Will Moorad — Facing Adversity Head On

“I still have that fire to compete with the best in the world.”
Four-time CrossFit Games athlete Will Moorad joins the show to discuss his evolution in CrossFit, facing and learning from personal challenges, and his life-long commitment to sports.
Moorad competed at his first Regional in 2013 and made his Games debut in 2014. In 2017, when he was 27, he was diagnosed with a kidney disease and stepped away from the sport as advised by his doctor. Over a year later, Moorad learned he was misdiagnosed and returned to competitive CrossFit. He competed at the Games three more times since then.
In today’s episode, Moorad reflects on his 10-year CrossFit career and his growth as an athlete. He dives into his kidney disease misdiagnosis, explaining how his use of over-the-counter pain relief medication caused acute kidney failure, and explains how his experience led him to seek healthier ways to recover. He also draws attention to the lengths athletes might go to stay competitive in a sport.
Later in the episode, Moorad opens up about his wife’s breast cancer diagnosis which came after competing at the 2021 CrossFit Games. He offers perspective on the emotional toll of dealing with adversity, how that shared experience with his wife created a stronger bond between them, and how he used that emotional and mental challenge as fuel and motivation to continue training — a request from his wife.
Learn more about how Moorad faces personal challenges in and out of the arena head on, how he came to train with Tia-Clair Toomey and the PRVN crew, and how he’s preparing to qualify for his fifth CrossFit Games.
Note: This episode was recorded prior to Moorad’s performance at the 2023 North America East Semifinal. He finished sixth overall in the competition and has qualified for his fifth CrossFit Games.