🌍 The Countdown to WFP Season 2 Is On

April 9th, 2026

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • 🌍 WFP Season 2 Starts Soon: The World Fitness Project returns with 2026 Tour Stop 1 in London this May.

  • 🤱 Annie Thorisdottir and Katrin Davidsdottir launch postpartum program with Brianna Battles.

  • ⚡ A simple formula, big results. Why HYROX keeps growing.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
❝

I don’t go to the gym for six hours a day to come in second.”

James Sprague, 2025 WFP champion in Unbreakable.
COMPETITIONS

The Countdown Is On to World Fitness Project’s Second Season

Credit: World Fitness Project

As the CrossFit season is well underway with Semifinals just around the corner, the World Fitness Project’s second season is about to kick off with Tour Stop 1 in London, England, May 1-3, 2025. 

  • Champions James Sprague and Laura Horvath have committed as Signed Pros for another season, along with many others, while brands like Adidas, Velites, and Rogue are back on board.

Remind me: The 2025 Finals were held in December in Copenhagen, Denmark, with Sprague atop the men’s podium, Dallin Pepper in second, and Ricky Garard in third. Aimee Cringle tied with Horvath in points but ultimately took second place. Emma Lawson finished in third. 

Just last week, the Buttery Bros released their full-length documentary, Unbreakable, featuring behind-the-scenes footage from Copenhagen. The film helps fans relive each workout, hear athletes' insights between events, and soak in all the weekend’s vibes.

The 2026 Finals will be held once again at Bella Arena in Copenhagen.

SPEED READS

🔥🏋️ The Boys Took on The Ranch: Medeiros, Hopper, Pepper, and Sprague headed to CrossFit’s proving grounds — and turned it into a full-on throwdown with classic tests, heavy lifts, and Games-style chaos.

 📈⌚ Wearables Are Booming: Search data shows devices like Oura and Garmin are among the fastest-growing consumer tech products — as more people prioritize sleep, recovery, and daily health tracking.

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

📬🏋️ CrossFit Athlete Council Opens Direct Feedback Channel: The CAC has launched a dedicated email address (here) for athletes and community members to share questions, feedback, or concerns about the season directly with the council.

ICYMI: 🔥 8 Quick CrossFit Quarterfinals Takeaways (Rx article)

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Annie Thorisdottir and Katrin Davidsdottir Team Up with Brianna Battles and Launch Postpartum Training Program

Courtesy of Annie Thorisdottir

Last month, CrossFit Games champions Annie Thorisdottir and Katrin Davidsdottir launched an eight-week postpartum training program called Empower Postpartum for women to follow after giving birth.

This comes six months after their company, Empower, introduced a training program for pregnant women in partnership with Brianna Battles, the founder of Pregnancy & Postpartum Athleticism, a company that provides fitness programs for athletes and coaching certifications.

  • The postpartum program is also based on Battles’ program, but “with some small adjustments,” Davidsdottir told The Morning Chalk Up. 

Davidsdottir went through the program after she gave birth to her first baby last October, and Thorisdottir, who had her third baby in February, is currently going through it.

HYROX

The HYROX Effect: How a Simple Formula Built a Global Fitness Phenomenon

Credit: Mathieu Improvisato

In HYROX’s early years, the race mostly attracted elite athletes seeking something different from obstacle-course racing, triathlon, and CrossFit. But in recent years, people of all fitness levels and abilities have been participating, and its popularity has skyrocketed, with many events selling out within minutes. 

  • In just one year, the New York HYROX has grown from 15,000 participants to 50,000, all competing over the course of a weekend.

In 2024, HYROX events boasted 175,000 participants and 5,000 affiliated gyms. In 2025, the brand expanded to 100+ global races per year, with more than 13,000 affiliated gyms, performance centers, and community events, including the upcoming HYROX Cruise.

New events are added annually, and existing race weekends are expanded to support the increasing number of HYROX competitors.

So while events like Spartan and Tough Mudder are declining and CrossFit sees variable participation each year, what is it about HYROX that drives steady (and aggressive) growth year after year?

HIGHLIGHTS

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