The countdown is officially on. With less than 90 days on the clock until we hit the arena, the training block for the London Summer Turf Games 2026 is moving into top gear.
Billed as their biggest and best event of the year, the London Summer Festival is the ultimate proving ground for functional fitness racing. We conquered the Winter Festival back in Farnborough, but the summer competition brings a completely different energy. The temperatures rise, the arena expands, and the standard of competition takes a massive leap forward.
Team DLPT isn’t just showing up to take part; we are showing up to make a statement.
The London Roster
Following the massive performances and the lessons learned during the winter season, we have expanded the squad. For the London Summer Festival, we are bringing an elite roster of four teams:
- Two Intermediate Male Teams
- One Intermediate Female Team
- One Everyday Female Team
Stepping up into the Intermediate categories across the board is a testament to the grit and discipline this team has shown. It means heavier barbells, more complex gymnastics, and facing off against some of the most dialled-in athletes in the UK. We wouldn't have it any other way.
The Summer Training Programme
You can't fake it on the race floor. To dominate an event of this scale, our training programme has been forensically designed to close the gaps and turn our weaknesses into weapons. Here is what we are drilling relentlessly over the coming weeks:
- Taming the Worm: The 4-person worm is a staple of the summer turf. It demands absolute synchronisation, communication, and the mental toughness to suffer as a unit. We are putting the reps in now so that when we step under the worm in London, we move as one machine.
- Refining Olympic Mechanics: Raw power will only get you so far under fatigue. We are stripping back our cleans, front squats, and overhead presses to ensure our barbell mechanics are bulletproof, even when the heart rate is redlining.
- Rig Work and Gymnastics: High-skill movements separate the middle of the pack from the top of the leaderboard. Grip strength, rig confidence, and gymnastics capacity are non-negotiable for this block.
The Final Push
The early mornings and late-night sessions are where the real work happens. There will be days when the sled feels impossible to push and the engine wants to give out. That is exactly where the growth happens. We embrace the gruelling sessions because we know the work we put in during the dark will put us in the spotlight in London.
For those wanting to come down and support the squad, spectator tickets and further event details will be dropping soon on the official London Summer 2026 page. Keep an eye out.
To the team: keep showing up, keep pushing the standards, and trust the process. Let’s get to work.
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.
