🏆 The Road to HYROX Worlds Starts in Hamburg

October 29th, 2026

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • 🧪 We tested 100+ supplements, so you don't have to. Check out what we found below.

  • 🏁 Reigning world champions Dylan Scott and Alyssa McElheney headline this weekend's HYROX Elite Series opener in Hamburg, where former champions and rising stars are ready to challenge them.

This week, we've partnered with Gibbon and Hyperice to give away both a Gibbon SlackBoard and a Hyperice Hypervolt massage gun to two lucky Morning Chalk Up premium newsletter subscribers. If you're not signed up yet, do so now to be automatically entered into this week's drawing (and every week through the end of the year). 

QUOTE OF THE DAY
❝

Looking back, maybe ‘Forging Elite Fitness’ was never about mastering every movement. Maybe it was about showing up, pushing yourself, and getting fitter.”

Emily Beers, MCU senior writer, in yesterday’s OpEd, “Are Muscle-Ups and Snatches Still Cool?”
NUTRITION

From Protein to Electrolytes to Creatine: 100-Plus Products Tested — Here is Our Shortlist

Credit: Podium

Navigating the supplement industry is a bit like navigating a foreign city without GPS: challenging at best. 

Every brand claims to offer something better, cleaner, or more effective, but what does “clean” even mean? 

If you’re going to use a sweetener, is it better to stick with a bit of cane sugar? Or is monk fruit, stevia, or sucralose healthier? There's no consensus, and there’s no shortage of conflicting advice.

  • Alas, we think it’s best to get to know the people behind the brand, so we did exactly that. 

We spoke with founders of all kinds of brands in the space and tested more than 100 products, looking for three things: brands and ingredients we trust, and products that pass the taste test (because, in our opinion, the supplement industry is generally plagued by bad aftertastes).

If you’re looking for hydration, electrolytes, protein powder, protein bars, recovery products, or quick fuel, continue reading for our shortlist.

Stock Up On Reebok Nano X4s for Under $70

Reebok is running its mid-season sale, which includes a discount on Nano X4s for $69.99. Several sizes and colorways are still available, but those aren’t the only goodies we found. Snag the Nano Pro trainers or Zignation running shoes, plus select apparel and accessories, for 30% off with code MIDSZN.

The sale runs through tomorrow at 9:59 am ET, so jump on it!

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

SPEED READS

🎃🍬 Want to Win Halloween Without the Sugar Overload? CrossFit affiliate owner and mom Jocelyn Rylee shares how she keeps the holiday fun without making candy the main event — from trading trick-or-treat hauls for toys to handing out Hot Wheels instead of chocolate. Her message: Keep the costumes, spooky traditions, and childhood memories, but rethink the sugar.

🏖️💰 The Road to Gymreapers WZA Miami Beach Starts Now: This year’s Online Challenge & Qualifier features one two-week window for Individual, Pairs, and Team of Three competition. MCU readers get 15% off registration with code MCU15 — but hurry, the offer expires November 9 at 8 PM ET. (Adaptive athletes use this link.)

📅🔥 The Countdown Is On: CrossFit has announced the dates for the 2027 Open, giving athletes a target as the road to next season begins.

🔴 💪 Red-light therapy, Now 15% Off: Novaalab offers targeted recovery devices for knees, elbows, shoulders, and feet, plus full-body pads and pods. Save 15% on select devices through tomorrow, plus get free U.S. shipping and a 60-day money-back guarantee. If Justin Medeiros, Arielle Loewen, and the Chicago Bulls are in, so are we.

🏃🏙️ The NYC Marathon is Becoming a Brand Magnet: From fitness and wellness to fashion and lifestyle, companies across industries are tapping into the marathon boom to connect with runners and their communities. As running culture grows, race weekend is becoming about more than the 26.2 miles — it's a major opportunity for brands to engage consumers.

ICYMI: OpEd: Are Muscle-Ups and Snatches Still Cool? (Rx article)

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Dylan Scott, Alyssa McElheney, and a Stacked Field Open the HYROX Elite Series in Hamburg

Credit: Scott Freymond

Although the 2026/2027 HYROX season began in late summer, shortly after the 2026 World Championships, the first Elite Race is set for this weekend, October 30-31, in Hamburg, Germany. 

  • This race is one of five to be held worldwide over the next year, culminating in Hong Kong at the 2027 World Championships. 

The Hamburg HYROX will feature 15 men and 15 women who qualified for the event and will race in the coveted Elite 15 division. The season will also include 15 additional “Challengers” on both the men’s and women’s Elite 15 rosters. The Challengers are those ranked 16-30 on the official leaderboard. 

Details on Qualifying: Another amendment to the season structure is that athletes accumulate points over the season based on their top results from a rolling 365-day window.

For singles, those results come from their best five races; for doubles, from their best three. This is one reason we’re seeing more athletes race in as many events as possible than in previous seasons.

  • Another change: all doubles pairs must share a nationality to earn valid points in the Elite Series.

HIGHLIGHTS

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

  • 🎂 Happy birthday to James Newbury.

  • Check out these throwback photos of James Sprague, Dallin Pepper, and Tudor Magda.

  • Congratulations to Thomas van Tonder, who just completed 600 monkey bars (300 meters) to cross Africa’s highest bridge. It took him 47 minutes and change. Absolutely unreal!

  • Well done to 71-year-old Joe, who just completed his 4th HYROX, with a message that HYROX is for everyone, at any age!

  • 👻 CrossFit Casual, in Boise ID, has had a Halloween dummy sitting outside the front door for the last few weeks. This morning, owner Brian Wilkerson took its place to scare some of the members 🤣.