Welcome to the HYROX Show!
MudGear finally attended our first HYROX over the weekend having no expectations other than seeing some big names and impressive performances. We knew HYROX would be similar to CrossFit events and even more similar to Spartan’s Deka. However, it quickly became clear what HYROX does best - SHOWMANSHIP!
If you insist on bare-bones ruggedness, HYROX isn’t for you. From the fancy hotel to the new/top-of-the-line equipment, to the mood lighting and mix-master dj, the production value was next level! Think Rocky III with all of the showy music and lights. The only thing missing was a smoke machine. That was HYROX.
A movie scholar might point out that, in Rocky III, the “showiness” (it’s a word) turned out to be false hype and more distraction than anything. It was the raw, hungrier fighter who came out victorious. However, that’s not necessarily the case with this new form of fitness racing. There is nothing artificial nor weak about the workouts that make up the HYROX format. Each station is painfully challenging and requires incredible feats of strength and endurance. The showmanship somehow adds excitement to what should already be exciting enough!
You never know who will show up to Dallas events. In this case, Robert Killian, Rebecca Hammond, the Kempson brothers, Corinna Coffin, Grant McCartney, Eric Hinman, and Lauren Weeks were just some of the big names taking a shot at the $10k top prize. However, it was Rachel Schreiber who led the pack for the women while Hunter McIntyre added an exclamation point to his dominance by improving his world record time to just under an hour (58:38😮)!
- Side note: It was especially great to see Alyssa Hawley return to competition after recovering from injury; Rebecca Hammond in her last months before possibly leaving competition for good to focus on her career (per recent announcement); and David Magida (2nd place) reminding the world to never count him out.
While the event’s elite stars were fun to watch, HYROX’s ability to make every participant feel like a big deal was especially awesome! Even open-division athletes crossed the finish line on stage with their names and times immediately displayed on the big screen as the fun and inclusive MCs said, “Welcome to the #HYSOCIETY of Fitness.” Translation?
“Welcome to HYROX - you’ve just leveled up!”
Leave a comment