American Season Kickoff, CrossFit Crossover, and Shoe Talk

🇺🇸 HYROX America Is Back: Boston Launches the 25/26 Season

The HYROX American season kicks off this weekend with the first race of the year in Boston. It marks the beginning of a stacked fall schedule including:

  • Atlanta
  • Chicago
  • Dallas
  • Anaheim

Plus, Canada gets its moment with races in Toronto and Vancouver before 2025 wraps.

👀 Who to Watch: Top North American Athletes

Some of these athletes could get the call-up to a Major, while others will be primed for a big showing at North American Championships in Washington D.C.

💪 Men’s Established Contenders

  • Hunter McIntyre - Multiple-time champ, 2nd in Chicago
  • Dylan Scott - 2024 Worlds podium finisher
  • Rich Ryan - PR of 54:28, among fastest ever
  • Ryan Kent - Dangerous if he returns to 2023 form (55:12 at the first ever Major)
  • Pelayo Menendez Fernandez - Consistent performer, coming off injury
  • Colin Stiefer - Qualified for Elite 15 Individual in 2024 and Doubles last season

🚀 Men’s Up-and-Comers

  • Dawson Miller - 58:04 PR, Elite 15 Doubles appearance
  • Greyson Kilgore - 3× sub-60s + Elite 15 Doubles
  • Cole Learn - 57:56 PR from Houston
  • Josh Ward - Top U.S. Age Grouper in Chicago (58:57)
  • Grady Jackson - Finished 1 second behind Ward
  • Isaac Sanderson - Ready to break out (59:14 PR)
  • Robin Persegol - 2-time average of 58:51

👑 Women’s Established Contenders

  • Lauren Weeks - 3× World Champ. Enough said.
  • Meg Jacoby - Reigning 2024 champ, returning from injury
  • Vivian Tafuto - Sub-60 club member
  • Amy Bevilacqua - 8th in Chicago, always consistent
  • Lauren Griffith - Podium potential at full strength
  • Kris Rugloski - 2022 Champ, battled into 2024 Worlds at the LCQ
  • Alandra Greenlee - still on the top 40 rankings despite a shift in focus
  • Maria Fecik - Top 10 at Worlds in 2024 and 6th in Doubles 2025

🔥 Women’s Rising Stars

  • Morgan Schulz - Former DEKA Fit champ, 2nd in Chicago AG
  • Katherine Fahsbender - 3rd in Chicago AG, just 3 seconds behind Schulz
  • Jennifer Thompson - 63:05 Pro debut; almost cracked the Majors last season
  • Carolyn Watkins- top 10 AG finish in Chicago after less than a year of racing
💬 Think we missed someone? Drop us a message — we want to highlight all the top athletes on the rise.

⭐️ Performers of the Week

  • Stefanie Oswald — From unranked to Hamburg-qualified! With a 61:56 in just her 3rd Pro Race, her average drops to 1:02:24, good for a Major invite.
  • Liam McCroary — Wins Maastricht in 56:33, jumping from 39th to 27th. Runner-up Louis Osselear jumped from unranked to 31st on the Major rankings

🌍 This Weekend’s Events

Three huge 3-day HYROX weekends are incoming:

  • Boston 🇺🇸
  • Rome 🇮🇹
  • Oslo 🇳🇴
👯‍♀️ Watch out for CrossFit crossover action!
Brooke & Sydney Wells will race Doubles in Boston (Friday), while Kristin Holte and Matilde Garnes will try to best them in Oslo (Saturday).

🔩 Hamburg Elite 15 Setup: A Sneak Peek

We are just over a week away from the first Major of the year. As a reminder, this will be the first Major with a dedicated Elite 15 arena. Take a look at it here:

👟 Race Brain Shoes Episode Out Now

What makes the perfect HYROX shoe?
Brakken, Rich, and Matt break it down in this week’s podcast — with picks, debates, and nerdy performance talk.

🧠 That’s It for This Week

We'll be back with a Major field preview and more performance breakdowns in the next Drop.