Payback's a B*tch

Emily & Kyle Rolfe stopped by GORUCK HQ in Jacksonville Beach, FL on their way to the Wodapalooza Fitness Festival. Emily is a 6x CrossFit Games Athlete and full-time medical Radiographer. Kyle, her husband and coach, works in Law Enforcement and has been by her side every step of the way. These two have been part of the GORUCK family for a long time, so of course, we celebrated Emily’s birthday the right way—their visit was packed with workouts, gear testing, and a hefty dose of burpees. Here’s a look at the time we spent together. 

When Emily and Kyle arrived in Jacksonville Beach, they wasted no time getting after it. They hit up Tailwinds CrossFit for a workout alongside other CrossFit Games athletes.

After her grueling session at Tailwinds CrossFit, Emily proved her Canadian resilience by braving a solo polar plunge into the hotel pool. (Yes, it was 50°F and raining!)

Sunday was a celebration of Emily’s birthday, but the day’s “gift” was for Kyle—a horrific workout.

The roles were reversed when Emily got her shot at coaching Kyle through a workout. And let’s just say, it was no walk in the park.

For the past 7 years, Kyle has been Emily’s coach, programming 5 hours of daily training, with the exception of rest/recovery days. Being both coach and husband isn’t always the easiest. Kyle jokes that he’s “fired” her as an athlete more times than he can count—but Emily always comes back.

When they visited GORUCK HQ, we figured Emily might enjoy a little payback. So, we handed her the reins to coach Kyle during a workout. Naturally, it included his least favorite movement: Burpees. LOTS of burpees.

Disclaimer: We do NOT recommend trying this at home. 

Monday morning, Emily hit a workout at CrossFit Total Control in Jax Beach, while Kyle resumed his duties as her coach—recovering from the “torture” of the previous day’s workout.

Next, she headed to Scars, where the team surprised her with custom gear, including a GR1 with her autograph embroidered inside. Emily pressed some patches, designed and cut her own belt bag, and talked with the team about new apparel in the works. If you’re ever in Jax Beach, we will give you the Emily Rolfe treatment too.

Later, they joined the entire GORUCK team for lunch and a Q&A session. Kyle, as always, had everyone laughing with his sense of humor.

From burpees to birthdays, Emily and Kyle showed us what it means to live the GORUCK life—work hard, laugh often, and embrace every challenge. We’re already counting down to their next visit!