The Fox 2026 Open, which took place May 14-20, was a series of 45 hang cleans and 45 pull-ups performed within a 20-minute time cap. The workout was named after U.S. Army WW2 Medal of Honor recipient First Lieutenant John R. Fox.
The event was a sprint to the finish, with nearly 20 athletes clocking times under five minutes. The standout performance came from Danielle Fiorito, who got off dialysis just four months ago after receiving a living donor kidney transplant. When she uploaded her video on Sunday, she had the fastest time across all athlete categories. Her performance was stunning, highlighting both the life-changing impact of transplantation and the remarkable resilience of the human spirit.
The event delivered an exciting mix of skill, speed, and mental toughness, as athletes pushed through intense grip fatigue to hold on during the closing stretch. Throughout the week, the leaderboard was in constant flux, with razor-thin margins creating a thrilling battle from start to finish.
Donor: Men
After five consecutive first-place Donor Games finishes by Eric Walano, The Fox crowned a new winner in the Men’s Donor division. Liver donor Tommy Sullivan delivered an incredible 4:12 performance to secure a wire-to-wire win and his second career Open victory. Tommy’s performance powerfully dispels the myth that donating part of your liver impairs health and fitness. Kyle Roeder held the runner-up position for most of the event, but in the final hours of the competition, Justin King surged with a 5:37 performance to edge Kyle out by just one second. After being in a 7:31 stalemate with Eric, Blair Casey pulled ahead with a 6:06 third attempt to secure fourth place. Hunter Lydon rounded out the top five with a strong time of 6:23.
Donor: Women
Heading into the final day, Roni Hays held a slim four-second lead over Mimi Mahon with a time of 3:56, setting the stage for a dramatic finish. But in the closing hours, both Mimi and Courtney Cox delivered epic last-ditch performances. When the dust settled, the leaderboard was in disarray. With a blazing 3:47, Mimi claimed first place, and Courtney’s tenacious 3:50 took second. The battle for fourth place was another fight to the finish. Kelly Cavin seemed to have it tied up with an excellent 4:55, but McKenzie Winland had other plans, delivering a late effort to sneak past Kelly by just one second.
Recipient: Men
A last-minute 4:49 submission by Andrés Falco launched him into first place, narrowly overtaking rookie Stuart Laswell. David Tatum clocked in an impressive 6:23 to take third place. Open veterans Scott Claybrook and Leo Draham took home fourth and fifth place, respectively.
Recipient: Women
Fresh off her kidney transplant, Danielle Fiorito wasted no time returning to the Donor Games in a dominant fashion. Her superb 4:05 was one of the best in the competition. After winning the first two Opens of the year, Abbey Beckman settled into second place this time around. Merrill Walker and Bridget Hargot-Ramsey both posted modified workouts.
General Divisions
Samantha Briggs, the 2013 Fittest Women in the World, took care of business with an unbroken 2:53 performance. Tony Lauters defended his Heavy Murph Open title with an imposing 2:43.
Congratulations to all the participating athletes for their incredible workouts. Check out the 2026 Season Leaderboard, updated to include points from The Fox.
Final Leaderboard
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