Athletes who qualified for the 2024 Masters CrossFit Games were front and center, as this year’s competition was held completely separate from the elite individuals. The event itself was hosted by Legends and took place in Birmingham, AL, from August 29 to September 1.

Athletes qualified for this new version of the Masters CrossFit Games in multiple age groups and traveled from all corners of the globe to celebrate fitness. 

It should have been the highlight of Jolene Quirke’s CrossFit career. 

But Quirke didn’t make it to Birmingham. Instead, she was at home fighting cancer for a second time.

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How It All Began

Quirke has been training in CrossFit since 2009, when a college rugby teammate introduced her to the sport. 

She took to it quickly, opened an affiliate, and became a mainstay at Regionals starting in 2012.

“I was a gymnast, and I loved training more than anything,” Quirke told the Morning Chalk Up in an interview. “I was good enough to compete, and that was great, but the training was more important to me.”

After five years of competing as an individual at Regionals, Quirke finally punched her ticket and qualified in the 35-39 age group for the CrossFit Games. She finished ninth in 2019. 

Unfortunately, then her life took a turn.

Quirke explained: “I had my daughter in August 2020 and was diagnosed in September with melanoma and a tumor in my leg. For about a year and a half, I went through immunotherapy to treat it. But I never stopped training. I just love to train.”

Quirke beat her cancer and began rehabbing her body. She started to feel healthier and got back to working out.

“I’ve always participated in the Open, but this past year,” she said, “I felt like I was getting myself back, and I was at the bottom of a new age division.” 

Quirke felt that it was a good opportunity to make another run at the Games, so she stuck with the tried-and-true method that got her there the first time.

“I didn’t change my training that much. I stick to old-school CrossFit training,” Quirke said. “I don’t do a lot of volume — I just do the workouts I program for the gym. I don’t do anything different except work on a little additional strength.”

Quirke had a great Open and Quarterfinals and finished 13th in the 40-44 age group in Semifinals. This was enough to qualify her for the CrossFit Games again. 

That was when she got a call from her oncologist.

A World Turned Upside Down 

“I had been running a lot, but my runs were getting a little slower. I couldn’t figure out why,” she remembered. “I was also swimming, and I was slightly struggling. I could tell something was off, but I’ve had asthma my whole life; I thought it could be that and then didn’t think anything else of it. Then I got the call from my oncologist who told me I needed to get a PET [positron emission tomography] scan.” 

During her time in remission, Quirke had been checking in with her doctor every three months, and at one of those appointments, they had found nodules on her lungs. 

A lot of people have nodules, but because of her asthma, her doctor wanted to keep a careful eye on them. After quarterly CAT scans, he didn’t like the growth of one and told Quirke to get the PET scan. 

“And there it was,” Quirke said. “It was positive for cancer.”

Things went from bad to worse. In late July, Quirke got a bronchoscopy — a procedure that examines the lungs using a thin, flexible tube called a bronchoscope — when her lung collapsed with the anesthesia. 

This caused something called pleural effusion, where fluid accumulates in your lungs.

With the CrossFit Games scheduled to take place at the end of August, it quickly became clear that Quirke would not be making the trip.

They have been trying to remove the fluid, and Quirke now has something called a PleurX Catheter inserted in her chest wall. 

It is not pleasant.

“I have a catheter, so I drain the fluid manually, and it’s been awful,” Quirke explained. “I just want to get this thing out of me because it’s been awful. I can’t believe how it was fine, and then that stupid procedure just took me down the wrong, crazy road.”

Embracing Her Therapy With Optimism

Movement has always been therapy for Quirke, and she has continued to try to incorporate it into her days, even in her condition.

“I tried to finally ride a C2 bike yesterday, and I didn’t have to stop, which was amazing! I think once I get moving and doing what I love, I’ll be better off mentally. No matter what’s happening, I feel like I need that and haven’t been able to do it. That tears your spirit down,” she shared.

“I don’t need a carrot to chase,” Quirke said, “I just want to train.

Although her family pushes her to fight her illness even harder, Quirke is careful with how much she shares with her three children. All she’s told them is that her lungs are sick, and she is trying to get them better. 

Still, she continues to find the good in a horrible situation.

“I think with CrossFit and competitors, we forget sometimes that there is more to life than that,” Quirke said. “I don’t know why we’re like that, but this has opened my eyes. I don’t put all my eggs in that basket — the competing isn’t all I care about.”

How You Can Help Jolene Quirke

If you would like to support Quirke and her battle against Stage 4 Melanoma in her lungs, please head to her GoFundMe to donate.

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From Weightlifting to Gym Ownership: Meet Two-Time Olympian and CrossFit Affiliate Owner Wes Kitts

Featured image: @jolenequirke / Instagram 

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