More Than 2,200 People Come Together in Fort Lauderdale to Put Their Fitness to the Test

DEKA, the global fitness racing brand created by the team behind Spartan™, brought more than 2,200 people together in Fort Lauderdale as competitors of all ages and experience levels took on the challenge at the Broward County Convention Center.

The weekend saw 2,281 people through the doors, including 1,477 competitors taking on the DEKA FIT challenge. More than half of those competitors (57.9%) were racing DEKA for the first time, while women made up 54% of the field, reflecting the broad mix of people now stepping onto the fitness racing floor.

The youngest competitors were 12-year-olds Olivia Legagneur and Zoey McGhee, while the oldest was 79-year-old Sandy Cronin. With competitors averaging 39 years old, the field showed that fitness racing is no longer simply about elite performance – it can be a challenge for people at very different stages of their fitness journey.

Yancy Culp, DEKA co-founder, said: “What stood out to me in Fort Lauderdale was the sheer range of people who showed up to test themselves. You had first-time competitors alongside experienced racers, women making up more than half the field, and athletes from 12 to 79 years old all taking on the same challenge. That’s exactly what we wanted DEKA to create – a fitness experience that is measurable and challenging, but also open to anyone who wants to find out what they’re capable of. Whether you’re chasing a podium, beating your previous time or simply crossing the finish line for the first time, you’re earning your Mark and celebrating fitness.”

One challenge. Every level.

DEKA FIT combines 10 functional fitness zones, each preceded by a 500-metre run, creating a 5K challenge that tests strength, endurance, speed and functional fitness. Competitors can take on the course individually or as part of two-person and four-person teams.

For some athletes in Fort Lauderdale, the weekend marked their first experience of DEKA. For others, it was another opportunity to return to a familiar challenge, chase a faster time, race alongside friends or compete for a new DEKA Mark.

The event also demonstrated the role that community plays in DEKA, with 630 competitors taking part in two-person teams and 147 in four-person teams.

Alongside first-time racers were experienced competitors and elite athletes battling for podium places, including Christian Vitigliano, who finished fifth overall in the Elite Men’s field in his first DEKA event, with less than a minute separating first and fifth place.

The weekend also featured the DEKA FIT Ultra, an extended endurance challenge in which competitors complete the DEKA FIT course five times for a total of 50 functional fitness zones and 25K of running. Thirty-seven competitors took on the Ultra, with Michael Powell recording the fastest men’s time of 3:38:29 and Serena Simeoli leading the women’s field in 3:58:14.

Women are at the heart of the action

Women accounted for 54% of competitors at DEKA FIT Florida, while female athletes made up 62% of competitor entries across the two-person and four-person team divisions.

The weekend’s field included women competing for the first time alongside experienced and elite athletes, demonstrating the different ways competitors are approaching fitness racing — from testing themselves against a new challenge to chasing a podium place.

One of the standout performances came from Renae Sweeney, who was competing in her first-ever DEKA event and finished second in the Elite Women’s category after a close battle at the front of the field.

For many competitors, the appeal of DEKA is not simply about how fast they can finish. The standardised format gives athletes a benchmark they can return to, making it possible to measure their performance, set a new target and see how far their fitness has progressed.

Fort Lauderdale brings fitness racing home

Fort Lauderdale’s local fitness community turned out in force, with 8 in 10 competitors coming from Florida. At the same time, athletes from nine countries were represented, bringing an international dimension to the start line.

The event returned to the Broward County Convention Center, which previously hosted the 2025 DEKA World Championship, reinforcing Fort Lauderdale’s place on the global DEKA calendar.

The age range of the field was equally broad, with 12-year-olds Olivia Legagneur and Zoey McGhee competing alongside 79-year-old Sandy Cronin and 73-year-old Sherry-Dianne Sanzari.

It is this mix – local and international athletes, first-timers and experienced racers, individuals and teams, young competitors and masters athletes – that is helping to shape the growing fitness racing community.

More than a race

For some competitors, the challenge in Fort Lauderdale carried a meaning beyond the finish line.

Florida firefighter Christina Munro completed the DEKA FIT individual race wearing full firefighter bunker gear as a tribute to the 343 firefighters who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

Another extraordinary endurance challenge came from Andres Rosario, who completed a super-sized DEKA ULTRA consisting of six full DEKA FITs while carrying a 30-pound ruck. Rosario dedicated each lap to one of the six branches of the United States military – Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard – completing the challenge in 8:11:25.

Their performances demonstrate the different reasons people step onto the DEKA start line. For some, it is about competition. For others, it is about testing themselves, marking a personal milestone, taking on a challenge with friends or simply finding out what they can do.

With more than 2,200 people coming together in Fort Lauderdale and competitors spanning almost seven decades, DEKA FIT Florida offered a snapshot of a fitness movement that is becoming increasingly difficult to define by age, experience or traditional ideas of athleticism.

At the heart of every DEKA event is one simple question: What can your body do? Make Your Mark. Set It. Beat It. Repeat It.