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Spanish Fork teen wins division at CrossFit World Games

Posted at 9:50 PM, Aug 10, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-10 23:50:25-04

SPANISH FORK, Utah -- Dallin Pepper beat out competitors from as far away as Abu Dhabi and Europe to win one of the teen divisions of the CrossFit World Games last weekend.

Pepper earned the moniker of Fittest Teen on Earth at the competition in Madison, Wisconsin.

"Hard work pays off, that's the biggest thing I’ve learned, and you can do anything you set your mind to,” Dallin said of his journey.

But Dallin said he hasn’t always excelled at CrossFit.

"About a year and a half ago, I was not very good at CrossFit at all, and I was just starting out: couldn't do a pull-up,” he said.

Ryan Bagley owns CrossFit in Spanish Fork, and he said Dallin’s starting point was a familiar one.

“Just one more 120-pound scrawny kid,” he said.

Dallin's fitness journey soon became a family affair.

"I’ve turned my kids’ hobbies into my hobbies, and it's been a lot of fun to have that kind of time with them,” said Jana Pepper, Dallin’s mom.

Mom, dad, four siblings and an extended family of fellow CrossFit enthusiasts.

"Once you do a workout with someone you create a special bond, and you're best friends no matter what,” Dallin Pepper said.

It doesn't come easy. During the summer Dallin works out six days a week, three to four hours a day. He also helps out around the gym.

"He comes each weekend and he cleans the gym and he cleans the floors and the bathrooms,” Jana Pepper said.

Now Dallin is training for the 2018 CrossFit World Games.

"It’s humbling to see him work so hard,” Jana Pepper said of her son.