🌍 Adidas Goes All In at HYROX Worlds

June 25th, 2026

POWERED BY

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • 🌍 From elite athletes to rooftop gyms, Adidas turned Stockholm into a hybrid fitness playground.

  • 🎟️ Meet the 14 athletes who will make their Individual CrossFit Games debut in San Jose this summer.

  • 🌟 XENOM's sold-out inaugural event kicks off this weekend in Dallas with 550 athletes and a $25,000 prize on the line.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
❝

I thought it was a good opportunity to be part of something new that I think has the potential to be quite big.”

Emily Rolfe, CrossFit Games veteran, on participating in the inaugural XENOM event this weekend.
INDUSTRY

Adidas “Goes Full Hybrid” in Stockholm with Elite Roster, Exclusive Perks, and Fan Experiences

Credit: Nicky Freymond

Over the past year, Adidas has made major investments in the competitive fitness world, nowhere more evident than in hybrid training and racing. 

  • While the brand's CrossFit roster has held steady, its list of hybrid athletes keeps growing, fast.

At the ninth annual HYROX World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden, Adidas showed up in full force across the elite divisions. 

  • The squad included 2025 champion Tim Wenisch, Cole Learn, Danél Louw, Melanie Maurer, Katherin Fahsbender, Elli Stenfours, Jana Lebenstedt, Lena Putters, Pelayo Menendez Fernandez, and the brand's newest signee, 2026 World Champion Alyssa McElheny.

5.11 Prime Day Deals: Gear Up, Save Big

CrossFit athletes know that quality gear isn't optional—it's essential. This Prime Day, 5.11 is bringing serious savings on the apparel and gear that keep you moving through every WOD, every workday, and everything in between.

From rugged bags to carry all your gear, to training pants built to handle burpees and box jumps, to performance tees that won't quit when you're going for that PR, 5.11's Prime Day deals cover the essentials athletes actually rely on.

Don't wait—these discounts are up on Friday, 6/26. Stock up on durable training gear designed for people who push limits daily.

Shop 5.11's Prime Day deals now and train without compromise.

*This newsletter relies on our sponsors. Please consider supporting them.

SPEED READS

🎟️🔥 Games Tickets Are Live: The 2026 CrossFit Games tickets are now available to the public — with the action heading to San Jose this July.

☀️🌴 San Jose Is Ready for the Games: On the latest CrossFit Show, San Jose Sports Authority Executive Director John Poch joins host James Hobart to discuss what the 2026 CrossFit Games mean for the city and why San Jose is excited to welcome the CrossFit community back this summer.

🏃‍♂️🔥 Competitive Fitness Is Having a Moment: An Athletech News deep dive examines the rapid rise of fitness competitions like HYROX, CrossFit, ATHX, and XENOM, as more everyday gym-goers seek goals, community, and experiences beyond traditional workouts.

🎥🌎 Two Semifinals, Two Very Different Stories: The latest episode of Road to the Games follows athletes competing at Copa Sur in Brazil and the Legends Championship in Arizona, where Games dreams — and Games returns — were on the line.

ICYMI: 💸 Prime Day Picks for CrossFitters. (Rx article)

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Meet the 2026 CrossFit Games Rookie Class

Credit: World Fitness Project

As we inch closer to the Games, the rosters are official, and the athletes are locked into their training. 

In the mix are veterans like Danielle Brandon and Jeff Adler, both back for their eighth year. There are some men and women about to make their sophomore showing after an impressive first season in 2025, including Mirjam von Rohr, Ty Jenkins, Lydia Fish, Anikha Greer, and Lucy McGonigle. 

  • Then there are the comeback athletes who have taken a season or two off due to injuries or other pursuits and are ready to return – think Ellie Turner, Victor Hoffer, Elisa Fuliano, or Aniol Ekai.

Lastly, there is the 2026 Games rookie class (admittedly, our favorite group of athletes every season). This year, the number of Games newbies is smaller than in 2025, when we had nine new women and eight new men. This year, we have 14 total, six men and eight women.

COMPETITIONS

Sold Out Inaugural XENOM Event Kicks Off in Dallas This Weekend

Credit: @xenomglobal / Instagram

Five hundred and fifty CrossFit athletes will head to Dallas, TX, to compete in the first Decathlon of Fitness at the Ford Center at The Star, the Dallas Cowboys' headquarters.

  • The lineup includes a mix of lifestyle and elite CrossFit athletes vying for the XENOM world record and a $25,000 cash prize, including CrossFit Games athletes Olivia Kerstetter, Emily Rolfe, Kyra Milligan, Abigail Domit, Matilde Garnes, Hannah Black, Colten Mertens, Chris Ibarra, Jack Farlow, Bill Leahy, Jake Douglas, and Dan Bailey.

Remind me: Founded by Keith Barlow, a CrossFit Level 2 coach and co-founder — along with Kate Burton-Barlow — of the public relations agency FittestPR, XENOM is a two-day competition featuring 10 fixed events that aims “to measure every facet of performance” and to create a “CrossFit Games level experience for the everyday person,” Barlow explained.

Similar to the Olympic Decathlon, XENOM uses a points-based scoring system, the Elite Performance Index (EPI), to measure an individual’s overall fitness and determine their global ranking across all 10 fixed events.

The top elite man and top woman this weekend will each receive $25,000, while the elite men’s and women’s pairs will each receive $12,500. 

  • At future events, however, XENOM will pay $10,000 to anyone who breaks the XENOM world record, and if a world record doesn’t fall at any given event, 50 percent of the pot will roll over to the next competition. And the next. Until a world record falls.

HIGHLIGHTS

Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise? Send us a tip.