The Race Brain crew is back with its most‐listened‐to show of the month—our ever-popular “Top Five” episode—this time tackling the Top Five HYROX women as we barrel toward World Championships. As always, your hosts—Matt Mason behind the wheel, Jack “the Hybrid Stats Machine,” Greg from the ROXLYFE, and Michelle, the fastest RMR athlete on the Jersey Shore—bring big personalities, bigger takes, and a table-shaking amount of stats. Here’s how it all went down:
Emilie Dahmen Deep Dive
Before diving into the Top Five itself, Matt pulls out the RoxOpt predictive model on Emilie Dahmen. In her four Pro races, she’s gone from 63:14 to a scorching 61:10, sitting between her “great” (62:05) and “excellent” (61:53) projections—and the algorithm still sees room for a 58:20 peak.
- Penalty-Skew Caveat: Greg reminds us her Rotterdam 65:41 included a 3-minute penalty on the sled pull—if that’s stripped out she’d have torched a 62:41 solo in a stacked Pro field.
- Verdict: Emilie’s bar-raising debut makes her a dark-horse contender, but does it vault her into this edition of the Top Five?
Women’s Top Five Revealed
Matt spins the virtual wheel and each panelist quickly names their personal Top Five—no discussion yet. Here’s the raw outcome:
| Rank | Jack’s List | Matt’s List | Greg’s List | Michelle’s List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lauren Weeks | Lauren Weeks | Lauren Weeks | Lauren Weeks |
| 2 | Joanna Wietrzyk | Meg Jacoby | Joanna Wietrzyk | Joanna Wietrzyk |
| 3 | Meg Jacoby | Vivian Tafuto | Meg Jacoby | Meg Jacoby |
| 4 | Vivian Tafuto | Joanna Wietrzyk | Emilie Dahmen | Linda Meier |
| 5 | Emilie Dahmen | Linda Meier | Linda Meier | Emilie Dahmen |
Four of the Six names are unanimous—only the order shuffles slightly. Next up: let the debate begin.
The Case for Vivian Tafuto (Third?)
Matt kicks things off defending Vivian Tafuto’s inclusion at #3:
- Glasgow Sub-60: She ran 59:38, making her one of only four women ever under 60 at a HYROX major.
- DEKAFIT Shock: Weeks before, she clocked a mind-boggling DEKAFIT split—18:19 5K and a 2nd-fastest all-time time (behind only Lauren Weeks).
- Trajectory: That performance, Matt argues, proves she’s on a runaway fitness trajectory—she’ll only get stronger heading into Chicago.
Counterpoints:
- Joanna’s Consistency: Greg notes Joanna’s streak of podiums at every major she’s entered this season—hard to argue against that level of consistency.
- Linda’s Doubles Dominance: Michelle flags Linda’s recent 55:52 pro-doubles time. That doubles prowess translates tightly to solo racing.
In the end, everyone admits Vivian deserves to be in the Top Five conversation—her DEKAFIT alone vaults her into Elite 15 worthy territory—but they’re less certain she should jump past Joanna or even Meg on performance history.
Linda Meier vs. Emilie Dahmen for #5
With Vivian safely in the five-pack, the real horse-race is who closes out the Top Five:
- Emilie Dahmen (rookie who dominated Barcelona LCQ with a big PR)
- Linda Meier (Fifth in Nice at 2024 World Champs, multi-Major podiums, recent impressive Pro Doubles)
Emilie Advocates Say:
- Her Barcelona breakout wasn’t just fast; she beat a field where 12 women had sub-64 PRs
- That 2-minute LCQ PR came in a pressure-cooker environment—her form is sky-high.
- She’s the only one on this panel who, if she keeps improving, might crack the Top Three by Worlds.
Linda Backers Say:
- Linda’s resume (worlds silver, multiple major podiums) and that 55:52 doubles time put her among the sport’s all-time greats.
- She’s been ill/injured most of the season; now that she’s healthy, her “true form” hasn’t even been seen yet.
- The panel’s stats whiz Greg saw her lead Viola at Paris, and fellow panelists insist Viola said Linda carried their duo in the Doubles qualifier.
Outcome:
After a tense vote, “Voice of Hyrox” Greg breaks the tie by placing Linda Meier at #5—her history, health comeback, and doubles firepower just nudge out the LCQ prodigy.
The Top Three: Lauren, Meg & Joanna
With the bottom half settled, the panel turns to the podium spots—again, no real suspense:
- Lauren Weeks
- Three-time world champion, consistent sub-60 solo warrior, her recent times have redefined the limits of the sport. Unanimous #1 across the board.
- Joanna Wietrzyk
- Four-time podium finisher at Majors this season (3–1–2–2), doubles world-record holder with Tia Toomey, and a fearless front-runner.
- Meg Jacoby
- Reigning solo world champion, just missed the mixed-doubles world record by 8 seconds, getting back into form
- The argument: on her worst day she’s still top-3 capable. Did she deserve #3? Four panelists say yes.
7. What We Learned & What’s Next
- Recency vs. History: Should a spectacular LCQ smash be valued more than years of podiums? The answer everyone landed on: history still counts, but keep an eye on game-changing newcomers.
- DEKAFIT ≠ HYROX? A surprising number of panelists weighed DEKAFIT splits when ranking solo performance—but ultimately agreed HYROX singles and Pro Doubles remain the core metrics.
- Seeding Must Evolve: If HYROX wants truly competitive racing, they’ll need smarter heat assignments and qualification rules—no more hidden gems stuck in back-of-pack waves.
Bottom Line:
This “Top Five Women” portion of the show was not just a rankings exercise—it was a high-octane debate blending data, on-the-ground insight, and real talk about what makes a HYROX superstar. Whether you love a steady podium veteran or a breakout rookie, there’s a case to be made—and Race Brain delivered it in spades. We’ll see you next week as the crew duke it out for the men’s Top Five!
Tap into the full conversation – listen now on Spotify and find out who made the final Top 5.
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