Don Faul to Step Down as CrossFit CEO March 6, 2026

Don Faul is stepping down as CEO of CrossFit, LLC, with his last day set for March 6, 2026, the company announced. The corporate statement described his tenure as “nearly four years” and said the Board of Directors has begun a formal search for a successor.

Faul, who became CEO on August 2, 2022 right before the 2022 CrossFit Games, offered a parting note to the community. “Serving as CrossFit’s CEO has been an honor,” he said. “I will miss working with passionate CrossFit employees, affiliates, athletes, and community members on a daily basis. I am leaving with immense gratitude and pride in this community.”

The Board made clear it is moving immediately into succession mode. “The CrossFit Board of Directors has commenced the process of identifying a new CEO and plans to engage an executive search firm,” the announcement stated, setting an expectation of an externally managed recruitment process rather than an internal interim appointment.

The leadership change comes amid wider corporate activity. CrossFit went up for sale in March and has spent the past year actively pursuing a new owner, the company’s business updates show. The brand tapped investment bank Moelis & Company to advise the sale process, and last November reports surfaced that a group including 24 Hour Fitness co-founder Mark Mastrov had entered talks to acquire CrossFit; no acquisition has been announced, and Mastrov subsequently reacquired 24 Hour Fitness.

The timing matters for athletes and affiliates: the CrossFit Open kicked off Feb. 26 and runs through March 16, so Faul’s final business day will fall during an active season for competition and affiliate programming. The company also rolled out a high-profile marketing push last summer titled “Fck the Quick Fix. CrossFit Is the Cure,” a campaign that sought to reposition the brand during the sale and membership push.

Faul’s departure follows a string of executive turnovers and ownership changes in recent years. The company was sold to Eric Roza in June 2020; Roza took time off for treatment in 2021 and transitioned roles in February 2022, changes that reshaped CrossFit’s leadership structure in the post-Glassman era.

With March 6 as the formal exit date and a pledged search firm engagement, the immediate questions for CrossFit affiliates, competitors, and athletes are procedural and strategic: who will lead day-to-day operations through the Open, whether a named interim CEO will appear before March 6, and how the ongoing sale advisory by Moelis & Company will factor into a permanent hire. The Board’s move to hire an executive search firm signals a structured succession, but the next named chief executive and any sale outcome remain to be confirmed.