in her favor, however, thanks to finishing in second place at the clean ladder. After ending the day on that note, she’s definitely in the hunt.

3rd – Carrie Beamer

The American from CrossFit Iron Industry started the event by winning the trail run and earning the first 100 point score of the weekend. She finished in second on the hill sprint and looked in full control of the leaderboard. That is until she struggled with the clean ladder and would conclude that with a 32nd-place effort. Fortunately, her hot start keeps her in the mix.

Men

1st – Travis Mayer

The 2018 Granite Games champion is already qualified for the CrossFit Games but to go back-to-back at this event is too good to pass up. Mayer started the day by finishing seventh in the trail run but emerged victorious in the hill sprint by running the 400 meters in less than two minutes. He would finish day 1 by coming in second on the clean ladder and take control of the leaderboard with 266 points.

2nd – Nick Bloch

Bloch began day 1 by coming in 14th on the first event. He improved upon that by taking 11th on the hill sprint. He made his big move of the day by winning the clean ladder over Mayer and positioned himself less than 60 points behind Mayer with plenty of time to close the gap.

3rd – Luke Schafer

Schafer started out his Granite Games efforts by finishing second on the four-mile trail run and came in fourth on the hill sprint. The clean ladder is where he would struggle and since he came in 27th, he was eliminated from competing in future rounds. In spite of this setback, he still is in the top three and will hope to rebound and make up ground.

Other Notes

There were no team events on day 1 so they will begin their competitions on Friday. Like in the men's and women's competitions, the highest team that doesn’t have a spot at the CrossFit Games already will punch its ticket to the big event.

There has been a lot of speculation about Ben Smith going into this weekend. The 2015 Fittest Man on Earth suffered a knee injury earlier this year and has yet to qualify for the Games. He hoped to earn that spot here, but after day 1 sits in 16th place. He doesn’t have to necessarily win the event but does need to finish higher than everyone else who isn’t already qualified.

Stay tuned to FloElite for ongoing coverage of the Granite Games. You can also follow us on Instagram to keep up with the latest happenings.

Roger Lockridge is from Lewisburg, West Virginia. His work has been featured on numerous platforms and magazines in the fitness industry over the last 10 years. You can find him on Twitter and Instagram @rocklockridge.