Go Paleo at The New Primal Games on Daniel Island

In its second year, The New Primal Games, to be held Saturday at Wando Fields on Daniel Island, is part adventure race, part obstacle course and part strong (wo)man contest with hints of Paleolithic survivalism.

The spectator-friendly games will consist of multiple events — carrying Atlas stones and sandbags, trail runs, multiple wall and rope climbs — throughout the day, with each event containing its own set of tasks.

And while it’s not quite a CrossFit competition, about 65 percent of its registrants are affiliated with CrossFit gyms.

The event was started by Jason Burke, in part to highlight his Pocket Paleo lines of grass-fed beef jerk and trail food. He expects to expand the games to three other cities next year: possibly Charlotte, Atlanta and Jacksonville, Fla.

Burke said that a week before last year’s event, only 30 people had signed up. This year, the number has jumped to 200. The cap for the event is 250, and registration ends tonight.

The event also includes a Kid’s Primal Games, which takes place prior to the adult competition.

Burke hopes that the event also helps foster, in a fun way, a return to some of the physical and nutritional habits of ancestors from the Paleolithic era.

“The games are definitely not for the faint of heart, but that said, all of the events include movements you already know how to do. After all, our caveman ancestors did this each and every day of their lives,” Burke said.

Find out more at www.the newprimal.com.

Summer of Surf
The annual Summer of Surf surfing contest, an official contest of the local Eastern Surfing Association district, is Saturday and Sunday at the Washout on Folly Beach.

Go to www.surfesa.org.
Watermelon 5K

Want to venture out for a Southern experience and get your sweat on?

The annual Hampton County Watermelon Festival will hold a 5K race at 8 a.m. Saturday in the town of Hampton and has prize money for top finishers.

Learn more at www.melon fest.org.