I first spotted Hyrox trending on Instagram. Then, out of the blue, one Saturday post-workout, my friend Satish casually dropped the bombshell: “You and Raji should team up for Hyrox.”
After regaining my breath and returning home, I messaged Raji, pitching the wild idea and sharing the mixed doubles format. “Those weights though, da. High enough to make us sweat just thinking,” she replied.
“Yes, exactly why we need to hustle. What say we give it a shot?”
And just like that, on May 29th — D minus 90 days to race day — our Hyrox journey started.
My trainer/physio, Abey, and I scoped out the Hyrox stations and matched them with what was available, improvising a bit with med ball slams for ski erg, cable rows for the rower, and so on. Abey was adamant about training with heavier-than-race-standard weights — because “the more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle” (I shamelessly stole that gem from King Leonidas in 300).
I upped my protein intake to 145-150g per day to help with both muscle building and absorb the additional load. Meanwhile, over the other side of town, Raji was holding her own with 4 strength sessions a week, laser-focused on compound lifts that paid off big in just 45 days. Her progress was inspiring.
Running and lifting? Easy enough separately. Doing both back-to-back while gasping for air? That was uncharted territory. We knew we had to simulate the entire run-plus-workout circuit, not once, but thrice, to feel battle-ready.
There was one tiny hurdle neither of us expected: neither of us had ever seen, let alone used, a ski erg or rowed on a rowing machine. Luckily, our team connected us with Saurabh at Hyfit. This felt like our best shot at race-day realism.
With just over a month left, our game plan for simulations was ambitious — three full Simulations through the course, each refining our technique and timing, with a taper window threaded in before the big day.
Sim 1 (Truncated Version) — We wanted to conserve energy for later, so runs were 400m, wall balls were scaled to 70 instead of 100, and we aimed for a relaxed 5-minute pace per km. We chugged through, somewhat ragged, some stations with questionable form, others with sheer grit. The post-sim debrief with Saurabh was brutally honest but invaluable. We left armed with technical fixes for skis, rows, burpee broad jumps, lunges, and new sled-pushing form.
Sim 2 (The Real Deal) — We stepped it up to almost full Hyrox standards: 800m runs, all stations at race weight, and reps. We shaved a stunning 7-8 minutes off our time - All those technical fixes paid off and how! Hope soared. Our weakness? Transitions—getting shoes on and off for the rows—were still a clunky mess.
Sim 3 (Rehearsal for the Show) — No change in course, but transition practice took center stage.We tested our marathon trusty carbon-plated shoes—would they be allies or foes? The heat and humidity hit hard, especially during the sled pulls, with slippery ropes adding spice to the challenge. But we made it. Bijen at Hyfit, ever the eagle-eyed coach, swooped in with advice on sled pull technique to squeeze seconds faster.
We came away from these smoldering trial runs feeling good—scratch that—ready. And quietly confident.
We arrived Saturday afternoon and headed straight to our Airbnb. First order of business? The sacred vada pav pilgrimage. Crisp, spicy, and carb-loaded—the perfect pre-race fuel.
Morning dawned with a gentle 6K shakeout around the neighborhood, loosening legs and minds. Fuel followed in the form of poha-sabudana khichdi. Full bellies, light feet.
There’s always a temple visit before a big race—the ritual keeps pace with my passion for balance and calm. We visited the exquisite Parleshwar and Shwetambar Jain temples, marveling at their intricate architecture and soaking in serenity.
We rolled into Nesco around 2 PM. Check-in took 40 minutes, testing patience before the storm. We were greeted by an atmosphere loud enough to rattle your soul and air conditioning fierce enough to freeze time itself.
We wandered each station, ticking off mental notes, measuring distances, and refining plans. Hydration strategy got a special mention—Raji was firm on a water break after the Farmers Carry, so that was locked in.
Warm-ups proved tricky—the rain outside flooded the limited space and the AC inside was nearly freezing. Still, we found a patch of dry ground for muscle activations, tuck jumps, and light jogging.
At exactly 5:40 PM, the hooter blared.
We were off. And I thought to myself, “Let’s see what you really are, Hyrox Mumbai 🙂”
Run, Skii Erg
Hyrox throws you straight into the fire with a run and I took the lead, setting a steady rhythm. Our strategy was surgical: swap every 30-40 seconds on the ski erg to keep fresh. We crushed it in 4:18. Pure adrenaline. We blasted off for the next leg with doubled energy.
Run, Sled Push, Run, Sled Pull
Our sled push strategy was flawless (25m-12.5m-12.5m) despite recent mat changes causing slight sled wobbles. Then came the sled pull—oh, the sled pull. Raji unleashed her inner beast, pulling the massive weight with thunderous power.
Burpee Broad Jumps, Run, Row, Run
The aerobic test arrived. Burpee broad jumps flew past in bursts, with me doing nine or ten before handing over to Raji for six.
The strap battle with the rower was comedic—the right strap misaligned, costing us seconds—but no distraction. Raji went in first for 250m, and I reciprocated. She chugged through the machine with poise; I finished the last. 4.07 working time. 20 sec shaved from our best Simulation!
Farmers Carry, Run, Sandbag Lunges, Run
I ran the first 100m beastly, Raji ran the next 50m with remarkable ease, then I finished the rest. The break left my quads and hams screaming, but eased enough to push on. Sandbag lunges felt familiar and manageable, having practiced with higher weights in training. We nailed smooth transitions (seamlessly placing the sloth over the other person’s shoulder), something that saved precious time, allowing us to instantly lock into our strides. The last run? A near-secret 4:18 pace, known only to me.
Wall Balls!
No room for error in this final crucible — sets broken down precisely (25-15-25-10-15-10). Sweat slicked the ball; no reps stacked, causing frustration. I adjusted technique mid-penultimate set to conquer the slippery beast. Raji finished the last reps with a primal victory scream.
Silver sealed, glory claimed - only, we didn’t know it then 🙂
We caught a glimpse of the big screen flashing real-time results: 1:09:50 - Silver. The numbers were undeniable. We had done it.
Calls and video chats burst into life. Sangho, Satish, Lattika, and Harish sent waves of congratulatory messages, their joy mixing with ours.
We went to meet Abey and Sneha, who’d been pillars of support all day.
Not Just a Partner, the Powerhouse
Some athletic journeys are measured in distance and weight; others in grit, growth, and unstoppable will. Raji became all three rolled into one. Her nutrition game, strength gains, and relentless running pace (that cheeky 4:25 when I was promised 4:45!) were awe-inspiring.
Hyrox isn’t just an 8K race — it’s a brutal blend of a hard 10K effort with strength tests peppered in. The running within stations and transitions adds invisible edges to distance and effort.
Looking back, these insights stand tall:
Mani is an amateur runner and still discovering about the sport everyday. He aspires to get better at strictly the Half Marathon distance, with a very recent personal best of 1.34 at Freshworks Chennai Marathon 2025. Mani works on New Initiatives at the tech startup, Gokwik in Bangalore.