Even then, the plan was in dire need of a focus check.
Mary Beth Prodromides of Grand Junction was struggling with motivation, but she started working with a coach. Injuries had taken their toll and were a major source of torment for the 61-year-old former CrossFit champion.
“I told (the coach) straight up that I didn’t know if I was even going to do the open,” Prodromides said about training for the first qualifier for the CrossFit Games.
Did she really want to go through the physical torture of going for her fifth CrossFit Games title?
“I was thinking about should I do this, should I not, will I get hurt, is this a bad idea?”
Photos by Christopher Tomlinson/The Daily Sentinel
Mary Beth Prodromides, 61, works out in her home gym inside her garage. She has won five CrossFit Games championships.
Christopher Tomlinson
Turns out, it was a great idea, because Prodromides won that fifth gold medal a few weeks ago at the CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin.
Winning in 2018, she placed eighth in 2019 after dislocating a shoulder. The shoulder required major surgery, and there was also knee surgery to repair meniscus tears.
The 2022 journey started with the CrossFit open in February, in which she placed 19th. That competition was done virtually with video documentation of the workouts.
“That wasn’t great, but it was good enough,” she said.
That qualified her for the quarterfinals. Thanks in part to some unclear online instructions for one of the workouts, Prodromides dropped all the way to 22nd place.
But officials took the top 30, and she rebounded with a strong fourth-place finish in the semifinals in June.
Physically, she had returned from injury and was super-fit with her powerful shoulders, abs, legs and arms super-chiseled.
But the competition stress was like no other year for her.
“After not competing for three years, it was so stressful, I can’t even tell you how stressful it was,” she said.
The stress and fear of suffering another shoulder injury nearly overwhelmed her.
Memories of previous CrossFit Games helped motivate her. She thought about how much fun it was to compete, and she realized that going to the CrossFit Games is an honor and a huge accomplishment.
“Right then I had a shift in my mindset, I was just happy to just be there, and if I win it would be icing on the cake.”
After recovering from shoulder and knee surgery, Mary Beth Prodromides says, “After not competing for three years, it was so stressful” to be back in CrossFit competition.
Christopher Tomlinson
She had put in so much time and physical therapy to recover from the injury to get it back to normal. It took more than a year for her to regain a full range of motion.
Whether it’s pull-ups, lifting weights overhead, climbing rope or so many other workouts, the impact on the shoulders is intense with CrossFit.
Prodromides has always had powerful shoulders. No one wins five CrossFit Games titles without having powerful shoulders.
The CrossFit Games is the ultimate physical challenge for competitors. The unique aspect of the Games is that competitors never know what 10 workouts will be part of the competition, so they have to prepare for anything and everything if they hope to win.
With thoughts of her previously injured shoulder still vivid in the back of her mind, Prodromides admitted that she was a little timid at times, but her CrossFit coach, Daniel Condon, knew when to hold back and when to push her.
“He was perfect for me because he knew when to pump me up and knew when to settle me down. He knew my goals, which were to not get hurt and to do my best. So when I started acting super-competitive, he would remind me of those things.”
But then Prodromides found herself in the lead and on the verge of another CrossFit title with only the final workout remaining.
She had to place in the top two in that workout to secure the title.
That’s when Condon reminded her of how close to victory she was and it was time to again be super-competitive.
“On the last workout, he said, ‘Mary Beth, if you’re holding anything back, this is the time to go if you’re going to win.’ ”
She placed second in the workout and won the age 60-64 CrossFit Games title. She placed first in one of the workouts and placed second in four others.
Wanting to succeed at is also stressful.
“I went into the Games wondering if I was fit enough, if I was strong enough, so I went in not wanting to embarrass myself. I had to go in thinking that I might not be the best one there and if I’d be all right with that. I was or I wouldn’t have gone.”
With that fifth gold medal hanging with all the others, Prodromides is wondering what is next.
“So will I go again? I don’t know. I haven’t figured that out yet,” she said.
What is next plays heavily on her mind, though.
“I did a hard thing,” she said with a smile. “But 20 minutes after I win or if I lose, my emotions are off the charts. Then it’s back, I’m Mary Beth and it’s just time to go home and be with my family.
“I like being fit, so I will always work out and I’ll always do CrossFit, but will I always be competitive, I don’t know. I can’t say yes or no right now.”
Out of the blue, she smiled a huge smile and said, “I think I’d like to jump out of a plane.”
Christopher Tomlinson/The Daily Sentinel
Mary Beth Prodromides, a five-time gold medalist in CrossFit Games, has 11 grandchildren she enjoys spending time with.
Christopher Tomlinson
Whether it’s another CrossFit Games journey or skydiving or spending more time with family, Prodromides is a little tormented even as she enjoys the memory of her fifth championship.
A huge part of her emotions coming into the Games was about family.
On Sept. 18, 2021, she lost her biggest fan, her dad, Steve Prodromides, who died from COVID complications at 90.
Then her mother Virginia got COVID and it was a long four months before she started to recover. Then she had a stroke and still struggles.
“It’s really sad and she misses my dad, so that’s even harder,” Prodromides said.
Even though he was visually impaired, her dad was with her all through every competition until he died.
“He never got to watch me compete because he was blind,” she said with an emotional smile. “I believe in heaven and I believe in God, and I think that my dad finally got to watch me compete this time.”
Since 2011, Prodromides has won five titles — 2011, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2022 — and also finished second twice.
TIME AWAY FROM THE GAMES
The time in the gym and training to prepare for CrossFit competition is intense. It’s really a 12-month ordeal with workouts ranging in time from four to six hours a day. Does she really want to continue to commit that much time and effort? That’s the question that gnaws at her now.
She remembers the two fabulous summers when she wasn’t immersed in training or competing in 2020 and 2021.
Mary Beth Prodromides CrossFit championship in her home gym/garage.
Christopher Tomlinson
“The other two summers were so much fun because I did all these wonderful things with my grandkids, and this summer we missed it because of the CrossFit Games.”
She has 11 grandchildren, five who live in Grand Junction, with all of them ranging in age from 3 months to 14 years.
“I learned a lot over the past three years about why I do the things I do,” she said.
Before, it was the thrill of victory, being recognized as the best, the feeling of satisfaction and accomplishing the ultimate goal, but she says bluntly that “this year was different.”
“I know I’m more than CrossFit, I love my grandkids, I love my parents, my family, I don’t know how to explain it.”
If she walks away now, she walks away as a five-time CrossFit Games champion.
If she returns for a shot at No. 6, she knows the sacrifices she must make.
Is she ready to return to the sport that has shaped a large part of her life for more than 12 years?
