Marine Corps 1stLt Travis Manion gave the ultimate sacrifice on April 29, 2007, on his second deployment to Iraq. While on patrol in Fallujah, Travis led a counterattack against enemy forces, drawing fire away from his wounded comrades and allowing every member of his patrol to survive.

Before leaving on that deployment, Travis left us with a simple but powerful ethos: "If Not Me, Then Who…" It describes the sense of duty felt by service members and their families — a constant reminder for all of us to live with character and put the interests of others before our own. 

Today, over 300,000 Spartans nationwide carry forward this legacy of Travis, turning those words from a mantra into a way of life.

The Workout Honoring Travis Manion’s Legacy

Before and during his time as a Marine, Travis was known for many things, including his physical strength. As a top-ranked wrestler at US Naval Academy and three-sport star in high school, fitness was always important to him. It was only fitting that his friend, fellow Marine and CrossFit executive Jimi Letchford, created a hero WOD to honor Travis’ courage and character. 

For those unfamiliar with CrossFit, Hero WODs (workouts of the day) are sets of high-intensity exercises dedicated to fallen members of the US military who also practiced CrossFit. Jimi created the Manion WOD in honor of Travis’ ultimate sacrifice on April 29, 2007. Now, each year on or around that date, CrossFit boxes, ruck clubs and gyms across the country host the Manion WOD to mark Travis’ anniversary and to remember the sacrifice he made for our country. 

The Manion WOD: 

• 400-meter run  
• 29 weighted back squats
• Repeated for 7 rounds

Marine veteran, former New York City first responder and CrossFit owner Kenny Restrepo discovered TMF and Manion WOD when he relocated to Doylestown, PA, almost four years ago. “Once I learned TMF was created to honor a Marine, I immediately wanted to be a part of it,” he says. “I served in Operation Iraqi Freedom I and II, so I may have been in the country the same time Travis was.” When Kenny and his wife, Valerie, bought their CrossFit gym in Pipersville, PA, a year ago, “Our first order of business was to make plans to host the Manion WOD. I will always be a Marine, so anything that honors another Marine—there’s no question.”

How to Participate in the Manion WOD

To date, nearly tens of thousands of people of all walks of life have completed the Manion WOD at more than one thousand gyms and clubs across the country. There’s still time to add your name to that growing list and share the story of Travis Manion while testing your own strength and endurance. Click here to join a Manion WOD near you, or register as a virtual participant.

Whether registrants participate with a gym or on their own, the Spotify Manion WOD Playlist is available to stoke energy and inspire perseverance. It’s made up of the songs that were on Travis’ iPod when it was eventually returned to his family from Iraq—the music he listened to while deployed, doing whatever he could to remain strong for his country.