Andrew Kurkowski’s weekend in West Virginia was miserable.

He was tired. He woke up sore. He pushed his body to its limits.

And he can’t wait to do it again.

“When I was doing it, it felt so awful that I was like there is no way I’m doing this again,” Kurkowski said. “Now that I’m done and just kind of feel the reward of completion, I want to go back again. We’ll spend a little more time working on my weaknesses like my running and swimming.”

Kurkowski, 35, a Prior Lake High School business and science teacher from Savage, was one of 32 contestants – 18 men and 14 women – accepted to the 2025 Hybricon Games in the mountains of Hurricane, W.Va., notching a 10th-place finish against some of the worlds’ top hybrid athletes.

Fitness has always been a big part of his life. As a high school freshman, he was intimidated by the weight room until a fellow student convinced him otherwise.

“Ever since then, I’ve just been glued in there, whether it was training for football or training for my health,” Kurkowski said.

He eventually found his way to CrossFit, attracted by the diversity of the somewhat unconventional, high-intensity circuit workouts. Kurkowski, now an instructor at CrossFit Prior Lake, took part in some smaller competitions before finding out about the Hybricon Games in 2024 via an Amazon documentary.

The games, first launched in 2023 and sponsored by the U.S. Border Patrol, test traditional athletics such as weightlifting, running and swimming in an outdoors and survivalist setting. Kurkowski, offensive assistant coach for Lakers football and assistant coach for the Lakers strength and conditioning program, said the 14-event competition over three days is designed to be both mentally and physically taxing.

“The first day is Grit Day. You just have to grit down and own the pain throughout the whole day,” Kurkowski said. “The second day is Field Day. Max lifts, sprints, shorter events, but more explosive strength. The third day is Survival Day. It’s a mix of events of strategy, fitness and kind of the unknown.”

That unknown was a staple throughout Kurkowski’s entire journey. 

It started with a summer qualifier of three video-recorded workouts. Kurkowski said he did well, but did not initially make the cut.

“A few weeks ago, they emailed me because someone couldn’t go,” he said.

The events are kept secret until the competition, requiring athletes to keep their entire bodies in physical shape. Kurkowski kept his normal, rigorous training regimen in place.

That unknown was a staple throughout Kurkowski’s entire journey. 

It started with a summer qualifier of three video-recorded workouts. Kurkowski said he did well, but did not initially make the cut.

“A few weeks ago, they emailed me because someone couldn’t go,” he said.

The events are kept secret until the competition, requiring athletes to keep their entire bodies in physical shape. Kurkowski kept his normal, rigorous training regimen in place.