This Saturday, August 26th, we might see the most competitive field there’s ever been for a DEKA FIT event, including last year’s World Championship. At DEKA FIT Northeast in Philadelphia, there are probably 10 women that could podium and you wouldn’t be surprised by any of them. I wouldn’t even be that surprised if we saw a new world record.
On the men’s side, there are several athletes who are no stranger to DEKA FIT, but haven’t raced one yet this year. And a few athletes who are coming off impressive hybrid performances elsewhere, but have never raced a DEKA FIT. In a way, it’s the veterans vs. the rookies.
Let’s start with the stacked women’s field.
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Women
Meg Jacoby
Meg was 2nd at Rally in the Valley two weekends ago. A few weeks before that, she set the DEKA MILE world record, beating her previous world record time. She’s also the current world record holder in HYROX, and has 3 of the top 6 fastest times ever run in HYROX. Meg is the clear favorite to win DEKA FIT Northeast.
Meg is also combining forces with Rich to take on DEKA FIT teams. Could we see a new record for DEKA FIT teams?
Kris Rugloski
Kris finished 1st at the Grit Games two weeks ago, winning all 4 events at the competition. And believe it or not, she actually took a weekend off from racing, so she’ll be coming in Rugloski-fresh. Kris was 7th at last year’s championship in the FIT and 5th in the MILE. She hasn’t raced a DEKA FIT yet this year.
Alandra Greenlee
Alandra has numerous HYROX & DEKA podiums to her name. She came in 2nd place in all DEKA events at last year’s championship—FIT, MILE, and STRONG. She has yet to race a DEKA FIT this year, but has the 13th & 11th best DEKA MILE & DEKA STRONG this year.
Carly Wopat
Carly finished 2nd at Grit Games two weeks ago. This is her first DEKA FIT event, but she’s the current world record holder in DEKA STRONG with the 11:55 she put up three months ago.
Vivian Tafuto
Vivian has tons of DEKA podiums to her name, and is a veteran of this race. She was 4th at last year’s DEKA FIT World Championships, and took 3rd in the STRONG. She has the 4th fastest DEKA STRONG time this year, but has yet to race a DEKA FIT.
Annie Schiller
Annie is coming off a 4th place finish at Grit Games. She has the 5th fastest DEKA MILE time this year.
Other Women
Other notable women to watch include:
- Laura Cummings: 6th in DEKA FIT & 8th in DEKA MILE at last year’s championship.
- Michelle Navarro: 9th at last year’s championship. 15th best DEKA FIT time so far this year.
- Laurie Winkelman: Currently the 12th best DEKA FIT time this year.
- Steph Hillman: Won the 35-39 age group at last year’s championship with a 36:06, which would’ve placed her 8th in the Elite division.
- Immie Cross: Tons of Spartan Elite podiums to her name. North American & World champion at HYROX doubles in 2023.
- Bethany McChesney: 19th best DEKA FIT this year, 26th best DEKA MILE this year, and a top 40 DEKA STRONG time.
- Julie Best: Recently placed 5th at Grit Games, and has the 24th fastest time in DEKA FIT this year.
- Miranda Kielpinski: Super accomplished OCR athlete, but hasn’t done much in the DEKA space… yet.
Here’s Hybrid Fitness Media’s take on the women’s race:
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Men
Rich Ryan
Rich has not put up a DEKA FIT time yet this year. He has a top 10 DEKA MILE time and top 15 DEKA STRONG time. He won the DEKA FIT World Championship last year with a 28:52, which is the third fastest time ever for DEKA FIT.
He’s also taking on DEKA FIT teams with Meg.
Nick Ryker
Nick is a veteran to all forms of DEKA. He was 8th last year at DEKA World Champs. This year, Nick has a top 5 time in all 3 versions of DEKA—FIT, MILE, and STRONG. His current best time this year in FIT is 30:32.
Dylan Scott
Dylan was 7th last year at DEKA FIT World Champs, and he’s put down several awesome performances in HYROX over the past few years.
David Magida
This is David’s first DEKA FIT this year. He’s got a top 10 time in DEKA STRONG so far this year, and was 4th last year at DEKA World Champs with a 29:47. He also has numerous top 3 HYROX finishes in big races.
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Mark Polzin
Mark has the 3rd fastest HYROX time ever for men in the 40-44 age group, and three HYROX age group podiums last year. At last year’s DEKA World Championships, in the 40-44 age group, he was first in the MILE and 2nd in the STRONG.
Ryan Geiger
Ryan was 6th at DEKA FIT Carolinas back in mid-June, and 7th at World Championships in DEKA STRONG last year. He’s also a former pro cyclist, which means the guy’s got an engine on him.
Jack Driscoll
Jack won the Rally in the Valley in West Virginia two weekends ago. This will be his first ever DEKA FIT race.
Jarrett Newby
Jarrett finished in 2nd place in a really tight race at the Grit Games two weeks ago. He’s a seasoned athlete, competing at Battle Bunker, GORUCK Games, and many other hybrid events. He owns his own OCR/hybrid gym up in NY. This will be his first ever DEKA FIT.
* We’re not 100% sure Jarrett is racing, but we heard a rumor…
Here’s Hybrid Fitness Media’s take on the men’s race:
Our Predictions
With this many high-level athletes on both the men’s & women’s side, this is a tough one. I haven’t been following all the athletes super closely this year, but I’ll take a stab at it.
Women
🥇 Meg Jacoby
🥈 Alandra Greenlee
🥉 Kris Rugloski
Meg is the clear favorite, and I don’t see anyone taking her down. Alandra was so impressive last year at World Champs, coming in 2nd at all three DEKA disciplines. She hasn’t done a DEKA FIT yet this year, but if she’s anywhere near as fit as she was last December, she’s a safe bet for 2nd. Kris would be a bit of a surprise in 3rd, but she’s more fresh than usual, and something just tells me she’s coming hard for this one.
Men
🥇 Rich Ryan
🥈 Nick Ryker
🥉 Jarrett Newby
Rich & Nick are arguably a cut above the rest of the field. I think Rich takes this one, with Nick in a close 2nd. I’m going wildcard again with my pick for 3rd. Jarrett ran track competitively at East Carolina, and is coming off a great performance at the Grit Games two weeks ago. I think he’ll run a really smart race, pace himself well, and sneak into the third podium spot.
Race Brain’s Breakdown
If you like to get into the weeds, Rich, Jack, and Brakken spent almost 2 hours breaking down this weekend’s race.
Who do you think will win this weekend’s DEKA FIT Northeast? Let’s hear your predictions in the comments.
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