Be like mike

Today marks the 60th birthday of the late, great Mike Redshaw, CFL legend and someone that will be sorely missed and remembered by many. It still seems surreal that Mike passed so suddenly and without warning, something that many of us who knew him well have really struggled to come to terms with. Mike passed on 5th May 2020 aged just 59 years old and left behind his loving wife Lisa and three sons; Alexander, Henry and Charles.

Anyone who knew Mike, or perhaps trained alongside him from time to time in the gym, will know that he was the epitome of class. Just a true gentleman in every sense of the word. Mike was a regular in the 6am class  and affectionately called his fellow class mates the ‘6am Spartans’.

Having served his country for many years whilst working in the Royal Engineers of the British Army, Mike was honoured with a hero workout in his name ‘Redshaw’ created by his regiment and family. A veteran sapper, Mike served with the 29th squadron, 35th Engineer Regiment and 7th Squadron, 21st Engineer Regiment, which along with his age, make up the rep scheme for his workout. Many of the CFL members and Mike’s family completed his WOD yesterday in our daily zoom class, which ive no doubt would have made him very happy.

Mike was a keen CrossFitter and Runner and had taken big strides in improving his health and fitness over the past 6 years with us at CFL. I recall Mike’s first visit to the gym and him talking us through his experience as an avid runner and how he had developed a bad back and knee, which were preventing him from running. After a couple of years of working on his strength and mobility, his knee and back issues all but cleared up and combined with losing several stones of fat, led him to achieving a PB on his half marathon time, which he was so happy with (see his medal at the top of the blog). Mike consistently attended CFL up to five times per week and continued to progress in the gym, recently achieving strict bodyweight pull-ups which he had been chasing for a while. I recall sitting down in March this year with Mike for his member review and discussing his current goals, which included entering some upcoming CrossFit competitions in 2020. He said that he had never felt better and was genuinely excited about the developments in his fitness. Unbeknown to Mike, he was silently suffering with coronary artery disease (CAD), which includes the gradual narrowing and eventual blockage of the coronary artery, resulting in a heart attack. This came as such a shock to all the staff at CFL, particularly as there were no warning signs. Since Mike’s tragic passing, we have endeavoured to learn more about cardiovascular risk factors, in addition to modifying our health screening process in an attempt to identify underlying health issues of our members.

Mike had a beautiful spirit and was adored by all those he came into contact with. He would befriend anyone and put them instantly at ease with his humble and curious demeanour, starting conversations in the gym with ‘drop in’ visitors who didn’t know anyone. Mike had a real zest for life, which was more more akin to someone many years his junior. He was extremely generous and helped us out at CFL on numerous occasions, using his expertise in the commercial property industry to work on contracts and deal with estate agents and landlords. He also loved to party and socialise, attending many of the CFL socials, including salsa dancing!!!

Although Mike has moved on, his spirit lives on at CFL, not to mention his picture now taking centre stage in the gym. His sons are regular visitors at CFL when on leave from the army and we look forward to celebrating Mike’s life by completing ‘Redshaw’ each year over the May bank holiday, marking the anniversary of his death. When we think about the values that shape our ethos at CFL, Mike embodied them in every sense. We would all benefit from being more like mike!

CFL team