This Fitness Retreat Is Unlike Anything You’ve Seen. It’s Attracting Some Big Names
The VTLZR Hybrid Athlete Retreat brings influencers and everyday fitness enthusiasts together for a three-day festival in the Catskill Mountains
The VTLZR Hybrid Athlete Retreat returns to New York’s Catskill Mountains for its second annual festival this May. It’s (quietly) attracting some big-name attendees and blue-chip brands.
Billed as the “first-ever hybrid athlete retreat,” the VTLZR event is a three-day functional fitness festival that brings together industry influencers, executives, personal trainers and everyday enthusiasts for a weekend of workouts, trail runs in the mountains, meditation and more.
“We’re incredibly excited to host our 2nd annual VTLZR Hybrid Athlete Retreat this May 2-4 at Hotel Vienna in Windham, New York,” Derek Morgen, the founder of VTLZR (pronounced “vitalizer”), tells Athletech News.
“Last year, we hosted 25 hybrid athletes from across the country for a truly life-changing few days, filled with renewal, invigoration and mindset transformation,” he adds. “Following last year’s success, this year’s retreat will give hybrid athletes – from enthusiasts to pros – an even greater opportunity to not only challenge themselves mentally and physically, but also to make several dozen new friendships along the way.”
Last year’s inaugural Hybrid Athlete Retreat featured influencers like Dom Fusco and executives including Sam Tooley, the founder of New Jersey group fitness chain Alpha Fit Club, with Tooley delivering a keynote speech. Top brands were also present at the retreat, including Gainful, Hyperice and Ice Barrel, among others. Morgen, along with VTLZR team members including influencer Matt Zelaya, created the event.
The 2024 retreat was kept purposefully intimate, limited to 25 attendees, split evenly between males and females. Morgen says the feedback from attendees was so positive that he decided to run it back this year in (slightly) bigger form.
The 2025 VTLZR Hybrid Athlete Retreat will be capped at 50 people, twice as large as last year’s. The event is nearly sold out, although some tickets still remain as of late March.
More big names are set to attend this year.
Marathon runner and fitness influencer Ken Rideout will deliver the keynote speech on day two of the retreat on Saturday morning. Other attendees include names like Samantha MacIntyre and Daniel McKenna (known as “The Irish Yank”), as well as Zelaya.
The agenda for the 2025 retreat includes workouts, mindfulness sessions and guest speakers, along with the VTLZR Games, a functional fitness competition that mimics the popular Hyrox fitness race. Centr, the official equipment sponsor for Hyrox, will even provide equipment for the competition.
Beyond the programming and picturesque location in Windham’s Catskill Mountains, Morgen says the real draw of the retreat is the connections made between like-minded fitness enthusiasts. They call themselves “hybrid athletes,” a new term in the fitness community that defines the older practice of combining endurance modalities like running and cycling with strength training.
“Our goal is to create a truly transformational experience where every athlete leaves with inspiration and new life-long connections,” Morgen says.
Morgen reports that everyone who attended last year’s retreat continues to engage with the VTLZR brand, which hosts a run club and other group fitness meet-ups in Hoboken, New Jersey, and surrounding towns.
VTLZR’s Hybrid Athlete Retreat comes as experiential fitness and wellness events become more popular post-pandemic. Events like Runningman – a Woodstock-like running festival held in rural Georgia – and Strong New York – a giant fitness expo held in Manhattan – are starting to draw big crowds, especially among Gen Z and Millennials.
Morgen hopes the Hybrid Athlete Retreat can enjoy a similar growth trajectory in the years to come, establishing itself as a can’t-miss event on the yearly fitness calendar.
“This second retreat is just the beginning – an exciting milestone paving the way for many more transformative events to come,” he says.
More than anything, though, he hopes the retreat will change the lives of those who attend. Morgen, a fitness enthusiast who still works full-time in tech, founded VTLZR as a passion project to combat the burnout he was feeling at his day job. He now wants to pay it forward by giving others a similar outlet.
“I know there are so many other athletes that are doing a nine-to-five who are burnt-out and frustrated, whether it’s with work, family or relationships,” he says. “Fitness is (our) way to relieve stress. We want to provide the community with events, resources, anything that can make an impact for people who want to achieve more.”
Interested in attending the 2025 VTLZR Hybrid Athlete Retreat? Athletech News readers can get 10% off the registration price with the code “Athletech10”