Masters Athletes Fail Drug Test at 2024 CrossFit Games

POWERED BY:

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

• Drug test results from the 2024 Masters CrossFit Games are beginning to roll in, and several failed tests have been announced. Get caught up on who got caught below.

• Is macro counting dead? We asked top nutrition coaches and ten Games athletes for their thoughts on whether or not they still do it, if they ever did, and what they tell their clients.

• Over the years, Jason Larocque has raised $20,000 for men’s health issues during “Movember,” and in 2024, he’s hoping to add a lot more to that total. Learn how your affiliate can help next month!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The use of PEDs by some at the 2024 CrossFit Games and in previous years undermines the competition and belittles the honest efforts of the vast majority of Masters athletes. It falsely suggests that all Masters athletes cheat, which I know isn’t true.” - Jason Grubb, five-time Masters CrossFit Games champion, on the recent drug test failures in the men’s 40-44 and 50-54 divisions.

CROSSFIT GAMES

Jonathan Edel, 2024 Masters CrossFit Games Winner, Fails In-Competition Drug Test

Following the news that Shawn Ramirez and Jaime McGarva, two podium finishers at the 50-54 division Masters CrossFit Games, violated the CrossFit drug policy, another name has been added to the list. 

• On October 24, CrossFit announced that 40-44 Masters CrossFit Games champion Jonathan Edel has tested positive for PEDs as well. 

His sample tested positive for Anastrozole, exogenous steroids (synthetic testosterone), and metabolites of GW1516. 

• As stated on the CrossFit Games website, “Edel did not appeal, and his four-year sanction began September 1, 2024.” 

At the time of publication, all three men remain on the leaderboard in their original finishing places (here and here). 

• Edel’s sanction began when the positive sample was submitted. Now, Chicho Quesada moves up into first place 40-44, Julian Serna is in second, and two-time Masters CrossFit Games champion Rudy Berger moves into bronze medal position.

A MESSAGE FROM SYNERGY

A Space-Saving Fitness Solution

Struggling with limited space in your home gym? Synergy Custom Fitness’ space-saving, multi-functional, expandable vertical dumbbell racks are the perfect solution.

Available in 4 sizes with just a 13” footprint, Synergy’s racks fit any collection, making them perfect for home gyms short on space and gives you more room for your gear.

Each rack is purpose-built with a 3×3 upright, allowing you to attach accessories like landmines, barbell holders, battle rope anchors, and plate holders all in one compact space. 

Best part? Their racks can be expanded into a full commercial-grade horizontal rack with their expansion kit while still maintaining the vertical storage on the sides. This is great for when you’re ready to upgrade or move into a bigger space. 

Synergy offers their racks in 11 different color options to match your aesthetic and home gym theme.

Use code MCU for 15% off your rack!

SPEED READS

😎🌴 Week 2 TYR WZA Miami OCQ Scores Due Today: Check out the details below for the TYR WZA Online Challenge & Qualifier (OCQ), which started last week for individuals (The Team OCQ is Oct. 31-Nov. 6). Get registered here. Check out the Week 2 WODs here.

• TYR WZA OCQ Individual Divisions

  • Elite/Rx | Intermediate/Open

  • Masters 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60+

  • Teens 13-15, 16-18

📚🤓 Good Read: Laura Horvath, 2023 CrossFit Games Women’s champ, was featured in an article and photoshoot in the online culinary magazine Blooming Grape last week. Check it out now to learn more about the champ’s balanced approach to eating and finding joy in life.

📺👂Hear Their Stories: CrossFit’s new video series, called Hear Their Stories, brings viewers into the heart of the CrossFit community. Episode six is out, focusing on Brock Yost, Owner of CrossFit Triple River in Three Rivers, MI, and 2024 Teenage CrossFit Games Director. Watch now.

ICYMI: Whether you want to improve your rowing abilities for CrossFit or you want a challenge to keep you on track and accountable during the holidays, “Rowvember” by Dark Horse Rowing might be the answer for you. Check it out and learn more about founder Shane Farmer.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Is Macro Counting Dead? Top Nutrition Coaches and Games Athletes Chime In

Nothing is more prone to come-and-go fads than nutrition. 

• And the CrossFit community is as susceptible as anyone to embracing the trends of the day. 

For those of us who started pre-2010, it was all about diligently counting Zone blocks, and by 2011, Robb Wolf’s The Paleo Solution was on every CrossFit athlete’s bookshelf.

• The most recent trend is “macro counting,” which has been made easier thanks to all the app options available today to help track your carbohydrates, protein, and fat down to the gram.

By 2017, lifestyle athletes and elite CrossFitters alike hopped on board the macro tracking train. 

• There we were, out for dinner, pulling out our phones to make sure what we were ordering fit our macros. 

But with the rise of new buzzwords and phrases in nutrition in recent years—habit-based change, meeting people where they’re at, intuitive eating, holistic approach—where does this leave macro tracking? 

Are we still tracking? 

Or are we tired of not being able to enjoy a slice of pizza without it becoming a math problem?

COMMUNITY

CrossFit Coach Has Raised $20,000 for Movember in the Last Three Years — He Wants to Add $15,000 in 2024

Jason Larocque knows what it’s like to feel lonely. Anxious. Lacking social connection. 

A former Division 1 baseball player, Larocque found himself in a tough place when his college career was over.

• “Sometimes, when athletics get taken away from you, you end up lonely and you miss that team dynamic,” he said, adding that anxiety also became a big challenge for him. “And when you’re anxious, you don’t take care of yourself.”

As a result, Larocque started gaining weight, which he kept on until he started CrossFit in 2016 and lost 60 pounds.

• “I have been through it all, and one of the things that I can share is things get better if you ask for help and you work on yourself, but if we don’t talk about things and we don’t share our struggles, then we do it by ourselves, and it’s just overwhelming,“ Larocque said.

Now, Larocque is a coach at CrossFit Variance Plus in Beverly, MA, and an Associate Principal at an all-boys middle school.

His 18 years of experience working with these middle-schoolers, combined with his own personal experiences, led him to recognize just how difficult it can be for many boys and men to share their struggles. 

• “We often don’t allow men to be healthy with their emotions, and be vulnerable, and ask for help,” he said. 

HIGHLIGHTS

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

• 🎂Happy birthday to Arielle Loewen and Katelin Van Zyl.

• Congratulations to Brandon of CrossFit Krypton in Chesapeake, VA, on this 124-kilo/275-pound snatch.

• Nice work to Kirra of Australia on this 90-kilo/198-pound snatch at the Down Under Championship.

• Check out Alison Scudds on this 100-kilo/220-pound snatch balance. Amazing job, Alison!

• 💪Great job to Jaxson of CrossFit Camden Frontier in Camden, MI, for completing all the benchmark workouts programmed for October.