Gibsonia man with multiple sclerosis crowned 'Fittest in the World' at CrossFit's first adaptive competition

By age 21, Brett Horchar had already proved to himself that he possessed the willpower to transform himself from a skinny kid with no self-confidence into a professional fitness trainer.

But like anyone else, learning from doctors that he was suffering from multiple sclerosis was “terrifying.”

“When I was laying in that hospital bed and got the diagnoses, I was crying,” said Horchar, 25, of Gibsonia. “But I gave myself five minutes. And then I said to myself, the choices are now. You can either choose now to live life the way you want to or you are going to let this take you down.”

Horchar chose to stay on the path that began in his early teens by focusing even more intently on making sure his body and mind were as strong as possible so he could battle the potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord.

But he didn’t just keep his promise to himself to stay strong, he exceeded it beyond his imagination.

Horchar, who works as a fitness trainer at CrossFit CMX Athletics in Gibsonia, recently emerged from the company’s annual international competition as the first-ever CrossFit Games Men’s Neuromuscular Fittest in the World Champion.

Horchar dominated the men’s neuromuscular field, with six, first-place finishes during the three-day strength and endurance competition in Madison, Wisc., and landed at the top spot on the leaderboard at the end of the final day.

Ten of the 30 athletes in the competition — five men and five women — competed in the neuromuscular division.

“All of the competitors gave an impressive showing, making a clear statement that fitness is attainable for anyone, no matter what limitations may stand in the way,” according to a news release announcing Horchar’s title.

“One key takeaway from the event is that CrossFitters have shown time and time again that the sport changes lives,” company officials wrote. “Whether that be through physical and mental health, battling back disease, or forming connections with the community. These athletes are no different, making the same — if not stronger — argument for the sport of fitness.”

Horchar said he was “just so grateful to have this opportunity.”

“When they had the open earlier this year, which is the first stage or qualifying event for the competition, it was fun but we thought it would be the end of it, but then they announced that there would be a men’s and women’s neuromuscular division, which was pretty exciting news,” he said.

Horchar, who was among the top 10 competitors at the open to go on to the CrossFit Games, said he kept his focus on the task rather than the outcome as he competed.

“A lot of people were telling me beforehand ‘you got this,’” he said. “Even the other guys in the competition were saying that. But if you’re going to train for this you can’t think like that. You have to act like you’re in last place chasing down first every single time.”

Sudden impact

Horchar said his dedication to the world of physical fitness and later competition was fueled by his early life experiences.

“Growing up, I was always the little guy, so I didn’t have a whole lot of confidence in myself,” he said. “I got bullied for being the smaller dude, so it kind of puts you in a shell.”

He said the idea that he could change his physique began to emerge several years before his first workout.

“The thing that first got me interested was the movie ‘Rocky’,” he said. “I remember thinking, ‘that dude is tough’ and it looked like he was enjoying everything he did. Just watching him do those physical things was motivating.”

As he entered high school, Horchar began weightlifting in the basement of his parent’s home “and got addicted.”

“I really became passionate about working out and even though people were telling me that I couldn’t make a living as a fitness trainer, it’s what I loved so I pursued that,” he said.

Horcher said the onset of his multiple sclerosis came with little warning.

“I remember that we were in the middle of a workout and I did a handstand,” he said. “People were applauding and saying nice job. But I turned to them and said: ‘That’s not how I do it.’ It was way more difficult than any one I had ever done before.”

Horchar said the right side of his body was not reacting as it should when he tried to move.

“When I went into work the next day, the left side of my body started to feel extra sensational heat as if there was a mini heater next to me,” he said. “On the right said, I had to start thinking about how to take a step.”

A doctor prescribed an oral steroid to treat what he believed was sciatic pain, Horchar said.

“I knew what that was but that’s not what I was experiencing,” he said. “This was like pins and needles down the entire side of my body.”

Horchar said he ended up in a hospital the following day.

“Out of nowhere I was really struggling just to stand up,” Horchar said. “When I finally did get up, I fell right back down and couldn’t move. I was panicked and had to use my arms to crawl across the floor to get to my phone.”

Horcher underwent a battery of tests at UPMC Passavant Hospital that confirmed he was suffering from multiple sclerosis.

Ignoring warnings from physicians that “the human body was not made to do the things I was doing” Harchar modified his workouts to accommodate the changes his body was experiencing and soldiered on.

“I had to teach myself how to walk and use my hands again,” he said. “But I was determined to fight back. I focused even more attention on my diet and doing absolutely everything I could to keep it in check.”

In addition to adding significantly more stretching than is typically needed to his workouts, Horchar must undergo hours-long infusion treatments every six months “just to try to keep everything at bay.

And while it is difficult to image someone who maintains such a high level of fitness struggling daily, Horchar said outward appearances can be deceiving.

“There are days when I wake up and my body feels like cement and my muscles don’t move,” he said. “The things I’m dealing with are on the inside.”

He said the serious fatigue he experiences along with excessive overheating are daily battles.

Craig Hoolahan, who owns CMX Athletics, said it’s hard not to be inspired by Horchar.

“It’s so impressive to see a guy go from loving to do CrossFit, then not being able to do it, and then relearn how to make it happen again,” he said. “It’s nothing short of amazing. He does all his own programming and does every workout and the proof is in the results.”

Horchar said he only hopes others who face the difficulties he has can take away a grain of inspiration to overcome their challenges.

“Look for the silver lining — no matter what happens in life, there’s always a silver lining if you look for it,” he said.