Two of his U.S. Army medics were killed while Michael Martinez was deployed to Iraq, and their deaths weighed heavily on him.
“You feel lost,” the veteran says, “as a father, as a man. Things just aren’t right.”
Martinez says his healing process involved a search to “find meaning again,” and he found comfort helping others.
Martinez had an idea to raise money for military-based nonprofits by running 320 miles from Fort Worth to San Antonio in Texas. The run was organized in conjunction with an event centered around the CrossFit workout Fight Gone Bad, and Martinez raised about US$35,000.
“There’s just something (in CrossFit that is) organic, raw and real and genuine about people who come together,” Martinez says.
Michael and wife Angelina took things further: They left their corporate jobs, and with financial pressure looming, they had to find a name for a business that would be fueled by passion and hope. Michael had a flash of inspiration, and CrossFit Optimistic was born in San Antonio.
“I believe in this thing called CrossFit,” he says.
He adds: “It’s been one hell of a journey. It ain’t over yet.”
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