Hyrox Melbourne, Saturday evening. 30 seconds into the sled pull, I knew my race was done for. I went into a very dark mental space. The remaining race became a battle against giving up, and I was losing it.

Throughout training I felt good. Ironically, the sled pull station was the one I was most confident with — I was pulling 30 kg heavier at my gym for sets. What went wrong then? I wasn’t expecting the elasticity of the rope and basic physics: the further the sled is, the harder the pull. The rope I used in training was much shorter and sturdier. When I put my all into one pull and the sled barely moved, the whole game plan — and my momentum — was gone.

Besides that, mentally I was expecting and holding much less pain than required. I was doing 4 stops per lane during the sled push. I was skiing/rowing at <2:10 min/500 m pace, which, to be honest, I’m proud of — last year when I did Hyrox Open, I could only hold ~2:20 min/500 m. But this time I was still too conscious about not over-exerting myself.

What I could do better

Train heavy

For stations like the sled pull, I would go to 200 kg with the compromised setup next time. It would also be worth training heavier for stations after the row (farmers carry, lunges, and wall balls), because by then you’re both mentally and physically exhausted. Train heavier, but still have the same expectation in terms of time.

Focus on adaptation

The majority of sled sessions I did were race-weight sled compromised run sessions. However, I was putting a limiter on my sled strength adaptation. I would arrange it differently next time: schedule specific sled strength sessions, mixing heavier-than-race but shorter sets with easier-but-longer sets.

Establish a baseline

I have never done any simulation or half simulation. I didn’t do any Hyrox-style workout over 1 hour — the longest one I did was around 40 minutes. For next time, I still don’t think that should be part of the curriculum, but it’s still critical to establish a baseline, compare it with the goal splits, and understand weaknesses and expectations.

Honestly just need more time dedicated

Pro is a different game. A hobbyist like me going in will likely get punished. I feel like I need to dedicate 7–8 hours minimum per week, given my lack of athletic background.

Moving forward

I still finished the race in 1 hour 37 minutes, more than 20 minutes slower than my goal. I’m still in the grief stage. I still do not want to watch anything about Hyrox on Instagram or YouTube. But I’m not just going to swallow the L.

Next year we have the Ballarat half marathon lined up in late April. I’m planning to follow a training plan properly and hopefully build toward 1 hour 25 minutes, which will be a very hard goal — but that’s what keeps me going. While building the running, I’m planning to keep only the minimum strength sessions. I think I’ll rely on kettlebell workouts given how easy they are to plan and how I can just work out at home.

As discussed with my wife, we would like to travel more next year given our kid will be more than 1 year old. So I’m aiming for Hyrox in Korea, where I’d do the Open division, given there’s not much time after the half marathon. Then we’ll see. I feel running makes me happier in general, but it will be good to maintain some strength and at least keep improving in Hyrox at Open — maybe to the top 5%?

The race was a great opportunity to challenge and strengthen my identity: dealing with loss, and being more open-minded. I kept my shirt on, pushed through, and can still brag to my coworkers.