By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer 

PELHAM— CrossFit enthusiasts and fitness competitors are gearing up for the first Mayhem on the Mountain on Aug. 8-9 at Oak Mountain State Park. The event is hosted by Forge Fitness gym as a way to combine elements of CrossFit and the outdoors.

“CrossFit has really become more recognizable to the general public,” said Forge Fitness trainer Rich Pennino. “Years ago it wasn’t as popular. We’re trying to expose it more to the public by doing this (competition) somewhere in public like Oak Mountain.”

About 400 people are already registered and Pennino expects an additional 100 will join before Mayhem on the Mountain starts. He said he hopes to have as many spectators as entrants.

Competitors will meet at the basketball courts by the Oak Mountain Lake. Saturday’s events start at 7 a.m. for individuals and Sunday will feature team events kicking off at 8 a.m. Forge Fitness will provide equipment such as bar bells, kettle bells and strong man-type weight lifts as well as a structure for pull-ups.

All workouts are under 20 minutes, according to Pennino, so the swims and runs won’t be lengthy. Once the outdoor portion of the workout is complete, everyone will return to the basketball courts for their workout of the day and gymnastics and Olympic lifting.

One of the main reasons Forge Fitness is hosting Mayhem on the Mountain is to redefine the way people think about fitness, Pennino said. Many competitions focus on only how much a person can lift. This competition illustrates that athletes can run a five-minute mile, swim 200 meters in a couple minutes and lift large amounts of weight.

“In the CrossFit world, we want people to test athletic ability,” Pennino said. “What better way to do that than in competitions? This is a way to test their progression.”

Mayhem on the Mountain will feature six divisions for both men and women. There are three categories each for teams and individuals: Rx, Masters and Scaled. Rx is one of the most difficult levels, meaning that participants will complete the workout as written, Masters is for competitors 40 years or older and Scaled means the workout is made easier, such as changing pull-ups to burpees.

The competitions are divided up as well. Some of the workouts are for time, such as how fast a person can complete a set amount of reps. Other competitions are for the lifting as much weight as possible, and some are for how many reps a competitor can complete in a set amount of times.

Mayhem on the Mountain will be Saturday, Aug. 8 from 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 9 from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Cost is $117 for individuals and $379 for teams of four people. For more information or to register, visit Events.sweatworks.net/event-registration or Forgevestavia.com.