OUTRio

If you’re not already following OutWOD, you should be.

They’re an organization of athletes that create various fitness events around the world to fundraise for local LGBTQ organizations, not to mention the fact that they recently created a gender-inclusive CrossFit Open leaderboard.

Out//RIO just came to pass last weekend, right in the heart of Carnaval. I first started talking with the folks at OutWOD in early November and we had such a great turnout this past Saturday with about 25 signups. The proceeds will all be going to Casa Nem, which provides a safe space for the LGBTQ community in Rio, along with a variety of creative and life skills-related projects for things like literacy, photography, housing, and so on.

The event was held at CFP9 – Casa Shopping, one of my favorite Crossfit gyms I’ve ever been to. It’s actually inside a mall and huge, not to mention the fact that their athletes are another level entirely. Plus, the community they’ve built is so welcoming and inclusive.

For the event, we did three WODs total, and they killed me. By the end, I was sweating like crazy even though we were inside an air-conditioned room. Nevertheless, it was a ton of fun and I was smiling the entire time. It was great to be around such a cool group of people who were willing to take the time out of their Saturday — the first Saturday of Carnaval, no less — to support the LGBTQ community here in Rio.

If you’re interested in CrossFit and supporting a good cause, I highly recommend organizing one in your area. The OutWOD team is extremely organized, and I was very fortunate to have had such an excellent box to take on hosting, coaching, and promoting the event. It’s a great way to meet new people, get a good workout in, and help an LGBTQ organization in your own community. Win-win-win!