HYROX thundered back into London’s iconic Olympia this weekend, and the Victorian-era ironwork never looked so pumped.
Within minutes, it became clear the third London outing of the global fitness race had hit personal-best form: more than 12,000 athletes hurtled through three days of squats, sleds and soul-searching lunges while spectators leaned over the first-floor balcony like kids at the zoo — only this time the animals were jacked humans chasing PBs instead of bananas.
Space to Breathe (and Suffer)
Despite the human avalanche, the expanded floor plan meant no one felt like they were queuing for a Black Friday television.
HYROX officials stitched extra square footage into the venue, banishing the dreaded mid-track crossing and gifting fans a panoramic view of every grimace, fist pump and chalk cloud.
As ever, the race was well organised and all the judges that I encountered were firm but friendly and supportive – and very strict on the wall ball standards!
Translation: no-rep at your peril.
Course Notes: Roxzone Tweaks & Wall-Ball Theatre
- Run loops flowed smoother than a late-night taxi ride.
- Roxzone stations matched the global blueprint — rower, ski erg, burpee broad jumps, the whole alphabet of agony.
- Dedicated wall-ball arena for the grand finale kept the traffic tidy and the suffering on brand.
Small changes, big difference. Just ask the quads.
Double Trouble: One Athlete, Two Races, All the Feelings
This time out I put in a double shift — Pro Solo on Saturday night, Pro Doubles Monday morning. The Saturday session started late enough to test anyone’s willpower around the food stalls. The result? A time that landed on the “must do better” list.
Cue the 36-hour redemption arc. Partnered with GB duathlete Ian Reid, I discovered that splitting stations also splits misery in half. Our chemistry clicked, and by brunch-time Monday we had managed to outpace the field:
“We ended up placing 1st in our age group, which was my first podium and flag in my 10th race! And a qualification for the Worlds in Chicago in June!”
That’s how you turn a weekend narrative from Netflix drama to Disney ending.
Elite 15 Doubles: Tickets to Chicago, Please
Monday wasn’t just about age-group glory. HYROX London doubled as the European qualifier for the first-ever Elite 15 Doubles showdown at the 2025 World Championship in Chicago.
Top-three finishers in both Men’s and Women’s pro doubles punched their tickets stateside. Watching the elite women blitz past mere mortals after the row station felt like witnessing a spoiler-alert for next year’s podium:
“It was great to see many elite athletes demonstrate their skills – warming up and racing.”
And if you blinked, you missed them — they were gone quicker than you can mis-spell “anaerobic”.
Why HYROX London Keeps Selling Out
- Accessible Suffering: Same race format worldwide, so first-timers know the drill.
- Spectator-Friendly Layout: Balcony views > grainy livestreams.
- Community Buzz: Everyone wrestles the same sleds; everyone ends up in the same bar later swapping war stories.
- Pathway to Worlds: From age-group hopefuls to Elite 15 gladiators, Olympia is a launchpad.
The Takeaway: Highs, Lows and the Long Run to Chicago
A weekend that began with a misfiring solo effort ended on a champagne-soaked (well, isotonic-drink-soaked) podium.
That’s HYROX in a nutshell: humiliation one minute, hero status the next — all measured in reps, laps and a stubborn refusal to quit.
Olympia will catch its breath, mop the floors, and before long the call will go out again: HYROX London needs fresh legs, louder cowbells, and maybe a bigger trophy shelf.
Until then, athletes will nurse DOMS, judges will dream of perfect wall-ball depths, and the road to Chicago will echo with the sound of thousands of running shoes hitting tarmac.
See you on the start line — and don’t forget, the judges are still “very strict on the wall ball standards!”
