Balanced Mitch 2024 Open Recap

The Balanced Mitch 2024 Open, which took place May 30–June 5, brought a new twist on the Mitch that required as much strategy as it did strength. The event hit a new record of 67 athletes registered and did not disappoint. 

In the Balanced Mitch workout, competitors had two minutes to complete a maximum number of unbroken bench press reps at a designated weight (185 pounds for men, 95 pounds for women), followed by a maximum number of strict unbroken pull-ups. The athlete’s overall score for the competition was the lowest rep count of the two exercises.

The Donor Games were created to dispel the myth that donating a kidney impairs a person’s fitness level. In this Open, the top finisher in the men’s donor category outperformed all general athletes, further demonstrating that donating a kidney does not impair a person’s health or fitness.

Donor Games veteran Garet Hil found himself back on the top of the men’s donor category for the ninth time in his Donor Games career, but not without competition. He took the lead early with a score of 13, only to see Mike Ramsey take the helm on a tiebreaker. Hil separated himself from the pack after posting an imposing score of 21, the best of any competitor in the field. With the next four athletes all within a single point of each other, a logjam for the remaining top spots developed.

Mike Ramsey and Justin King both put up impressive scores of 13, but it was Ramsey who edged out King by one rep to take home second place. Jason Elmore and liver donor Tommy Sullivan tied for fourth place, finishing only one point behind Ramsey and King. The men’s donor category saw more athletes post scores in the double digits than any other group in the field.

The women’s donor category saw some last-minute fireworks on the leaderboard, with great competitors jockeying for the top spot. Donor Games superstar Mimi Mahon had the lead for the majority of the event with a score of 9, but McKenzie Hull had something to say about that. Hull surged past Mahon with a score of 12, taking the lead temporarily on the last day of competition. Roni Hays then pushed Mahon down to third place after she hung a score of 10 on the leaderboard, but Mahon had one last attempt on the final night of the competition. When the dust settled, it was Mimi Mahon who reigned victorious, beating McKenzie Hull on a tiebreaker. Hull finished the competition in second place, with Roni Hays right behind her in third. First-year athlete Emmy Spencer Probasco performed well and ended up in fourth, and Courtney Cox rounded out the top five with a fifth-place finish.

Joe Curry won the men’s recipient category in his first-ever competition. He did the workout with his donor, Brandon Cullen, with both athletes turning in strong performances. Curry won the division, but not without a relentless pursuit by Wilson Du. Du submitted four attempts, improving on each one. Du’s last attempt put him within a point of the lead, but he fell just shy of the top spot. First-time competitor Leo Draham, a liver recipient, finished third in the field, and longtime Donor Games participant Scott Claybrook was back from injury with a fourth-place finish.

Nicki Mahon secured the win in the women’s transplant recipient division. With the support of her daughter, Mimi, she willed her way to first place. Her top finish was followed by first-time competitor Kim Couch in second, Merrill Walker in third, and Bridget Hargot-Ramsey in fourth. 

Greg Holt won the men’s general group with a spectacular score of 20. Holt held off rookie Mason Holmes, who was right on his heels at 19.

It was great to see the 2013 “Fittest Woman on Earth” back in the field at the Donor Games. Sam Briggs dominated the competition in the women’s general category with an outstanding score of 19 to lock in her win. We saw some sibling rivalry between twin sisters Kiana and Shanell Sullenberger, with Kiana beating out Shanell by one pull-up rep to take fourth place in the category.

