Jayson Hopper and Danielle Brandon Race to Opening Day Victories During “Texas Trail” Event at the 2022 Rogue Invitational

On Oct. 27, the 2022 Rogue Invitational hit the ground running — literally. On the opening day of the premier offseason CrossFit competition, some of the most elite CrossFit athletes took to the Cypress Hill Ranch, just west of Austin, TX for Event One, dubbed “Texas Trail.”

Day One featured just one workout, which was announced to the public only days before the competition. Athletes were told to pack long pants and trail running shoes, but the event was closed to outside media, broadcast, and coaches. Wearing their rucks and carrying their sandbags, Jayson Hopper and Danielle Brandon took home the Event One wins.

[RELATED: Check out BarBend’s live leaderboard for complete coverage of the 2022 Rogue Invitational.]

Event One Workout — “Texas Trail”

• 1.2-mile run with ruck (30/20 LBs)
• 1-mile run
• 3 sandbags up and over (100/70 LBs)
• 2-mile run

Event One Results

The opening event was a grueling 4.2-mile trail run through the Texas brush with some strongman elements thrown in the middle. The first 1.2 miles of the trail run featured a weighted ruck (30 pounds for the men and 20 pounds for the women) on each of the athletes’ backs. 

Competitors then shedded the rucks and proceeded to run one mile before lifting heavy sandbags (100 pounds for men and 70 pounds for women) up and over an obstacle three times. The event concluded with a two-mile run to the finish line.

Women’s Event One Results

1. Danielle Brandon — 34:11.03
2. Bailey Rogers — 34:47.91
3. Gabriela Migała — 35:02.50
4. Matilde Garnes — 35:43.94
5. Emma Lawson — 35:53.39
6. Jacqueline Dahlstrøm — 35:59.95
7. Annie Thorisdottir — 36:02.20
8. Emma McQuaid — 36:34.02
9. Laura Horvath — 36:40.02
10. Andrea Solberg — 36:51.43
11. Arielle Loewen — 36:51.43
12. Ellie Turner — 37:44.29
13. Alexis Raptis — 38:02.31
14. Amanda Barnhart — 38:22.10
15. Manon Angonese — 38:22.10
16. Kara Saunders — 38:57.69
17. Carolyn Prevost — 40:11.83
18. Anikha Greer — 44:19.24
19. Dani Speegle — 44:27.06
20. Olivia Kerstetter — 46:28.21

Men’s Event One Results 

1. Jayson Hopper — 31:27.06
2. Jeffrey Adler — 31:40.83
3. Ricky Garard — 32:09.57
4. Roman Khrennikov — 32:09.57
5. Justin Medeiros — 32:38.29
6. Chandler Smith — 32:55.06
7. Björgvin Guðmundsson — 33:04.29
8. Saxon Panchik — 33:21.44
9. Noah Ohlsen — 33:38.21
10. Patrick Vellner —33:42.66
11. Cole Sager — 33:43.90
12. Scott Tetlow — 33:51.34
13. Jorge Fernandez — 35:23.41
14. Nick Mathew — 35:37.43
15. Henrik Haapalainen — 35:56.58
16. Samuel Kwant — 36:04.51
17. Tim Paulson — 37:15.83
18. Jonne Koski — 39:37.60
19. Jack Farlow — 40:29.85
20. Lazar Đukić — 50:42.68

Women’s Event One Highlights

Two years ago, Brandon struggled in the “Ruck Run” at the West Coast Classic Semifinal, finishing in 14th place. She redeemed herself with the event win this year, with a time of 34:11.03. Known as a sprinter, the former collegiate pole vaulter showed that longer runs are no longer a weakness for her.

[RELATED: Tia-Clair Toomey Confirms She Will Attempt to Win Her Seventh Consecutive CrossFit Games in 2023]

Aussie Bailey Rogers proved to be another early surprise as she kept pace with Brandon before finishing second with a time of 34:47.11. Rogers, who earned her invitation to Rogue through the online qualifier, earned 95 points for her efforts.

Gabriela Migała once again showed off her ability to grind through grueling events with a third-place finish.

Games rookies Matilde Garnes and 17-year-old Emma Lawson rounded out the top five in a field that was without Tia-Clair Toomey, Haley Adams, and Kristi Eramo O’Connell, arguably the top women runners from the Games.

In her first major CrossFit competition against the top Individual women in the sport, 16-year-old Olivia Kerstetter placed last with a time of 46:28.21.

Men’s Event One Highlights

Hopper picked up his second-career Rogue Invitational event victory with an impressive performance in an event that he was not favored in. Showing increased aerobic capacity, he had little problem with the ruck portion of the run and was able to separate himself from the pack with his raw strength on the up-and-overs. He finished the event in 31:27.06.

Canadian Jeffrey Adler continued to show his improvements in running workouts, taking second with a time of 31:40.83.

The next three finishers comprised the podium from this past year’s 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games. Ricky Garard placed third, followed by Games runner-up Roman Khrennikov. The reigning two-time Fittest Man on Earth® Justin Medeiros rounded out the top five.

[RELATED: CrossFitter Chandler Smith Log Pressed 285 Pounds Ahead of 2022 Rogue Invitational]

Chandler Smith once again showed he thrives in Rogue programmed events, taking sixth with a time of 32:55.06.

Lazar Đukić, one of the early favorites for this event, placed last as he suffered a possible ankle injury during the run.

Up Next at the 2022 Rogue Invitational

With just one event today, the CrossFit athletes have 24 hours to recover for a full day of action on Friday. The elite field will face three events on Oct. 28, starting with the “Ski Bar” workout at 1:10 CST. 

The next three days of the competition will be live-streamed on the Rogue YouTube channel. Stay tuned to BarBend’s event coverage and results page to keep up-to-date on the happenings of the 2022 Rogue Invitational.

Featured Image: @daniellebrandon7 / Instagram