If you were around the Dane County Coliseum area from Aug. 3 to Aug. 6, you would have noticed the area looking quite different and a lot busier than usual, thanks to the Crossfit Games.

Before making the move to Madison, the games were held in Los Angeles for about 10 years, according to the Crossfit Games official website.

Crossfit is a high-intensity fitness program that incorporates elements from several sports and types of exercises. With more than 13,000 affiliate-gyms around the world, the Crossfit Games official website says Crossfit is one of the fastest growing sports in the world.

Crossfit Games organizers feel “the games were created to fill a void – no other true test of fitness existed.”

While there have long been extreme events, like the Ironman Triathlon (swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, run 26.2 miles) and the Olympic’s 10-event decathlon, there’s nothing as comprehensive as Crossfit.

“Even decathlons, while testing a relatively wide range of abilities, missed vital components of physical fitness,” the website states. “Make no mistake – the Crossfit Games are designed to test, not train, fitness. The goal is to find the fittest athletes, not to produce an easily replicable workout program.”

There were three stages in order for athletes to qualify for the 2017 Crossfit Games. The first was the open, a one-week, five-workout competition that is held during the winter.

The second stage is competition regionals, a three-day event held in May. The final stage is the August Crossfit Games.

The final stage of the Crossfit Games was open only to the top 40 male, female and team qualifiers.

Within the five days of competition, there were a myriad of events happening. On one of the first days there was a run/swim/run event (running 1.5 miles, then swimming 500 meters, and running 1.5 miles). There was a cycloc-ross event, essentially a cross-country race on bicycles. There was also an obstacle course race called Sprint O-Course as well.

The final day of events was an intense test of human strength. There were three final events: Madison Triple, 2223 Intervals, and Fibonacci Final.

Crossfit Games was looking for somewhere to expand, and Madison seemed to be the right fit with the assessable trails, two lakes, and complexes that can hold multiple sporting events, according to mensfitness.com.

The Crossfit Games made a $7.2 million impact on the city, according to the Capitol Times. The hotels around the Dane County Coliseum and downtown were packed and local restaurants benefitted from the increased traffic.

Justin Bergh, the general manager of the Crossfit Games, has high hopes for the ever-expanding games.

“We are trying to make this a unique and different experience for people who are coming in,” Bergh told the Wisconsin State Journal. They are looking for local support from the Madison area, and the whole Midwest.