Sarah Howard is a mother, United States Air Force Band flutist, and CrossFit Level 2 Trainer at Trial Built CrossFit in Vacaville, California.
While attending the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin — a present to herself in celebration of her 45th birthday — she completed the benchmark workout Grace during a class led by CrossFit Seminar Staff trainers.
“There’s this point — it’s around 20 reps — where your mind is frozen and you start to think about how bad it hurts,” she says of the 30 clean and jerks at 95 lb, which she finished in 1:18.
“And I’ve learned over time to take that pain and turn it into something positive that I’m striving for in my life.”
Howard started CrossFit in 2013, two years after her mother died of colon cancer, sending Howard into a deep depression.
CrossFit brought her out.
“It makes me feel powerful,” she says.
Grace at the CrossFit Games