There’s hardly any wonder that CrossFit Champion Sam Briggs chose Manchester as her home and training ground. They both share the same characteristics and determined personalities. Manchester is a powerful Northern city originally flourishing in the early 1900’s, it led the boom of the Industrial Revolution. Post War Manchester was a tough place to survive with many of the once thriving factories grinding to a halt. But throughout it all, Mancunians have shown the grit, determination and sense of humour for which they have become known for.
Although originally from Leeds ( a bit further North), Sam Briggs has been embraced into the loving arms of Manchester and we are claiming her as one of our own. Since the start of the 2000’s, there has been a massive regeneration of Manchester. Many of the old factories have been sensitively renovated into stylish flats, bars and restaurants. The City is buzzing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
One of these restoration projects was led by Dom Beardwell, a CrossFit junkie himself, who in 2012, designed and invested (along with 3 others) into “TRAIN” in the Castlefield area of the city. 10,000 square feet of CrossFit heaven, also known as CrossFit Black Five. One of these investors was Sam Briggs. Two new boxes were added to the TRAIN stable, T2 in Media City and T3 in Heald Green. T3 (known as TRAIN MANCHESTER) is now the Flagship TRAIN box – an incredible state of the art facility, with a thriving CrossFit community and excellent coaches.
What’s in a name?
The naming of the venture is not as simple as it looks on first glances, but is a carefully crafted throwback to the industrial era of Manchester. Referring to steam trains, the Train members are known as “Iron Horses” and wear this proudly on their t-shirts. T1 in Castlefield has the CrossFit affiliate name of Black Five, which is steam locomotive train first manufactured in 1934. According to railwayblogger.com “There are many reports of Black Fives giving performances beyond expectations for this class of engine. For this reason they had a good reputation amongst enginemen and generally when booking on duty, if they saw their rostered engine was to be a Black Five they knew they were in for a good day.”
Steaming forwards to victory
You may recognise the timings of the TRAIN launch, for only a few months later, Sam Briggs was crowned Fittest Woman on Earth in 2013. In a sport which at the time, was heavily dominated by athletes from the USA, this was a momentous and hugely significant turning point for the CrossFit Games. Now CrossFit had truly landed on the international scene and the growth across Europe accelerated.
Sam Briggs “The Engine”
Sam Briggs’ journey to the top has been phenomenal. Originally from an endurance background, excelling at Triathlon, she has repeatedly shown her resilience and determination to maintain her position at the top. To operate at the top of any sporting field for 10 years is hardly ever seen. But with Crossfit being such a demanding, all year round sport, this is surely exceptional. Sam’s performances over the last 10 years at the CrossFit Games have been staggeringly impressive. Achieving 6 Top 10 finishes so far, with 2013 being the year that she won title “The Fittest on Earth”. Also in 2013 Sam won 1st place on the English Olympic Lifting Championships (58kg). It’s not hard to see why Sam Briggs has such a large, loyal following. She works hard, never gives up and is renowned for her ability to push through the pain barrier. In 2015 she competed at the Games with a broken foot! But her standout performance in the 2015 CrossFit Games, during the Murph WOD, stunned everyone worldwide. Despite operating in the 38 degree oppressive heat, when many athletes suffered extreme heat exhaustion, Sam finished 1st. A whole minute ahead of the next competitor. Her nickname “The Engine” couldn’t be a better fit. “Train”, the Box But Train is not just for the elite competitive athlete (although there are several there). Like most CrossFit boxes around the world, the majority of members are “normal folk”. At TRAIN MANCHESTER you will find a wonderful selection of members, many of which are training as a family and bring their children to CrossFit kids on a Sunday morning. Head Coach Shelley Martin is just as enthusiastic about Crossfit today, as she was when she first started 10 years ago. The vibe at Train is quintessential Manchester…. warm, friendly and encouraging with a good amount of cheeky banter thrown in. This is a place which will look after you and keep your ego in check too!
