What a weekend. The World Championships in Chicago delivered all the highs (and a few lows) we’ve come to expect from the biggest stage in HYROX.

Even in one of America’s largest cities, it felt like a HYROX takeover — PUMAs, The Feed Bags, World Champs gear, and country shirts spotted on every corner. Global sport, global vibes.

Before we start forecasting the future, let’s use this Drop to rewind the clock and look back at the races that were.

🥇 Elite Racing Recap

There were five Elite races over the weekend:

  • Men’s Individual
  • Women’s Individual
  • Men’s Doubles
  • Women’s Doubles
  • Team Relay

And in every single one — the pre-race favorite didn’t win.

🏃‍♂️ Men’s Individual: A Clash at the Top

It came down to Hunter McIntyre vs. Tim Wenisch, separated by just a few seconds at the end.
Tim took quick breaks on Wall Balls, but Hunter hit a smooth 100 unbroken to nearly take the win. The crowd exploded every time Tim dropped the ball — easily the loudest moment of the weekend.

Meanwhile, Jon Wynn, who squeaked into Worlds as the last qualifier, stormed his way into 5th place overall. That finish earns him auto-qualification for all Majors next season.

📹 Check out Rich Ryan's take on the race here:


📹 See Race Day from Hunter's perspective here:

🏃‍♀️ Women’s Individual: Linda Meier Steals the Show

Everyone expected a showdown between Lauren Weeks and Joanna Wietrzyk. But, it was Linda Meier who put on a masterclass — with consistently solid stations and a run split 16 seconds faster than Weeks.

Also impressive: Sinead Bent, Lucy Procter and Emilie Dahmen.
This trio finished 4th–6th and with their youth and relative experience look to be Elite for years to come.

📹 Hear from Lauren Weeks herself

🤝 Doubles + Relay Drama

You’ve heard it on the pod — but if you haven’t yet, stop what you’re doing and watch Matt, Brakken, and yours truly break down the rest of the weekend:

🎧 Full Race Brain Doubles and Relay Breakdown

🇦🇺 Team PRVN Takes the Relay… But Not Without Controversy

The most memorable moment?
Hunter launching Jeremy McConnell Cooke into the barriers — ultimately allowing Team PRVN to take the win via DQ of Team USA.

But the biggest question pre-race:

Should James Newbury have been on the team over guys like Tom Rodgers or Jon Wynn?

Here’s how it played out:

  • Newbury tagged out in 5th place on the first leg
  • Discounting Team USA, he went into the Run/Row with a 20-second lead
  • At the end of the Row, they were at an 8-second disadvantage to Germany, and many other teams gained ground.

So… did he help win the race? Yes.
Could Team PRVN have been even better with a different roster? Probably.

❌ Tia’s Withdrawal Shakes Up the Doubles

The Saturday night Doubles finale lost serious star power when Tia-Clair Toomey withdrew due to illness just hours before the race. This would’ve been her Elite 15 debut.

With the reigning World Record holders out, it turned into a battle between:

  • Lucy Procter & Sinead Bent
  • Lauren Weeks & Lauren Griffith

Although Procter & Bent crossed the line first, they were hit with two time penalties — one for grabbing the row handle early, one for a sandbag drop, plus several Wall Ball no-reps allowing the Laurens to take the win. HYROX took several minutes to announce the penalty, creating confusion and frustration.

💬 HYROX needs to clean up how time penalties are communicated — especially in high-stakes finals.

🧨 Richlayo Pulls Out, Germany Steps Up

In the Men’s Doubles, heavy favorites Rich Ryan & Pelayo (aka Richlayo) pulled out after the Ski.
With James Kelly & Jake Dearden already withdrawn, the podium was wide open.

Enter: Tim Wenisch & Jannik Czapla
They crossed the line first… then held their breath knowing they had penalty time.
Once cleared — they were champs. And with that, Tim Wenisch became the first HYROX Champ-Champ in the first year that it was possible.

🏆 No doubt: Tim Wenisch = MVP of the weekend

💤 Off-Season... Kind Of

If HYROX has an offseason, we’ve just entered it.
But don’t go too far — Race Brain will keep you in the loop with breakdowns, recaps, and rumors heading into next season.

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