This is part of a series on The CrossFit Games 2016 Open Workouts. For more, checkout: 16.5 Final Analysis, 16.4 Final Analysis, 16.3 Final Analysis, 16.2 Final Analysis, and 16.1 Final Analysis.
16.5 is a miserable WOD. It was miserable when it was 14.5, and it’s just as bad now. As Coach Glassman (CrossFit’s founder) has often said, “No, it doesn’t ever get any easier. You wouldn’t want it to either.” As you get better you just have to go faster. It will be great to see how many people can beat their 14.5 time. If you haven’t had the pleasure of doing this WOD before, you will understand Dave Castro’s pre-16.5 hint once you’re finished (hint: roadkill).
Preliminary Data
Here are some preliminary numbers for 16.5. In order to score in the middle of the pack (50th percentile), you’ll need to complete 16.5 in under 17:19 for Men and 17:33 for Women. In 2014, you only had to beat 19:33 for Men and 20:00 for Women in order to score in the 50th percentile. Apparently our community is getting fitter. This also means that half the competitors will be grinding out 16.5 for more than 17 minutes (eek!).
Currently, for the top athletes it will take a time of 10:06 for the Men and 10:30 for the Women to break into the 99th percentile. In 2014 you could have been over a minute slower and still made it into the top 1%.