LOCAL Hervey Bay mum of four Ali Bennett has finished eighth in Australia and inside the top ten across Oceania, in the recent Crossfit Open competition for her age division.

“Whether you’re new to CrossFit or a seasoned competitor, the Crossfit Open allows anyone to compete,” Ali said.

“This is my ninth year of competing and I had a goal of making it into the top ten. I’m very excited by the result. It’s a lot of hard work, but I am a goal focussed person.”

“Each year the workout gets harder in the top tier of the competition. They want to make sure that the fittest are rising to the top.”

That said, no matter what skill level you are, there is a version of the Crossfit Open for anyone, and globally more than 320,000 people signed up in 2023.

Workouts are modified into RX, scaled and foundation to make it truly accessible for anyone.

In Ali’s age bracket of ladies 40-44 years in Australia, over 1,200 ladies competed, making her achievement even more remarkable.

“You can’t train specifically for the competition workouts, because you never know what they will be. It’s three workouts over three weeks.”

“You can access the workouts on a Friday morning and you have to have it completed and uploaded by the Tuesday at 11.00am, to validate your entry.”

The competition follows the same format for everyone who takes part, progressing through the Open, to Quarter Finals, Semi Finals, and finally, for a select few, the CrossFit Games.

Although Ali is the owner of local gym Allied Fitness, she was quick to point out, this doesn’t mean she has all day to sit around and train.

“I’m a busy working mum. I run a business, a household and I spend more time training other people than myself.”

“But like anything, you have to find the time to do the things that you love and work that into your weekly schedule.”

Next stop on the road on the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games for Ali is the Quarterfinals. Only the top 10% of individuals in her division will compete there.

“This will be a huge challenge, but I’m up for it.”