2026 will be the final year on the competition floor for Pat Vellner. After competing for more than a decade, including standing on the podium five times (well, technically four thanks to Ricky), Vellner will retire after the 2026 season.
But while the sunset is in sight, Vellner’s schedule will be jam packed if all goes according to plan. In 2026, Vellner will compete at Wodapalooza and the Rogue Invitational. He will also take part in the World Fitness Project season. And he will give the CrossFit Games one more run.
Vellner shared his retirement plan and intentions for the 2026 season in a two-minute video posted to Instagram.
Vellner qualified for his first CrossFit Regional in 2014. He qualified for the CrossFit Games on a team the following year in 2015. After that, he strung together nine consecutive CrossFit Games appearances where he finished on the podium five times.
Vellner did sit out the 2025 CrossFit Games season following the death of Lazar Đukić at the 2024 CrossFit Games and his belief that CrossFit did not do enough in the aftermath. “Sometimes, the best way to push for change is to take action, and this year I’m taking a stand by voting with my feet,” Vellner shared last year when he elected to not compete in the CrossFit Games season.
Vellner instead took part in the inaugural season of the WFP. However, it appears that was plagued by an atrial flutter, also known as arrhythmia, that caused him to have several bad outings in the new league.
Now, as he embarks on his final journey, keep an eye out for Vellner on the CrossFit Open leaderboard as he looks to make one more run at the CrossFit Games. Should be fun!
