Yesterday we went over numbers 6, 5, and 4 in our favorite moments from the 2014 Granite Games and today it's time to hit the top three. Here we go: 3. Mat Fraser snatches like a boss We know Mat Fraser is a damn good weightlifter, but it takes a whole new level of mental toughness to miss a huge lift like a 305 snatch only to regroup and get back at it only to crush it. Especially considering... 2. Mat Fraser wins while fighting a cold Yep, that's right: Mat Fraser was really sick just a few days before the 2014 Granite Games. According to him, he couldn't even hit a 265 snatch in the warm up area before that event, but he still not only pulled through a 305 snatch in that first event but also finished the weekend in first place overall. 1. Sam Briggs smashes everyone The Engine doesn't lie. Sam Briggs might be the best female classic CrossFitter on the planet. How good is she compared to other CrossFitters? She was consistently finishing not just ahead of everyone else, but by a huge margin ahead of second place in each of the events. For example, in the muscle up and cleans events from the 2014 Granite Games, Sam Briggs finished over a minute ahead of second place... in an event that was only about 6 minutes long. Make sure to check out our LIVE coverage of the 2015 Granite Games so you don't miss any awesome moments from this year's event!

The Granite Games are a huge event with not only a ton of high level competitors but also with really solid programming. The competition is tight, the stakes are high, and the margins for error are slim. Overall, the competition is really exciting and leads to some really awesome moments. Today and tomorrow we're going to recap our favorite moments from the 2014 Granite Games in anticipation of the 2015 Granite Games starting up in a couple days. 6. Nick Urankar and Alex Anderson PR their snatch PRs get less and less common the longer you participate in a sport like CrossFit and for two high level CrossFitters like Nick Urankar and Alex Anderson to hit new PRs on such a fundamental movement at an event like Granite Games really speaks to how intense and copmetitive the atmosphere is there. 5. Brooke Ence competes with a messed up rib Brooke Ence is a badass. She placed 14th in her rookie debut at the CrossFit Games in 2015 but she showed off her grit at the 2014 Granite Games by continuing to compete after busting a rib, including running a 5K in a sling. 4. Lauren Fisher PRs her snatch That snatch event was a doozie. Brooke Ence, Dani Sidell, Stacie Tovar, Lauren Fisher all hit monster lifts and Lauren Fisher even PR'd her snatch with a 185 lift.  Tune in tomorrow as we go over our top three favorite moments from the 2014 Granite Games!

Results from the 2014 Granite Games

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First Name Last Name Gym Age         Emily Abbott Crossfit Currie Barracks 26 Catherine Blatner Crossfit 45 North 23 Sara Blunck JoCo CrossFit 35 Emily Bridgers CrossFit Terminus 27 Samantha Briggs CrossFit Black Five 32 Nikki Carlin Crossfit Hyperion 25 jessica cote-beaudoin crossfit Lévis 26 Melissa Doss Crossfit the Tracks 29 Grace Dresher Crossfit Eclipse 26 Lauren Fisher CrossFit Invictus 21 Heather Gillespie Crossfit Lethbridge 35 Alea Helmick CrossFit ReVamped 28 Chelsey Hughes Brick 29 Megan John CrossFit Manhattan Kansas 35 Lindsey Kelly CrossFit Conjugate 28 Gretchen Kittelberger CrossFit Reston 29 Ericka Letendre CrossFit Plateau 29 Elizabeth Lillie Crossfit Winston Salem 24 Erica Livett CrossFit North Okanagan 34 Teresa Luz 12 Labours 36 Jessica Martinez Crossfit Murfreesboro 37 Carleen Mathews crossfit xfactor 31 catherine medeiros Crossfit ultimatum 23 Christina Merlo CrossFit T-Town 31 Cheryl Nasso CrossFit New England 29 Anna Olafsdottir Reebok Crossfit Reykjavík 30 Tasia Percevecz CrossFit Free 24 Marie-Emilie Perreault L'usine Crossfit 28 Sarabeth Phillips CrossFit RTR 28 Kaela Pitts CrossFit Paradigm Performance 34 Kristin Reffett Crossfit Nashville 26 Mekenzie Riley CrossFit North Peoria 27 Alyssa Ritchey 8th day 25 Lauren Rutan Crossfit utility 30 Brooke Sawyers   25 Jessica Schulz CrossFit Rise 34 Danielle Sidell SPC Crossfit 26 Oxana Slivenko CrossFit GERAKLION 28 M'Kelle Tomberlin CrossFit St Paul 30 Stacie Tovar CrossFit Omaha 30 Jennifer Webber Crossfit 204 30 Brooke Wells CrossFit Fringe 19

