Rancher Strong is a new Red Bull competition that brings elite athletes from Hybrid Fitness Racing, CrossFit, Ninja Warrior, and OCR into an elimination style showdown against each other and real life ranchers. We’ve low-key been calling it HayRox. 😉
Events take place across Qualifier, Quarterfinal, and Semifinal rounds, with head to head finals to crown the top male and female athletes.
Some names to be on the look out are Chandler Smith, Katie Knight, Arielle Lowen, Thomas Van Tonder, Doug Champion, Grant McCartney,
How it Works
Top 14 men and women advance from qualifiers to quarterfinals.
Top 6 from each division move to semis, with 3rd place locked after the semis conclude.
Final is a 1v1 showdown for first place.
Alternates are on standby if athletes drop out.
Tie-breaks are decided by how fast athletes can ring the bell on top of a hay pile.
The Course
Athletes navigate a uniquely western style gauntlet
- Escape the Barn – Monkey bar descent from the barn. Athletes must touch the first and last bar before dropping
- Load the Feed – Carry and load 50 lb bags (5 for men, 4 for women) into a trailer, then push the trailer down course
- Stockyard Scramble – Move a tire over fencing, tackle an over-under log section, throw a hay bale, and climb out of a fenced area
- Tree Stumpede – Traverse uneven log stumps without touching the ground
- Hay Bale Hustle – Climb a haystack, ring a bell at the top, and descend to continue
- Grandpa’s Trailer – Disconnect an ATV trailer and push it to a target zone, then dump out all feed sacks
- Sled Pull & Saddle – While mounted, pull a sled weighing 150 lbs for men and 105 lbs for women, then tag the bull’s head
- Ladder Climb & Finish – Return to the barn, set up a ladder, and climb to the top deck to hit the final buzzer
Prizing
Each male and female winner scores
• A 2025 Polaris Sportsman 570 EPS
• Gold buckle trophy
• VIP tickets to Red Bull Flugtag DFW
• American Hat Co. gift cards
2nd and 3rd place receive silver and bronze buckles along with additional gear prizes.
Some names you may know include:
CrossFit
Chandler Smith
Arielle Loewen
Guilherme Malheiros
Ninja / OCR Athletes
Grant McCartney
Katie Knight
Dr. Todd Bourgeois
Thomas van Tonder
Maggi Thorne
Yarizett Breunig
Tee Jackson
Michelle Warnky Buurma
Jeri D’Aurelio
Barclay Stockett
Tiana Webberley
Ranchers / Rodeo / Country Lifestyle
Doug Champion
Nick Kuelbs
Ben Kretchman
Bryan Coll
Stephanie Vincent
Shea Fisher-Durfey
Other
Grant McMullen
Aydon Holley
Jalen Noble
Jay Woods
Vera Papisova
Other Athletes Competing
Men
Matt Anderson
Rilwan Anibaba
Clovis Azevedo
Jay Cash
Sterling Crain
Scott Doney
James Doyle
Josh Duckworth
Jordi Duff
Tyler Froberg
Wesley Glouchkov
Kieran Guffick
Jimmy Jones III
Nick Luciano
Jeremy Maher
Cooper Mason
Wes Meador
Rodrigo Ortiz Barragan
Hunter Reaume
Joe Reyna
Michael Roberts
Michael Stephens
Cameron Tew
Saloman Vasquez
Hernan Velez
Colin Vickrey
Eric Walterscheid
Women
Miram Allam
Dani Brownell
Amanda Button
Kristina-Marie Coleman
Adriana Esparza
Liv Faulkner
Kelsie Kean
Katie Knight
Abby Knowles
April Kong
Marika Lemmons
Morgan McKinnon
Nataly Muela
Brittany Olson
Riley Petcosky
Lisa Rooke
Amanda Southgate
Hanna Stone
Pagie Summerton
Alex Templeton (O’Connor)
Stephanie Vincent (W
The event takes place Held at Fort Worth’s iconic Cowtown Coliseum on Saturday, June 7, 2025.
You can purchase spectator tickets here.