Nathan Florence’s Heroic Workout Honors Fallen Veteran

If you break your back falling in the maw of Jaws, as Nathan Florence did in January of 2023, milk alone will not save you. The workout regiment he’s stuck to over the years was the reason he was able to surf eight weeks after cracking a vertebra.

Nathan has documented some of his sessions in and out of the gym. His latest endeavor was done in memory of a deceased veteran, Travis Manion. Manion’s family operates the Travis Manion Foundation, which develops programs, training and events to empower veterans and families of those who served.

Here’s the backstory on the foundation’s website: “On April 29, 2007, experienced Iraq war veteran from the 1st Recon Battalion, 1st Lt Travis Manion, and his fellow Marines were ambushed while searching a suspected insurgent house in the Al Anbar province of Iraq. As he led the counterattack against the enemy forces, Travis was fatally wounded by an enemy sniper while aiding and drawing fire away from his wounded teammates. His courageous acts allowed every member of his patrol to survive. For his actions, Travis was awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star with Valor. His legacy continues to grow through the work of TMF, inspiring people to make an impact by serving others.”

CrossFit has a list of Hero workouts to honor veterans who died in active duty. On the lawn in front of Sunset Beach Elementary School, Nathan and co. chose to honor Manion’s legacy by doing his workout, which consisted of seven rounds of 29 back squats (with 95 pounds) plus a 400-meter run. That’s 203 squats and 2,800 meters (1.7 miles) in the Hawaiian sun.

Sporting a bandage across his cheek after a recent face-first collision with the reef at Pipeline, Nathan completed his seven rounds in 28 minutes and 13 seconds.

“All the respect to soldiers of the U.S. and the ones that sacrificed their lives to make us feel safe and give us this great country,” Nathan said. “We’re stoked and we’re honored we could throw down today and do that for one of our heroes.”