The Race Brain Drop vol. 29

The Road to Stockholm

We are all wrapped up from the third HYROX Major of the season. There are now 9 of the 15 spots claimed for all Elite divisions. The remaining qualifying spots will be distributed as follows:

Each Regional Championship will qualify:
1 Male, 1 Female, 1 Men’s Doubles Team, and 1 Women’s Doubles Team

HYROX Americas (Washington D.C.) — March 7–8
HYROX EMEA Championships (London) — March 21–22
HYROX APAC Championships (Brisbane) — April 11–12

For this season, the final Major will functionally act as the Last Chance Qualifier for the final three spots in all divisions and will take place April 16–17 in Warsaw. The World Championship fields will then be settled with roughly two months to train for Stockholm.

If athletes are still yet to claim their spot, they now have at most two chances remaining.

Who’s Still on the Hunt?

Here are some notable athletes who qualified last season and are still chasing a spot this year:

Men

Jon Wynn — After a 5th place finish at Worlds he is still yet to qualify. But this is familiar territory, as he has qualified at the Last Chance race the previous two seasons.
Tom Rodgers — Injury has kept him out of Elite racing after his 6th place finish in Chicago.
Beau Wills — After two straight top-10 Worlds finishes he is still on the outside looking in.
Graham Halliday — Needs to put in work if he wants to make his 4th consecutive Championship field.
Pelayo Menendez Fernandez — Just secured a Doubles bid and has said he will focus there.
Tomas Tvrdik — One spot out of qualifying in Phoenix and looks poised to grab a spot in London or Warsaw.

Women

Meg Jacoby — The 2024 World Champ has put down two fast times but is still yet to start an Elite race.
Emilie Dahmen — A brutal 5:09 Wall Ball in Phoenix made her the first woman out. Hard to imagine she doesn’t find her way in.
Amy Bevilacqua — Has been open about personal struggles this year but should be on the start list for the Americas Championships.
Melanie Maurer — After locking up a Doubles bid in Phoenix, she can now go all-in on singles.
Kate Davey — Injury has kept her out and she hasn’t raced since Chicago.
Ida Mathilde Steensgaard — Only individual race was Hamburg, where she finished last. She would now need two fast times to get back into the Elite mix.
Lauren Griffith — Still battling injury. Her best shot might be a qualification in D.C.
Seka Arning — Started the season strong with a 4th in Hamburg and is Doubles qualified. A top contender to grab one of the final spots.

Mix these established vets with all of the new names emerging this season, and we’re set up for an exciting stretch of racing through March and April.

Fun Notes From Phoenix

While the Elite races were the main event, there were a few fun storylines in the Pro field:

David Johnson — Former Arizona Cardinals running back returned to Phoenix and set a 71:47 PR in the Pro Division.
Steph Izard — Celebrity chef and Top Chef Season 4 winner completed her first HYROX and said she’s ready for more.
Ben Kanute — Former Olympic triathlete completed his first HYROX and had the fastest run split of the day in the Pro field (34 seconds faster than Dylan Scott).
Speaking of fast run splits… former Leadville 100 runner-up and Worlds Toughest Mudder champ Chad Trammell teamed up with Lars Arneson for a 50:41 Men’s Pro Doubles in the first HYROX for both of them.