DEKA FIT Austin took place on September 5-6, 2025 and was the last chance DEKA FIT athletes had to qualify for the 2025 DEKA World Championships in December.
Races were held at the Palmer Events Center in Austin, TX.
DEKA FIT Austin hosted the following DEKA races over the two-day weekend:
- Elite DEKA FIT
- Age Group DEKA FIT
- DEKA FIT Ruck
- DEKA FIT 2-person teams
- DEKA FIT 4-person teams (for the first time ever!)
- DEKA FIT Ultra World Cup
Livestream
Unfortunately there was no livestream coverage of the 2025 DEKA FIT Austin on YouTube.
Schedule
Here’s when each type of DEKA race went off throughout the weekend:
Friday, Sep 5, 2025
Friday is for the DEKA FIT Ultra and 4-person teams, as well as a handful of traditional DEKA FIT age group heats.
- 7:30 – 8:30am – DEKA FIT Ultra, Age Group
- 9:00 – 9:30am – DEKA FIT Ultra, Elite
- 1:00 – 2:00pm – DEKA FIT Age Group
- 3:00 – 6:00pm – DEKA FIT 4-person Teams
Saturday, Sep 6, 2025
Saturday is for the DEKA FIT age groupers, elites, and 2-person teams.
- 7:30am – 12:30pm – DEKA FIT Age Group
- 11:30am – 12:30pm – DEKA FIT Ruck
- 1:15pm – DEKA FIT Elite Men
- 2:00pm – DEKA FIT Elite Women
- 2:45 – 5:15pm – DEKA FIT 2-person Teams
DEKA FIT Ultra Info
- The DEKA FIT Ultra is 5 DEKA FITs in a row, totally 25k of running and 50 total stations.
- You are allowed to have a pit crew to help you throughout the event. Pit crew tickets are $25 per person.
- Elite Cutoff Times: Men, 3h 45m / Women, 4h 15m
- Age Group Cutoff Time: 9 hours
Recap
Men’s DEKA FIT Race
On the men’s side, Isaac Sanderson won in convincing fashion with a time of 30:00.4, missing the coveted sub-30 mark by a half second! He is still one of only 8 people to have ever gone under 30 minutes, which he did during a race in 2024.
The main battle was for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, with Lucas Garrett ultimately taking the second spot in 31:30, with Glenn Racz only 33 seconds back in 32:03.
Women’s DEKA FIT Race
Vivian Tafuto & Kat Fahsbender battled it out the entire race, but ultimately Vivian got the best of Kat to win the women’s race in a time of 32:18. Kat was only 21 seconds behind in 32:39.
Carolyn Watkins ran a fantastic race, at times challenging Vivian & Kat for the top spot. She finished third with a very respectable 33:49.
Results
Here are the official results for DEKA FIT Austin:
DEKA FIT – Elite Men
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Isaac Sanderson 🇨🇦 | 30:00.4 |
| 🥈 | Lucas Garrett 🇺🇸 | 31:31 |
| 🥉 | Glenn Racz 🇺🇸 | 32:03 |
| 4 | Gus Manke 🇺🇸 | 32:15 |
| 5 | Jack Bauer 🇺🇸 | 33:03 |
DEKA FIT – Elite Women
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Vivian Tafuto 🇺🇸 | 32:18 |
| 🥈 | Kat Fahsbender 🇺🇸 | 32:39 |
| 🥉 | Carolyn Watkins 🇺🇸 | 33:49 |
| 4 | Bree Schrader 🇺🇸 | 35:00 |
| 5 | Tracie Akerhielm 🇺🇸 | 36:30 |
DEKA FIT Ultra World Cup – Elite Women
There was a low turnout for the women’s DEKA FIT Ultra World Cup, with only two women participating.
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Brooklyn Nichols 🇺🇸 | 3:18:06 |
| 🥈 | Skylar Allen 🇺🇸 | 3:46:39 |
DEKA FIT Ultra World Cup – Elite Men
Similarly, only a total of 4 men signed up for the World Cup.
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Jonathan Stern 🇺🇸 | 3:08:21 |
| 🥈 | Jose Romero 🇺🇸 | 3:30:11 |
| 🥉 | Adam Body 🇺🇸 | 3:43:44 |
| 4 | Michael Racine 🇺🇸 | Time Cap |
DEKA FIT 4-Person Teams
The fastest time of the day (and also now the current world record) came from the coed team of:
- Kevin Gregory 🇺🇸
- Kat Fahsbender 🇺🇸
- Lauren Griffith 🇺🇸
- Isaac Sanderson 🇨🇦
They finished with a time of 34:40 🤯.
Prize Money
At DEKA FIT Austin 2025, the top 3 elite men and women in the DEKA FIT race each receive:
- 1st place: $1,000
- 2nd place: $500
- 3rd place: $250
We’re still waiting to hear about the payouts for the DEKA FIT Ultra World Cup podium.
See previous years DEKA prize money here →
- Age groupers receive podium recognition and a Spartan delta trophy
- Ruck winners receive a flag, courtesy of Titan 6 Actual
- The top 3 overall teams also receive podium recognition
Spectators
New for the 2025 season, DEKA now charges a $10/day spectator fee. (see all 2025 season changes)
Save time by purchasing a DEKA FIT Austin spectator ticket in advance, or purchase one at the door. Athletes are not required to purchase a spectator ticket.
About DEKA FIT
DEKA is an indoor fitness competition featuring 10 functional fitness zones preceded by a 500-meter run, 5k in total. DEKA is fitness gamified and designed for all levels. No matter your background or experience, DEKA will help you set your baseline so you can train with a purpose.
There are 4 different heat types for DEKA FIT:
- Age Group Heat: eligible for podium recognition
- Elite Heat: eligible for cash prizes
- DEKA FIT Ruck: ruck or backpack – Male 30lbs & Female 20lbs – a limited number of loaner rucks will be available on-site. Eligible for prizes from Titan 6 Actual.
- Team Division: teams of 2 (Female, Male, & Coed) divide and conquer the DEKA FIT arena
Learn more about DEKA below:
