What is Morning Chalk Up?
Morning Chalk Up is the daily news outlet of CrossFit and functional fitness — a newsletter first, now a site with bylined reporting. Founded in 2016 during the CrossFit Open by Justin LoFranco, it was bought by BarBend on 17 November 2023; BarBend itself belongs to Pillar4 Media of Charlotte, North Carolina. The site’s footer reads “A BarBend Company”.[1] [2] [3] [4]
What does it cover?
Competition news and schedules, athlete interviews, the fitness industry, education, reviews and workouts, with a HYROX section for fitness racing — one to three pieces a month, almost all by Nicky Freymond or Emily Beers. The daily email digest is the spine of the product.[1] [5]
What is its reach and standing?
The site states “140k+ newsletter subscribers”; at the 2023 sale it was reported at 75,000 subscribers with a roughly 70 per cent open rate. Neither figure is audited. Revenue has been newsletter advertising, sponsored content and a paid tier; no written sponsored-content policy was found.[1] [3]
Since when?
2016, “during the CrossFit Open”; independent until November 2023, then a BarBend company.[2] [3]
Why does it matter in functional fitness?
Because CrossFit is a privately owned brand as well as a sport, and Morning Chalk Up reports on it daily from outside the company — “there are no others out there”, its founder said at the sale. Its ownership by a general fitness publisher, rather than by CrossFit LLC or HYROX, is the point — and the reason a competition report here carries more weight than the organiser’s own.[1] [2] [3]
References
- Morning Chalk Up — home. Accessed September 2026.
- BarBend — “BarBend acquires the Morning Chalk Up”, Nov 2023. Accessed September 2026.
- They Got Acquired — Morning Chalk Up acquired by BarBend. Accessed September 2026.
- They Got Acquired — BarBend acquired by Pillar4 Media. Accessed September 2026.
- Morning Chalk Up — HYROX category. Accessed September 2026.