LASCO iDrade-sponsored 876-Crossfit team conquered the 2017 staging of the Guardsman Games on Sunday at Hope Zoo to claim bragging rights and the top prize of $260,000.

The 876-Crossfit team dominated the day, winning one and placing a close second in two of the three challenges, to post an overall time of 25 minutes and two seconds (25:02). Team Infiniti claimed second place and $160,000 with a time of 25 minutes and 15 seconds, while team JAAR walked away with $80,000 posting a time of 25 minutes and 43 seconds for third. C&S Warriors took fourth in 27 minutes and 44 seconds, with Sportsmax Spartans in fifth in 31 minutes and 19 seconds, while Sportsmax Dynamics rounded out the top six with 38 minutes and 54 seconds.

Lyshon Davis, brand manager of LASCO iDrade, was lost for words that the team had won the top prize.

“We have always had a good relationship with the individuals involved in 876-Crossfit, so it was easy for us to sponsor the team. We were confident that they would do well, but I never imagined that they would be the best of the 49 teams that competed in the Guardsman Games.

“When they qualified for the finals I thought it was well worth the partnership, so the fact that they won hasn’t quite sunken in as yet. As the official hydration partners for the 2017 games we are really happy with the support and outcome of the event and hope it raised awareness and, of course, funds for the worthy cause,” said Davis.

876-Crossfit iDrade started the day as the least favoured to take home the title, having only made it to the finals via a wild card challenge at the semi-finals on the previous day. The team, comprised of Nickeisha Walcott, Stephanie Graham, Chad Hammond and Allistair Thomas, showed great character and jumped out the blocks with a second place finish in the ‘Signed, Sealed and Delivered’ challenge with a time of one minute and 25 seconds. Sportsmax Dynamics won the challenge in 48 seconds, while JAAR was third.

The 876-Crossfit team stepped up the tempo even more in the second challenge, ‘Don’t Rock the Boat’, where two of the four team members had to use rope to pull the boat in a diamond pattern across the Hope Zoo Lake. The team won the event in seven minutes and 46 seconds, despite the rain, which started mid-challenge. Team Infiniti was second with eight minutes and 50 seconds, while JAAR was third with eight minutes and 58 seconds.

The third and final challenge, ‘The Crawl’, was the most difficult of the day as each team had to navigate 13 obstacles including a freezing ice bath to complete the course, while failure to complete each obstacle brought along time penalties. Team 876-Crossfit iDrade was one of two teams to complete the final test without a time penalty, which proved to be a major boost to their title win.

Team leader Chad Hammond was ecstatic following the triumph. “Overall the experience was a good one for the team. As far as challenges with the Games, any competitive environment will test and frustrate you, plans never go as they should, and didn’t, but there was never a moment where any of us thought to give up. We just focused on each challenge with the goal of completing it in a good time. I am very proud of my team for never wavering in the face of adversity, so that we could collectively get this win. We’ll be back better for next year for the repeat!” exclaimed Hammond.