😤 HYROX, But With Less Running? Meet the Hybrid Games

September 8th, 2026

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • 🏃 🏋️ The Hybrid Games features 10 workout stations with just 5.6K of running — and a more relaxed, participation-first vibe.

  • 🏆💰 Forty of the sport’s biggest names are headed to Aberdeen for the Rogue Invitational, one of the richest competitions outside the CrossFit Games.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
❝

There won’t be an Elite 15. There won’t be a fast lane. It’s for first-timers, or for people who just want to have fun.”

Lisa Brennen, The Hybrid Games general manager.
COMPETITIONS

Love HYROX, Hate Running? Meet the Hybrid Games

Credit: @thehybridgames.uk / Instagram

HYROX has managed to convince CrossFit enthusiasts to do more of something most of us aren’t usually drawn to: running.

In the last couple of years, thousands of us have participated in a HYROX race, or multiple HYROX races, and have come to terms with the fact that the sport involves 8 kilometers of running.

That being said, the consensus among us remains: “I wish there were more stations and less running.”

Meet The Hybrid Games, one of the newer events making a splash in the hybrid sports world. 

Remind me: The Hybrid Games was founded in the UK in 2025 and features 10 stations — the eight HYROX stations plus two more. There are only 600 meters of running before each of the 10 stations, and a 200-meter sprint after the final station. 

Further, the order of the stations is slightly different than HYROX, as well, and goes like this:

  1. 50-calorie air bike

  2. 100 wall balls (6kg/4kg)

  3. 1,000-meter row

  4. 80-meter burpee broad jump

  5. 50 dumbbell snatches (17.5 kg/12.5 kg)

  6. 100-meter lunges (20kg/10kg)

  7. 200-meter farmers carry (24kg/16kg) 

  8. 60-meter sled pull (105kg/80kg)

  9. 1,000-meter SkiErg

  10. 60-meter sled push (135kg/100kg)

Read more about the movement standards here.

One Shoe, Every WOD.

Your WOD is a combination of squats, 400-meter runs, and rope climbs. You know the problem: most shoes are good at one of those things and bad at the other two. The Velites Hybrid 1.0 are built to hold up through all of it. They’re stable enough for heavy lifts, grippy enough for the rope, and light enough that you're not thinking about your feet during the run.

It's also just... comfortable. Wide toe box, cushioned insole, the kind of shoe you forget you're wearing until the WOD reminds you why it matters.

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

SPEED READS

🏈💪 F45 Is Getting Into the NIL Game: Parent company FIT House of Brands has signed University of Miami football stars Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney for a new social media campaign. It’s the latest sign that fitness brands are turning to college athletes to reach younger consumers and build brand awareness.

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

🎓🤝 Learn From a Coach’s Coach: For two decades, Chuck Carswell has helped shape CrossFit’s coaching culture with a philosophy of “Big Team, Little Me.” This CrossFit Essentials article looks at what makes him the gold standard — plus 10 videos and articles where coaches can learn from him directly.

ICYMI: Are Ultramarathons the New CrossFit Crossover? (Rx article)

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

2026 Rogue Invitational: CrossFit Competition Roster and Prize Purse

Credit: Sebastian Vallejo

The 2026 Rogue Invitational will be held October 23-25 at P&J Live in Aberdeen, Scotland. This will be only the third time in the competition’s eight-year history that it will be held outside the United States.

  • From Rogue Fitness's home in Columbus, OH, to Round Rock, TX, and then overseas to Aberdeen, the Rogue Invitational has become one of the largest and most prestigious CrossFit competitions outside the Games. 

Two years ago, when the Rogue Invitational debuted in Europe, the competition featured top athletes in CrossFit, Strongman, and, for the first time, Strongwoman. In 2025, Laura Horvath and Jeff Adler were champions and are both on the roster this year to defend their titles.

HIGHLIGHTS

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