Whether the first time you heard about HYROX was through the “poop lady” situation in Beijing, or you’re just an average person wondering what it’s all about, there’s no shortage of content to consume for this coveted race.
At first glance, the race looks relatively simple, and all the people racing look thrilled, so it entices you to participate. I, too, fell into these assumptions, and was influenced by everything I saw online and at my gym, ultimately leading to me racing the GoodLife Toronto HYROX at the beginning of October.Â
First, what even is it? HYROX is a hybrid race involving eight 1 km stretches of running, with eight stations of workouts in between. The stations (in race order) are the following: Ski-Erg, Sled Push, Sled Pull, Burpee Broad Jumps, Row-Erg, Farmer’s Carry, Sandbag Lunges, and Wall Balls. There are multiple ways to race: solo, with a partner, or in a group of four. There are also different weights depending on whether you pick the Open or Pro category to race in, with Pro being heavier.Â
From getting tickets to the days following your race, there’s so much more that goes into participating in HYROX than one can imagine. Here are some of the experiences I had, and tips I wanted to share if you’re planning on trying this race.
- Getting tickets is already half of the battle
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If you thought the Ticketmaster war for Taylor Swift or BTS tickets was horrible, I can promise you that HYROX is worse. I got the opportunity to enter the presale via my gym being a HYROX partner, but even with the chance to buy tickets before the general public, by the time I got through the queue and into the site to buy tickets, it was completely sold out.
I only happened to get a ticket later that day by checking the website frequently, and opting to raise money for charity with the purchase of my ticket. If you’re not as lucky as I was, HYROX has a second sale a couple of weeks prior to the weekend they’re in your city.
- There’s no rushing progress with HYROX training
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If you think that you don’t need to practice a station because you’re already strong at it in the beginning of training, think again. I rarely trained for the Farmer’s Carry station, and on race day I took over nine minutes to complete it, whereas the average racer takes an average of 3 minutes.
This advice especially applies to the sleds; if you can’t pull or push the race weight in training, it will feel at least 20 lbs heavier on race day. You need to start slow and gradually build up to just over the amount you will be moving on race day.
This could take weeks or months, depending on your base strength and the amount of time you devote to each station. A major part of racing HYROX is tapering (slowly winding down efforts and training) with a week to go before your race. If you can’t complete a simulation or half simulation, you cannot force your body to pick that up the week of your race.Â
- Nutrition becomes a vital part of your life
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While preparing for my HYROX race, I can confidently say I was the healthiest I’ve ever been in my life. Putting your body through such rigorous workouts and training sessions means that you need to be fueling properly. I switched to a protein and carbohydrate heavy diet, incorporating lots of rice, vegetables, and meat into at least two of my meals every day.
I cut out most sugary foods and overly processed aspects of my diet during this time as well. I also began consuming hydration and electrolyte drinks a week prior to my race, and used gels to maintain my carbohydrate levels during long sessions.
- Race day will be anything but calm
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Once you reach the venue, there will be so much going on all at once.
Registration opens to athletes 90 minutes prior to the start of your wave, and you’re solely responsible for ensuring you’re at the start tunnel for that time. There are so many different activities happening inside the arena and outside, and you’ll need to check your bags, warm up, and get your last meals in all before the race even begins.
If you plan to check out the venue layout, make sure you’re early! Once you put on your tracker, you won’t be able to go inside of the venue via the spectator entrance or your timing chip may give inaccurate results. All of this will be worth it once you reach that tunnel and begin your race.Â
- Your body will take weeks to recover
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The day after you complete your first HYROX is the worst. Your entire body is achy, muscles are extremely sore, and I personally dealt with a lot of lower back pain.
The amount of lactic acid that builds up in your legs when completing HYROX stations is extraordinary, so don’t underestimate the amount of tightness you will feel in your legs, or how hard stairs will be for the next few days after the race.
I recommend booking a massage for a day or two post-race, so you don’t need to struggle with the recovery alone. I also used epsom salt baths to help relieve the tension and inflammation in my body in combination with a massage.
My body was so worn down that I could not go to the gym for two weeks after my race, and even returning, I lost a lot of the endurance I’d built up over the months I was training.Â
- The mental, emotional and physical aspects are intense
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This race drains all of your mental, emotional, and physical strength out of you. No one ever said it would be easy, but it’s much more challenging than you could imagine.
Mentally, you’re fighting the urge to take a break mid-station, to give up, and to not even show up to your race because you may feel unprepared.
Emotionally, you’re a nervous wreck, trying to hold it all together because you paid $40 for professional photos during your race. I felt so anxious and tired throughout the race, but every time that camera came by, it was all sunshine and rainbows.
Physically, you’re pushing your body’s every limit. This race wasn’t built to feel easy to complete, and the amount of dedication and effort it takes to prepare physically, aside from your daily life, can be absolutely overwhelming.Â
- It’s an expensive journey
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I do believe that you could complete this race in a cheaper manner than I did, but overall it’s still quite the expensive adventure.
HYROX tickets alone cost a minimum of $120, with various add-ons for photos or flexibility/cancellations available to you as you check out.
Then, you need to have a membership at a gym where you can practice with the equipment used in the race, or something similar. I went to Sweat and Tonic’s HYROX Lab, which was perfect for all of my training needs.
You also need to be able to eat well to replenish your body’s energy throughout the process, and ensure you’re getting enough sleep. I also splurged on a new outfit specifically for HYROX, as my race happened to fall on my birthday weekend.Â
Overall, I would definitely do it all again in the hopes of getting a better finish time, and having more fun while doing HYROX. My experiences may not match those of an avid gym-goer, however, I can gladly say this was one of the coolest experiences of my lifetime. The endless hours of training, fuelling your body, and fighting the mental demons will all be worth it once you pass that finish line. If you want to compete in your first race in the future, I hope these tips are helpful to you and your strategy, from one HYROX racer to another!