It may be cold for the majority of the country in January, but things are getting ready to heat up in Miami, Florida.

The 4th annual Wodapalooza Fitness Festival is going down on Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend (January 16th-18th) and over 1,100 athletes are preparing to throw down in what has become one of the top tests of fitness during the CrossFit Games off-season.

In fact, this year, competitors will come together from a total of 36 states and 15 countries to test all 10 components of fitness (aerobic endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, accuracy) during three days of competition.

Since its conception, Wodapalooza has become a highly regarded fitness competition for athletes of all ages, competition experience, and abilities with its offerings of a Scaled, RX, Elite, Master’s and Team divisions. Established in January 2012, founders Guido Trinidad (coach/owner of Peak 360 CrossFit in South Miami) and, good friend and business partner, Steve Suarez, set out to deliver a quality fitness festival experience, but never foresaw the magnitude to which Wodapalooza would grow over the years.

“Steve had just suggested I look into holding some Saturday classes for Peak 360 in the outdoor space at Bayfront Park. The day we both went there to check it out though and talk with the park manager, the manager suggested, ‘Why not hold an event, like a competition, here?’ We hadn’t thought about it at all—after all most competitions I had been to as an athlete seemed pretty disorganized and like a big undertaking—something I didn’t really want to be a part of. As I thought about it a bit more though, I thought, ‘Why not?’ We live in such a cool place, and we could actually showcase our beautiful city here—it would be amazing. I knew I wanted to make a change from what many other competitions seemed to offer—organized, a beautiful outdoor setting, and a fun, well-rounded test of fitness. Steve was on board, and we got to planning,” Trinidad said.

The rest is history.

The inaugural Wodapalooza took place on one Saturday that January, and saw a total of 250 athletes—only three of which were considered ‘Elite’ Female competitors (Talayna Fortunado, Jaime Gold, Cheryl Nasso), who chose to compete alongside the men in the Elite Men’s division since there was no high demand for an Elite Female Division at the time.

Fast-forward four years later, athletes whom have not competed at the CrossFit Games or claimed top spots at past Wodapalooza events, must now participate in the Wodapalooza Online Qualifier in order to earn a spot in the Elite or Rx Division.

Some of this year’s mentionables include:

Matt Chan, Lauren Fisher, Lauren Brooks, Noah Ohlsen, Daniel, Dani Horan, Jordan Troyan, Sam Briggs, Garret Fisher, Daniel Tyminski, Kenny Leverich, Heather Welsh, Natalie Mclain, Spencer Hendel, Chyna Cho, Neal Maddox, Julie Foucher and Emily Bridgers—just to name a few.

As for the Scaled, Master’s, Team and Kids’ Divisions, the majority of registration spots sold out within the first 48-hours of going live in early November.

“Wodapalooza provides an opportunity for all athletes—regardless of their division they are competing in—to feel like they are in an elite-like atmosphere. There are not many other competitions that offer such a world class atmosphere as this,” Trinidad said.

There is even something for the spectators and fitness enthusiasts.

“Every year gets a little bit bigger,” Trinidad said.

This year, spectator obstacle courses will be set up throughout the venue, [compliments of the BattleFrog Series (https://www.facebook.com/BattleFrogSeries)]; a raffle for a 2015 Range Rover is anyone’s for the taking; vendor village will be up and running with favorite brands and new faces alike; and a tent for various workshops and seminars, featuring fitness experts and gurus from around the country, will be running throughout the days; not to mention, the picturesque scenery of Bayfront Park, overlooking South Miami’s ocean bay.

“I can’t wait to see all the smiles. That’s the best part for me,” Trinidad said.

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