Conquering the Runway
The Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre, set right against the iconic private jet runway, provided the ultimate battleground for the Turf Winter Festival 2026. Bringing together over 5,000 athletes for a weekend of intense functional fitness racing, it stands as the pinnacle of the UK’s indoor fitness season. The sheer scale of the arena matched the magnitude of the challenge, testing teamwork, pure grit, and cardiovascular endurance under the bright competition lights.
The weekend’s programming was designed to push athletes to their absolute limits across four punishing workouts. ‘Clear for Take-Off’ tested raw power and technique with heavy deadlifts, front squats, and shoulder-to-overheads. This was immediately contrasted by ‘The Need For Speed’, a brutal cardio gauntlet featuring heavy D-ball carries, synchronised running, and a max-distance row that ruthlessly emptied the tank.
The final two workouts demanded flawless communication. ‘Control Tower / Afterburner’ was a technical nightmare of synchronised wall balls, dumbbell snatches, and hanging knee raises. Finally, the infamous ‘Worm and Burn’ forced teams to suffer in unison through synchronised worm squats, presses, and ski ergs. It was a true test of the hybrid athlete, and across both Saturday and Sunday, Team DLPT turned up to make their mark.
The Saturday Showdown: The Everyday Category
Turning up on the Saturday to watch the two DLPT teams in the Everyday category was nothing short of inspirational. Seeing the teamwork and training come together for some epic performances is exactly why we do this. Out of 296 teams, our 1st Reserves placed 20th and the Average Joes took 49th. What an amazing outcome. Conquering fears and experiencing adrenaline—seeing clients go through that is amazing.
Team Croxford brought serious energy to the floor, pushing through the highs and the gruelling lows.
“Absolutely buzzing after a wicked team event at Winter Turf with the DLPT crew. Being a part of the team was such an epic atmosphere all pushing each other and cheering each other on. My highlight was failing the split jerk then going back and getting it done!” – Steph
“High of the day? Coming together with some solid teamwork and blowing the ass off the worm workout… the one we were the least confident with.” – Jo
But it wasn’t without its brutal moments, particularly on the ‘Need for Speed’ engine block. Ash noted that “how hard we tanked on the run/row” was a real competition killer, while Jo admitted she “felt like a snail.” However, the team spirit shone through the pain, especially when dealing with injuries.
“Funniest moment? Manhandling Ben onto the rower during ‘Need for Speed’ while he had double calf cramp because we were all knackered and he can still row better than all of us with just his arms 🙃.” – Ash
Team Wilko also found their defining moment under the crushing weight of the worm, relying heavily on communication and sheer willpower.
“Fucking nailing the worm workout as a team, communicating so incredibly well during it. I’ve never had such high endorphins ever in my life after exercise!” – AJ
For Amber, the worm was one of her biggest fears, leaving her looking like she was going to “pass out/cry.” > “…But then getting the motivational speech from Liam saying we are with the ‘big dogs’ lightened the mood more and then we ended up smashing it as a team! Witnessing such a great community you have built with everyone supporting everyone and seeing what can be achieved!” – Amber
The heavy lifting also provided massive highlights, with AJ shouting out the moment they were “convincing DC to continue to add weights to his deadlift and fucking smashing it!” Even when the workouts broke them down—with Em admitting she was “a rocked little kitten by that point” during the final wall balls—the morale stayed sky-high, aided by the hilarious sight of “Jack Wilko falling on his arse.”
The Sunday Step-Up: The Intermediate Category
For my team on the Sunday, what a massive step up. Moving from Everyday into the Intermediate category meant going up against some big CrossFit facilities where these athletes are on another level. We placed 119th overall, but diving into the stats, we smashed the cardio block, coming 49th. And the 4-person worm workout, which we haven’t trained with, placed 57th.
The blocks that let us down a little involved some Olympic lifting, which was new to some of our team, and the ‘Control Tower’ block involving skilled exercises which we’ve not been exposed to.
Despite the step up in difficulty, the personal victories were massive.
“Getting a PB on my Clean and squat! Went in terrified. Left feeling over the moon! Toughest moment was not finishing the worm. So close but so far. Just gives us a target for Summer Turf!” – Chloe
Jack kept it short and sweet, noting his highlight was “watching the big bossman set an example with the barbell,” while jokingly admitting his low point was that he “stopped rowing early.” The gymnastics rig provided the most memorable laugh of Sunday’s competition:
“Funniest moment was watching Esther look back at the girls, hoping we’d chip in with the 20 TTB [Toes-to-Bar], whilst we avoided all eye contact 😂😂😂.” – Chloe
Taking these positives, I’m honestly so proud of my team’s performance on the Sunday. Everyone gave it their all.
Looking Ahead: Summer Turf
Moving into Summer Turf, we have two Intermediate Male teams, two Female teams (one Everyday and one Intermediate). DLPT is motivated, inspired and ready to take our clients up another level.
This is what we do. Roll on Summer Turf. 🔥
Ready to Join the Team?
The DLPT community is built on training like athletes and achieving goals and events like HYROX are where that hard work pays off. Whether you’re aiming for a new PB or just looking for a supportive team to train with, we’re here to help.
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