šŸ”„ Cole Learnā€™s Revenge Tour Is On

September 1st, 2026

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In todayā€™s edition:

  • šŸšŸ”„ Cole Learnā€™s devastating DQ at the HYROX World Championships sparked a ā€œRevenge Tourā€ that has included back-to-back wins in Asia. He says the experience has made him even more dangerous

  • šŸŒŽšŸŽ¢ WFP Tour Stop 2 delivered! Emma Tall and James Sprague took the titles, but breakout performances, big comebacks, and heartbreaking injuries made for a wild weekend.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
ā

I don't hold any negative feelingsā€¦but I also know that nothing worse could happen in a race, so why not line up with nothing to lose?ā€

Cole Learn, on his mindset following his HYROX World Championships DQ.
PROFILE

Nothing to Lose: Cole Learn Turns World Championship Heartbreak Into Fuel

Courtesy of Cole Learn

For HYROX athlete Cole Learn, his 2025/2026 season was one of extremes. Ahead of the World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden, he had just signed a contract with Adidas and was a major contender to be crowned the new HYROX champion. 

But the race he had trained for all year ended just after it began. 

What Happened

As the starting clock counted down to zero, Learn shot out of the gate at a blistering pace, positioning himself at the front of the pack for the first kilometer. The first station, a 1000-meter ski, was one he knew he could finish with ease. One of the best skiers in the field, Learn was already making moves early in the race. 

But just as his meters were clicking from 999 to 1,000, he stepped off the ski platform. By the time he had both feet off, the screen had clicked over, and his judge urged him to continue. However, he was intercepted by a head judge, who hurried over to escort him off the course, immediately disqualifying him from the race for stepping off the ski platform too soon. 

  • He had made a grievous mistake, and for him, a common nightmare among professional racers had come true ā€“ a DQ at the World Championships ā€“ at the very first station. 

The community was split, but not evenly. A majority of fans, friends, and his fellow athletes were devastated on Learnā€™s behalf, calling for more consistency in penalties and disqualifications. Similar situations had occurred earlier in the season, with some athletes, like Learn, being immediately disqualified from the race, while others received a time penalty. 

When speaking with Learn recently, it was apparent that the race months ago still caused substantial heartbreak. 

  • ā€œStockholm was the most difficult adversity I have ever faced in athletics, but it is nothing new to what I have experienced in my life. Directly after the DQ, I felt all the feelings; I was angry at first, and then I broke down crying. I felt like I had been robbed, but was also just so gutted that I couldn't display the fitness I had worked so hard for.

Straight from the 2026 Games floor

The 2026 CrossFit Games wrapped up in San Jose, and Velites, the Official Apparel, Footwear, Grips & Jump Rope Partner of the Games, is still stocking the collection.

That includes the official Games jersey, styled after what athletes competed in on the floor, plus the all-new Hybrid 1.0 training shoes, socks, and hoodies, all built and tested under real competition conditions.

Whether you're chasing a podium or just love the sport, this is your chance to train and rep the same official gear from the 2026 Games.

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SPEED READS

šŸ’‰šŸ’° GLP-1 Users Spend Big on Fitness: A new study finds people taking weight-loss medications spend nearly four times more on fitness than non-users, adding to evidence that GLP-1s could be an opportunity ā€” not a threat ā€” for gyms and wellness brands.

šŸ“…šŸ”„ The Countdown Is On: CrossFit has announced the dates for the 2027 Open, giving athletes their target as the road to next season officially begins.

šŸ’Ŗā¤ļøā€šŸ©¹ Fitness as Anchor: Rising HYROX star Cole Learn joins The CrossFit Show to share how CrossFit became a critical part of his recovery from drug addiction ā€” providing structure, purpose, and a new path forward.

ICYMI: HYROX Partners with Amazon (Rx article)

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

5 Things We Learned From a Wild World Fitness Project Tour Stop 2

Credit: Scott Freymond

World Fitness Projectā€™s Tour Stop 2 has wrapped, and the athletes are one step closer to the Finals at the end of this year in Copenhagen, Denmark. 

  • James Sprague and Emma Tall are this stopā€™s winners and will battle to stay on top of the podium to round out the 2026 WFP season.

While Sprague and Tall emerged as the likely winners by Saturday night, we watched the leaderboard constantly shuffle after each event all weekend long. 

  • On day two alone, there were three lead changes for the men ā€“ Bill Leahy led first, then Chris Ibarra (who jumped from 10th to 1st in two events), then Sprague. 

Laura Horvath didnā€™t have the best first day and finished Friday lower than ideal on the leaderboard. But event by event, she climbed her way up, winning the final event and finishing second overall.

There were a substantial number of injuries early in the weekend, leading to some withdrawals and several athletes sitting out events. Chandler Smith, Jonne Koski, Sam Cournoyer, and Quinn Robinson continued to compete despite being injured. Sydney Wells and Ella Wilkinson sat out certain workouts or major lifting tests. Lenn Postel, Henrik Negard, William Kearny, Roman Khrennikov, and Pat Vellner all withdrew.

In case you werenā€™t tuned in, here are five big things from the weekend you may have missed.

HIGHLIGHTS

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