EVENT 6: THE TYRE STACK
Sunday started with a repeat of a classic Tribal Clash workout which first featured in 2015 – a simple and elegant test of teamwork and communication. Each team was faced with a stack of 6 tractor tyres which they had to unload, flip to the other end of the lane and restack as many times as possible. To achieve the very best score, teams had to come up with a solid strategy that enabled all athletes to work for the full duration of the workout and move the tyres as fast as possible. As well as counting the total number of points scored in this workout, a tie break time was also taken after the first 2 rounds.
Event 6 leaderboard
1 Las Bolas Grandes (48 reps)
2 Blackwater Beached Whales (43 reps)
3 Roulette (42 reps)
Average score: 34 reps
Quickest tie break time: 02:10 (Las Bolas Grandes)
Average tie break time: 03:09
After 6 events, the top two teams swapped places leaving Las Bolas Grandes in first place followed by Kaha, with Chill Ze Chill Since 1971 remaining in third.
EVENT 7: THE WORM RUN
In Event 7 we brought out one of our favourite bits of Tribal Clash kit – the sandworm – and used it in a way unlike ever before. Making the most of the low tide which exposed a large expanse of beach, teams had to pick up the sandworm and run three laps around a marked course with the awkward object across their shoulders. If teams didn’t make it back from their second lap within 6 minutes then they weren’t allowed to set off on their third lap, a situation that eight teams found themselves in.
Event 7 leaderboard
1 Halo Tops (05:48)
2 Chill Ze Chill Since 1971 (05:54)
3 Las Bolas Grandes (05:56)
Average time (for all 3 laps): 07:29
After Event 7 the top three remained the same, with Las Bolas Grandes in first place and Kaha and Chill Ze Chill Since 1971 now on equal points in second place.
EVENT 8: GAME OF STONES
Those who took part in Tribal Clash Portugal 2019 may recognise this workout, as it bears a great resemblance to the extremely popular Event 8 from the previous competition. Teams had 5 minutes to work their way through 30 ground to overhead reps with the sandworm, 5 minutes to complete 18 rope climbs then 5 minutes to accumulate points for atlas stone lifts. When they reached the atlas stones, athletes took it in turns to lift and could choose between 3 stones which each had different points values. If they finished the sandworm reps or rope climbs before the time elapsed, they were able to move on to the next section early. Experienced Tribal Clashers smashed through the sandworm reps to buy extra time for the other elements, and by the time teams got to the atlas stones we saw a huge variance in scores – some strong teams had all six athletes lifting the heavy atlas stone for maximum points, while others struggled with the lightest stones available. The score was the sum of sandworm reps and rope climbs completed plus the points accumulated for atlas stone lifts.
Event 8 leaderboard
1 Stonehench (273 points)
2 Las Bolas Grandes (238 points)
3 Halo Tops (236 points)
Average score: 84 points
After Event 8, Las Bolas Grandes remained in first place and Kaha returned to second place, leaving Chill Ze Chill Since 1971 in third place.
QUARTER-FINAL
After 8 challenging workouts, the top 60 teams proceeded to a Quarter-Final which was then used to determine which 20 teams would make it to the tug-of-war. The Quarter-Final had equal weighting to all events which had come before this, meaning that there was all to play for in this round.
The Quarter-Final saw the return of the atlas stones, but this time teams had to carry them up and down the lanes in a bear hug hold. Teams split into two trios, each of which worked during four intervals of decreasing duration to shift three atlas stones as far as they could. The lightest atlas stones for each gender were now removed, meaning that some athletes struggled to even pick their stone up let alone move with it, while others were able to run with theirs quite comfortably. This five minute workout was a true test of grit and determination, with each athlete having to give it their all as every metre counted.
Quarter-Final leaderboard
1 Halo Tops (873 metres)
2 Chill Ze Chill Since 1971 (725 metres)
3 Las Bolas Grandes (702 metres)
Average distance: 461 metres
The placings from the Quarter-Final were added to the placings after all previous events, to give the new points totals. This left Las Bolas Grandes in first place going into the Semi-Final, with Halo Tops and Chill Ze Chill Since 1971 in joint second place.
SEMI-FINAL
The semi-final at Tribal Clash is always a tug-of-war and this year’s was as thrilling as ever! Placings going into this round determined the pairings, with first place pulling against twentieth, second place pulling against nineteenth etc. The longest battle this year was between CrossFit Exe and CrossFit CM2, which eventually saw the former win after 6 and a half minutes.
Here are the tug-of-war contests – teams in bold were the winners:
Las Bolas Grandes vs AM Crew
Halo Tops vs Stonehench
Chill Ze Chill Since 1971 vs 5 Celts & A Saxon
Kaha vs CrossFit Cumbria
Kuwait Camel Hoof vs OzBox Critters
CrossFit CM2 vs CrossFit Exe
Perpetua vs Blackwater Beached Whales
White Noise Gym vs CrossFit Peckham
Roulette vs Don’t Call It a Comeback
Crossfit Worksop vs Amrappers Delight
FINAL
Having already competed in 10 savage events, the finalists now faced their toughest challenge yet. The teams had to work through a long and tiring chipper which included synchro burpees over the sandworm with all athletes working at the same time, SUP laps, short rope climbs and an individual swim lap. The epic final culiminated in teams shifting two sandworms around the arena, followed by synchro squats with both sandworms moving simultaneously. This proved to be by far the most difficult part of the weekend, with many teams struggling to pick up a sandworm with just three athletes let alone squat with it. The leaders constantly changed throughout the nail-biting final, meaning that it was impossible to tell who the winner would be as the teams worked through the different elements.
In the end the first team to cross the finish line was Kaha, one of the most consistent teams of the weekend who came from behind and completed their reps just over 30 seconds ahead of Las Bolas Grandes. Third place went to Don’t Call It a Comeback, with CrossFit Exe just behind in fourth.
Final leaderboard
1 Kaha (33:42)
2 Las Bolas Grandes (34:16)
3 Don’t Call It A Comeback (36:18)