With the 2024 CrossFit Games in the rearview mirror, we’re officially in the offseason. Though, the word offseason is a little misleading in this case.
- There is a healthy competition schedule between the start of September 2024 and early February 2025, when next year’s Open will likely kick off.
Many Games-level athletes will participate in at least one competition over the next six months. For many, determining when to compete, when to have focused training cycles, and when to rest and heal from the nagging injuries they picked up throughout the season is a juggling act.
Still, you can expect plenty of world-class performances and nail-biting event finishes over the next six months.
Here is your guide to the major events taking place this offseason.
The Big Ones
Rogue Invitational — November 8-10, 2024
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The toughest competition of the offseason schedule is held by equipment manufacturer Rogue. This year marks the sixth running of the Rogue Invitational and the first to take place in Europe as athletes venture to Aberdeen, Scotland.
- Rogue will invite at least 10 athletes based on their ranking system. The remaining competitors earn an invite through an online qualifier known simply as “The Q.”
- “The Q” runs September 5-9. Learn more here.
With a prize purse that rivals the CrossFit Games, you can count on the best athletes in the world showing up.
Dubai Fitness Championship — December 6-8, 2024
The Dubai Fitness Championship is held in late December and touts a mix of CrossFit Games veterans and hopefuls, which always makes for an exciting competition.
- Each year, organizers also plan an off-site event that creates a once-in-a-lifetime experience for athletes.
In 2022, athletes ran up all 160 stories of Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, while in 2021, athletes did a running/ski-erg event in an indoor ski hill.
TYR Wodapalooza Miami — Dates TBA
Like Canadian geese and retired New Yorkers, the CrossFit community migrates south to Florida every winter for an annual fitness festival.
- TYR Wodapalooza brings together a global field of elite athletes that few, if any, other competitions can match.
TYR Wodapalooza hosts an individual competition that gives athletes a chance to test themselves prior to the beginning of the Games season. That’s paired with a team competition that also gives athletes a way to compete with their friends. From a fan’s perspective, this is one of the most fun competitions of the year to watch.
The Exhibitions
Two new events on the CrossFit calendar bring together big names from the sport and put them in a team environment, giving fans an exciting change to the competition experience.
TYR Wodapalooza SoCal — September 20-22, 2024
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TYR Wodapalooza SoCal is having its inaugural event this September in Huntington Beach, CA.
- While event host Loud and Live looks to recreate its incredibly successful community competition in Miami, the elites will compete in the TYR Cup.
The TYR Cup has athletes competing on two teams: Team North America, captained by Danielle Brandon and Patrick Vellner, and Team World, led by Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr and Björgvin Karl Guðmundsson.
The exhibition has the athletes compete in a series of events in various configurations as a team and as individuals.
FitFest UK — December 6-8, 2024
The elite showcase is entering its second year at FitFest UK.
Similar to TYR Wodapalooza SoCal, it brings together athletes from around the world in a Europe vs. the world format.
In July, the captains for the squads were announced, and the FitFest media team is currently rolling out the remainder of the competitors.
- Emma McQuaid and Bjorgvin Karl Guðmundsson will captain Team Europe.
- Arielle Loewen and Ricky Garard will captain Team World.
Other Competitions of Note
The Northern California Classic — September 6-8, 2024
Also known as the NorCal Classic, the competition got started after Regionals disappeared from the CrossFit landscape and has built a reputation for being a great event for the elite and community athletes alike.
The 2024 field includes half of the CrossFit Games Demo team, with Colten Mertens, Tudor Magda, and Trista Smith listed to compete.
Fan favorite and defending champion Sean Sweeney, along with past Games athletes Elijah Muhammad and Carolyne Prevost, also headline the elite field.
Crash Crucible — October 11-13, 2024
Held in South Carolina in early October, Crash Crucible brings together a strong field full of Semifinalists and a few Games athletes in a three-day event.
- Last year, fans saw the emergence of Austin Hatfield as he stood on top of the podium ahead of Colten Mertens, Jack Rozema, and 2024’s Fittest Man on Earth, James Sprague.
The 2024 lineup looks just as stacked with the recent announcement of Games athletes Caroline Stanley and Kyra Milligan as competitors.
Down Under Championship — October 18-20, 2024
The Down Under Championship gives fans a sneak peek of what to expect at the Torian Pro Semifinal.
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- This is the premier offseason competition in Australia that brings out the best from Oceania, as well as a few athletes from the Northern Hemisphere looking to escape to the warm, sunny climate of New South Wales.
Peter Ellis (first), Maddie Sturt(first), and Grace Walton (third) all finished on the podium at last year’s Down Under Championship before earning their ticket to the CrossFit Games in 2024.
The Fittest Experience — Date TBA
Held in Austin, TX, The Fittest Experience is one of the last competitions of the season. The field is full of Semifinalists from across North America as they look to gain valuable experience ahead of the CrossFit Games season.
Over the last four years, athletes from The Fittest Experience have gone on to compete at the CrossFit Games, making the competition a great place to see up-and-coming athletes before they surprise the world at Semifinals.
The Big Picture
There will be a steady stream of CrossFit over the next few months, with competitions happening every couple of weeks.
These events allow fans to find new favorites as the spotlight lands on athletes who don’t always get the same level of recognition during the CrossFit season.
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Featured image: @downunderchampionship / Instagram