First Name Last Name Gym Age         Alex Anderson Crossfit Ktown 24 Addison Bain CrossFit St Paul 25 Nick Bloch CrossFit Fond du Lac 29 Nathan Bramblett CrossFit Oyster 24 Hunter Britt Conjugate 19 Duke Burk   28 Jason Cain Reebok CrossFit 306 36 Zak Carchedi Crossfit Sioux Falls 21 Zach Carlin crossfit athlete inside 24 Arlen Castenada Crossfit 6360 25 Jordan Cook Crossfit Bay Area 22 marshall creed CrossFit 217 24 Joel Dizona Crossfit Valdosta 24 Nate Dunfee CrossFit Progression 27 Justin Fallon CrossFit Blur 29 Rey Fernandez CrossFit Brink 26 Mathew Fraser Champlain Valley Crossfit 25 Reggie Hoegh CrossFit Waukee 30 Gary Jones CrossFit Paradigm Performance 26 Anthony Koens Timberwolf CrossFit 32 Andrew Kuechler   26 Terrence Limbert Crossfit Chilliwack 21 Shane Mcbride CrossFit 557 28 Johnny Medina III   20 Elijah Muhammad   26 Austin O'Neal CrossFit Carmel 24 Brandon pastorek CrossFit VisOnr 30 Corey Paszkiewicz CrossFit Oak Creek 33 Brandon Phillips Crossfit Bound 32 Gerry Raymond Gardens Crossfit 26 Gerald Sasser CrossFit Countdown 24 Nick Shelton Crossfit 806 24 Chris Shimley Top fuel Crossfit 23 Josh Silvernail Crossfit Breakout 30 Kyle Spears Timberwolf CrossFit 24 Travis Stoetzel Crossfit Omaha 32 Ryan Sunshine crossfit boyton beach 21 Francois Tremblay Crossfit Repentigny l'usine 32 Anthony Vorachak CrossFit RVC 26 Sonny Zickefoose Mountaineer CrossFit 23

 

In eight days, some of the top elite fitness athletes in the world will descend upon St. Cloud, Minnesota to throw down at the 2014 Granite Games. Now in it’s fourth year, The Granite Games will bring in more than 1,000 athletes to compete indivudually and on teams. Each athlete is at the top of his or her game, but the women’s Elite Division is in a league of it’s own as far as talent goes. Five different countries will be represented (USA, Canada, England, Iceland, Russia) and other than The CrossFit Games, there isn’t a more talented field of women in the sport of fitness. 28 of the 42 Elite Division Women competed individually at Regionals in 2014 (most of the women who didn’t qualify individually competed on a team). Of the 28 regional competitors, 23 placed in the top 10. Of those 23, five came one step away from Carson finishing 4th, and three of the women won their region (Emily Abbot - Canada West, Emily Bridgers - South East, Gretchen Kittelberger - Mid Atlantic) Heavy hitters, Lauren Fisher, Stacie Tovar and Sam Briggs will also be joining the party. Needless to say, the competition is going to be FIRECE as these women compete to take the podium and get their hands on the $25,000 purse (1st - $10,000, 2nd - $5,000, 3rd - $4,000, 4th - $3,000, 5th - $2,000, 6th - $1,000) Watch all the action LIVE on FloElite.com!