- Morning Chalk Up
- Posts
- 💪 2026 CrossFit Semifinals Kick Off with Mayhem Classic
💪 2026 CrossFit Semifinals Kick Off with Mayhem Classic
Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.
In today’s edition:
🚨 Semifinals Start Now: The next stage of the 2026 CrossFit Games season kicks off in Cookeville, TN, with the Mayhem Classic this weekend.
🇺🇸 The countdown is on — there are five weeks until Murph, now’s the time to start preparing.
👟 INOV8, the OG challenger brand, has unfinished business in the CrossFit market.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
We have always been here doing things our way, and we stick to our principles and stick with people who believe and trust in us.”
CROSSFIT GAMES
Who to Watch in Cookeville: 2026 Mayhem Classic Preview
Credit: Sara Ines Chew
The Semifinal stage of the CrossFit season officially kicks off this weekend with the Mayhem Classic, April 17-19.
While Rich Froning and the Mayhem team are still holding back on some event details, they’ve already shared a handful of workouts, the prize purse, and the roster of athletes.
The top three men and women will be the first of the season to qualify for the CrossFit Games.
Read on for full details and how to watch.
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.
🏋️♂️🏢 Gymshark Enters the Gym Game: The apparel giant is opening its first-ever gym in Miami — a major shift from selling gear to building real-world fitness communities.
🧠🏋️ Coaching > Programming: CrossFit’s senior content writer, Stephane Rochet CF-L4, argues that the best results don’t come from perfect workouts on paper — they come from great coaching on the floor, where movement, scaling, and execution actually happen.
📬☎️ 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: A guide to the 2026 CrossFit Semifinals. (Rx article)
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Countdown to Murph: A 5-Week Prep Guide
Credit: @murphchallenge / Instagram
There are just over five weeks until Memorial Day weekend, when thousands of people will do the hero workout, Murph. The workout is in memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, NY, who was killed in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005.
Murph is a staple event in the CrossFit community each year, and today we’re going to lay out a plan to prepare your body by Memorial Day weekend.
Murph
For time:
1-mile run
100 pull-ups
200 push-ups
300 air squats
1-mile run
The pull-ups, push-ups, and squats may be partitioned as needed, and the prescribed version of this workout requires a 20-pound vest for men and a 14-pound vest for women.
INDUSTRY
After 17 Years and Counting, INOV8 Has Unfinished Business in the CrossFit Market
Credit: @inov8training / Instagram
The name INOV8 is well known in the CrossFit community as a challenger shoe brand with several elite CrossFit athletes under its umbrella, including Dani Speegle and Scott Panchik.
What most people don’t realize is that INOV8 is actually one of the OG shoe brands in the CrossFit community, with a presence dating back to 2009.
What makes their story even more unique is that INOV8 didn’t even know what CrossFit was when CrossFit athletes started buying their shoes. Their entry into the CrossFit shoe market was entirely accidental.
How It Happened
INOV8 was founded by Wayne Edy in the UK mountains in 2003. Edy noticed a gap in the off-road running market for a lighter, more natural-feeling shoe with enough grip for the gnarly terrain.
Their first attempt was the MUDROC 290, designed to work naturally with the foot, which began to gain traction in the UK and Europe.
In 2009, INOV8 redesigned its F-LITE 230 mountain running shoe, but it didn’t really take off with trail runners as anticipated, explained Lee Procter, INOV8’s communications manager, who has been with the company for 13 years.
While the shoe didn’t resonate with runners, it was spotted by some CrossFit athletes in North America, who immediately embraced it.
HIGHLIGHTS
Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise? Send us a tip.
🎂Happy birthday to Jamie Higiya.
Happy birthday (4/17) to Kristi Eramo O’Connell.
Congratulations to Willy Georges, who just ran the Paris Marathon in 3:00.
Check out this snatch PR from 16-year-old Ana of Brazil at 91 kilos/200 pounds.
😮💨Well done to Mika of Namibia on this 220-kilo/485-pound back squat PR.