This past Saturday I participated in my first ever HYROX event with 14 other Reformers, and I wanted to share some thoughts from it.
HYROX is a global fitness race that combines running and functional fitness exercises, and has been growing significantly in popularity since it started in 2018. The race has eight 1,000m runs after each run having an exercise to perform. The exercises are Ski Erg, Sled Push, Sled Pull, Burpee Broad Jump, Row, Farmer’s Carry, Sandbag Lunges, and Wall Balls.
There are 4 different racing categories you can sign up for:
- Open: The Standard HYROX for everyone
- Pro: For experienced racers with heavier weights
- Doubles: Teams of 2 running together, breaking up the movements
- Relay: Teams of 4, each person doing 2 runs and 2 movements
We had multiple members sign up for the Open and Doubles categories, and I signed up for the relay version because I didn’t expect my Achilles to be fully recovered by December. This was the right move for me.
One interesting thing is that for a CrossFitter HYROX is a running workout, and for a runner HYROX is a CrossFit workout. To prep, CrossFitters typically need more running adaptation, and runners need more stamina and efficiency in the movements.
Although I have done much less of it in the past years, competing in functional fitness is something I am experienced in. I have done over 40 individual, partner and team competitions of varying levels or styles. Each of these events have good things about them, and they all have areas they can improve, some many more than others.
Here are some good things, and areas I believe could improve, from my first experience with HYROX:
Good
- The workout is very inclusive – Compared to other CrossFit and functional fitness competitions the movements are much more do-able. They aren’t easy, but have a lower barrier to entry, making it appeal to a broader audience. This I believe is their best trait and what has made it so successful. It’s a great challenge/commitment that draws more people in rather than seeming unbearable.
- It ran on time and pretty smoothly – Staying on time is a VERY common issue in smaller level fitness events. This event was massive and stayed well on time, with heats starting every 10 min on the dot. They also did a pretty impressive job of having the running lanes shift at different areas to allow spectators to pass through.
- The spectators are immersed in the workout/experience – In many smaller and larger fitness events there is an area for spectators but very often it can be far enough away making it harder to support and feel the energy of the event. At HYROX the spectators are right there at each station providing a great atmosphere. It never got too crowded either because people are constantly moving to another station or their next run.
- It’s more about the journey than the time: Most that sign up are proud they did it and are less stressed about the overall time. The real win is in the journey, commitment, and completion of the event, similar to how many sign up for a 5k or 10k. There are some looking to PR and win, but 95% are there being proud of the finish.
Could Improve
- Communication/Organization – This was my biggest frustration. We did not find out what time our relay heat would start until the week of the event, and it was at 8pm! NO ONE signs up for something like a 10k expecting they may start anytime from 7am-8pm. If this needs to happen it should be clearly stated when signing up, because I would NOT have signed up knowing that. There was also a separate briefing for the relay that was terribly chaotic – it was 20 minutes late, lacking organization, and surprisingly poor. Lastly, their website was very difficult to navigate. It took forever to find out if we could bring food, how to get spectator tickets, as well as other information needed to make a smooth event for a participant.
- Varying the workout – I believe it would be interesting if they varied the sign-up categories a little differently, making the doubles version break up the runs as well. The other challenge is that HYROX is specifically 1 event, with the only variance being if you sign up for a different category (Open, Pro, Doubles, or Relay). It’s consistent which is great, but I’m not sure if people will repeat it many times down the line. It would be interesting if they had potentially more variance or different challenges at times.
- Difficult for a supporter of more than 1 person: With how long the workout is (around an hour and a half) and the significant variance in heat start times, it’s really tough to support everyone you want to support, and can make for a very long day. I was there from 8am-10pm, moving around pretty much the whole time. I’m not really sure how this could be fixed, but it did present quite a challenge.
Although there are areas for improvement, it reminded me a lot of the early days of CrossFit and the competitions around them. There were constant growing pains because the organizational aspects were difficult to keep up with the demand. Their community of people who have participated is strong and they are proud they have completed it, and rightfully so.
I will say, It was amazing watching our members and coaches commit and challenge themselves in this new test, and I was so happy to be a part of it. Even though I had to be there way past my bedtime, I will do it again, and I will encourage more of our members to do it as well!
For more info on HYROX you can CLICK HERE.
Eric