Last week I competed in my 2nd Hyrox described as ‘the premium functional fitness competition designed for EVERY BODY’. This time in the women’s doubles with my daughter. We both competed back in November as individuals. I completed it in 2:26. Her in 1:59. 411 women finished, I was 408th. But given my ‘not completely normal heart’ I felt really proud of myself to have got over the finish line.

As for my daughter, she would have been much faster, I think, but she hadn’t eaten enough. By the time I’d finished (we had different heat times) she had completed 50% of the event but was flagging. I gave her a handful of jelly babies which did their magic. Run 4, pre jelly babies, was 09.02, improving to 08.04 in the next run followed by 07.13 . Sugar gets bad press but sometimes it is all that is needed.

We came into this doubles competition looking to complete it in under 2 hours. On paper a fairly easy target given that we would be sharing out the workstation load out if not the runs.

I was slightly nervous but nothing like how I felt in November. Back then it was difficult to visualise getting over the finish line. The volume of work felt overwhelming. This time wasn’t going to be so bad. Possibly fun.

We had tentatively discussed how we would share out the workstations:

• Ski Erg – tag in and out at 250 metres for the total of 1,000 metres

• Sled push – tag in and out at end of each 12.5 metre length

• Sled pull – tag in and out at end of each 12.5 metre length

• Burpee broad jumps – tag in and out as required

• Rower- tag in and out at 250 metres for the total of 1,000 metres

• Farmers carry – tag in and out as required

• Sandbag lunges – tag in and out as required

• Wallballs – tag in and out as required

This worked fairly well. The two workstations where my daughter did more than me was the burpee broad jumps and wall balls. She has an excellent broad jump covering a lot of distance between each burpee. And her wall ball technique is on point. Both these work stations are challenging for me both in technique and the cardiovascular exertion required.

I compensated by doing more volume in the farmers carry. Not a fair exchange as the farmers carry is the easiest of the workstations.

My daughter did get a little frustrated with me during the runs. I remain slow. Looking at my total run time there has been very little improvement since November. She commented on a couple of occasions that I appeared to be struggling. No. This is me during strenuous exercise. She hardly broke into a sweat. 

Throughout the event her eye was on the clock. Continually calculating how long it was taking to complete the workstations and the runs. She was determined to complete it below 2 hours even with a struggling mother. We did it in 1:53.

Doing it as a double was enjoyable. It still wasn’t easy but sharing out the workstation load gave time for recovery without the clock ticking away. Was it the best way round to do it, individual and then as a double? I don’t know. There are pros and cons to both. I was certainly more relaxed this time knowing I’d already done it as an individual. But doing it as a double first would have been a gentler introduction to Hyrox.

I seem to have got the Hyrox bug. I’ve already signed up again as an individual competitor in the November London event. My daughter claims she is never doing it again but she may just be waiting for a faster partner to come along.

My goal is to complete it in under 2 hours. This will mean cutting nearly half an hour of my time. It is a big ask but I think I’m capable of it. There are a number of areas for which I can work on that will improve my speed and efficiency.

At the end of last year I wrote a blog entitled Getting Fitter and Faster in 2023. Unfortunately the events of the last few months which I previously wrote about had dampened my motivation. But my intention and determination is back. I’m going to implement those changes with the hope of a sub 2 hour Hyrox time. Watch this space.