Final Leaderboard

Living Donors: Men
Rank	Participant	Age	State	BP Reps	PU Reps	Scored Pts	Video
1	Garet Hil	61	CT	21	21	21
2	Mike Ramsey	51	WI	17	13	13
3	Justin King	46	AL	13	16	13
T4	Jason Elmore	43	TX	14	12	12
T4	Tommy Sullivan	30	OK	12	14	12
6	Kevin Kilkenny	54	NY	16	10	10
7	Brandon Cullen	25	NY	10	15	10
8	Jon Sullenberger	61	WA	8	7	7
9	Steve Holmes	52	PA	5	11	5
10	Cornelius Bornman	47	MI	5	10	5
11	Anonymous Donor	44	ME	5	5	5
	Jose Amezola Beltran	35	CO			DQ
	Kevin Hernandez Valdez	32	UT			DNC
	Cody Maynard	28	TN			DQ
	Mark Murray	35	PA			DNC
	Chris Sullivan	55	CO			DNC
	Jeffrey Woford	58	AR			DNC

Living Donors: Women
Rank	Participant	Age	State	BP Reps	PU Reps	Scored Pts	Video
1	Mimi Mahon	36	OH	20	12	12
2	McKenzie Hull	34	OH	16	12	12
3	Roni Hays	27	MS	20	10	10
4	Emmy Spencer Probasco	44	MD	13	7	7
5	Courtney Cox	40	MO	9	6	6
6	Molly Cropp	43	CO	9	2	2
7	Anna Cannington	56	MS	8	8	8*
T8	Andrea Alejandro	44	TX	20	7	7*
T8	Radley West	52	SC	7	7	7*
10	Janet Walker	40	NY	17	5	5*
11	Angie MacDonald	44	OH	10	1	1*
	Karen Butts	49	SC			DNC
	Joyce Collier	41	NY			DNC
	Lindsay Gutierrez	41	MD			DNC
	Victoria Rhodes	43	NY			DNC

Transplant Recipients: Men
Rank	Participant	Age	State	BP Reps	PU Reps	Scored Pts	Video
1	Joe Curry	25	NY	12	9	9
2	Wilson Du	42	CA	9	8	8
3	Leo Draham	35	PA	8	6	6
4	Scott Claybrook	42	AL	5	8	5*
	Nick Cesarini	26	CT			DNC
	Luis Suarez	32	AZ			DNC

Transplant Recipients: Women
Rank	Participant	Age	State	BP Reps	PU Reps	Scored Pts	Video
1	Nicki Mahon	66	OH	20	20	20*
2	Kim Couch	67	OH	18	15	15*
3	Merrill Walker	67	TX	25	11	11*
4	Bridget Hargot-Ramsey	49	WI	3	3	3*
	Lauren Streets	39	IL			DNC

General: Men
Rank	Participant	Age	State	BP Reps	PU Reps	Scored Pts	Video
1	Greg Holt	38	CT	21	20	20
2	Mason Holmes	22	CA	19	23	19
3	Tony Lauters	33	NE	17	20	17
T4	Edson DaCosta	45	NY	15	10	10
T4	Kyler Hargot	30	IL	10	15	10
6	Justin Harris	41	WI	11	9	9
7	Victor Pena	21	CT	7	11	7
8	Danny Ma	36	CA	22	6	6
9	Kevin Fulton	32	CT	10	6	6
	Jose DeSouza	28	NY			DQ
	Ryan Meehan	41	CT			DQ
	Tony Sandoval	48	WI			DNC
	Casey Schmitz	39	NY			DNC
	Jason Wasserman	49	NY			DQ
	Brandon Wipperfurth	29	WI			DNC

General: Women
Rank	Participant	Age	State	BP Reps	PU Reps	Scored Pts	Video
1	Sam Briggs	42	OH	23	19	19
2	Megan Bell	33	WI	20	14	14
3	Mary Fisher	41	WI	12	15	12
4	Kiana Sullenberger	30	WA	18	11	11
5	Shanell Sullenberger	30	WA	18	10	10
6	Abigail Lauters	37	NE	16	10	10
7	Jen Knispel	46	WI	23	7	7
8	Shauna Naefke	48	CA	14	5	5
	Sentura Tubbs	28	CA			DNC

* Athlete performed a modified workout.
DNC: Athlete registered but did not complete the workout