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The Don HERO WOD

Honoring U.S. Marine Cpl. Donald M. Marler

A 660-rep Hero chipper for time: 66 reps each of ten movements, from deadlifts and box jumps to burpees and double-unders.

Read the strategy

Choose your starting point

The prescription

The workout.

Read the standard before deciding how you will approach the effort.

  • For time:
  • 66 Deadlifts
  • 66 Box jumps
  • 66 Kettlebell swings
  • 66 Knees-to-elbows
  • 66 Sit-ups
  • 66 Pull-ups
  • 66 Thrusters
  • 66 Wall-ball shots
  • 66 Burpees
  • 66 Double-unders

Workout character

Extreme effort

Expect a demanding combination of capacity, pacing, and movement quality.

Rx standards

Men · Rx

110-lb deadlift, 24-inch box, 53-lb kettlebell, 55-lb thruster, 20-lb medicine ball to a 10-foot target

Women · Rx

70-lb deadlift, 20-inch box, 35-lb kettlebell, 35-lb thruster, 14-lb medicine ball to a 9-foot target

The story

Honoring a Hero.

U.S. Marine Cpl. Donald M. Marler, 22, of St. Louis, Missouri, assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Camp Pendleton, California, died on June 6, 2010, while supporting combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He is survived by his mother, Susan; his father, David Sr.; his sister, Jennifer Pupillo; and his brothers, David Jr. and Jacob. CrossFit first posted The Don on September 11, 2013.

The Don questions, answered

What athletes ask before doing The Don.

Direct answers with dated sources: the prescription, who the workout honours, how long it takes, and how to scale it.

What is The Don CrossFit Hero WOD?

The Don is a CrossFit Hero WOD done for time: 66 reps each of deadlifts, box jumps, kettlebell swings, knees-to-elbows, sit-ups, pull-ups, thrusters, wall-ball shots, burpees and double-unders, 660 reps in all. Men use a 110-lb deadlift, 24-inch box, 53-lb kettlebell and 55-lb thruster; women use 70 lb, 20 in, 35 lb and 35 lb.

The prescription is from CrossFit’s Hero Workout page for The Don (crossfit.com/benchmark/the-don-hero, Wayback copy 28 September 2026). The wall-ball is a 20-lb ball to a 10-foot target for men and a 14-lb ball to a 9-foot target for women. The original Workout of the Day post (Wednesday 11 September 2013) gives the men’s loads in the same order, with the kettlebell listed as 1.5 pood.

It is a chipper: the ten movements are listed one after another, and your score is your total time. Write down any scaling with your time so the next attempt is comparable. Browse the other Hero WODs.

Who is The Don workout named after?

The Don honours U.S. Marine Cpl. Donald M. Marler, 22, of St. Louis, Missouri. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Pendleton, California, and died on 6 June 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Both CrossFit sources give the same details: the Hero Workout page for The Don (Wayback copy 28 September 2026) and the Workout of the Day post for Wednesday 11 September 2013, the day the workout was first posted. CrossFit lists his survivors as his mother, Susan; his father, David Sr.; his sister, Jennifer Pupillo; and his brothers, David Jr. and Jacob.

Hero WODs are done as a tribute rather than a race. Read what a Hero WOD is and how they started.

How long does The Don take?

CrossFit publishes no target time and no time cap for The Don, so there is no official “good” time. It is 660 reps across ten movements, so treat it as a long grind, not a sprint. Decide on your own time cap before you start, and scale the reps so you can finish inside it.

Neither CrossFit’s Hero Workout page for The Don nor the original 11 September 2013 post gives a time standard, and we found no published time standard we could verify (searched 3 November 2026). This page doesn’t invent tiers, so log your own time and compare it with your next attempt.

CrossFit’s general note on Hero workouts applies: “Most Hero workouts are meant to be extremely grueling, arduous, and mentally challenging. Many contain a very high volume of reps” (CrossFit, Workout Tips for 210531, 31 May 2021). If your gym class is an hour, choose a version you can complete well inside that hour.

How do I scale The Don?

Scale The Don by cutting the volume first, then the load, then the skills. CrossFit’s advice for Hero workouts is to “reduce the work to a level that is attainable yet still challenging”. For example, halve it to 33 reps of each movement, lighten the barbell and kettlebell, and swap pull-ups for ring rows and double-unders for single-unders.

The quoted scaling note is from CrossFit, Workout Tips for 210531 (31 May 2021). The substitutions are this site’s suggestions, not CrossFit’s: step-ups or a lower box for box jumps, hanging knee raises for knees-to-elbows, jumping or band-assisted pull-ups or ring rows for pull-ups, and single-unders for double-unders. Pick them before the clock starts so you don’t switch halfway through.

For the general approach, read how to scale any Hero WOD, then use the WOD Scale Finder or the beginner plan for The Don. If double-unders are what’s holding you back, start with how to size a rope for double-unders.

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Execution notes

Quick tips for success.

Simple reminders that can help you stay composed when the work starts to accumulate.

1

Set the whole workout up before you start

2

Break every 66 into planned sets

3

Protect your grip for the pull-ups

4

Decide your scaling before the clock starts

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Strategy

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