My First Solo HYROX in Johannesburg: How I Trained, Gear Advice, & Race Day Tips
“Of course it’s heavy, that’s why they call it weight!” The witty fitness mantra flashes across the TV screen as AC/DC’s Hells Bells pipes through the speakers into the Red Bull start tunnel at HYROX Johannesburg. The energy in the tunnel is palpable, emotions are already running high before the customary HYROX hype reel begins and I’m captivated by the series of short pre-recorded clips featuring HYROX pro athletes sharing their last-minute tips and advice. I make a few mental notes for my own race before turning my attention to the next sizzle reel featuring everyday athletes beating the odds and crossing the finish line. A knot forms in my throat and I can feel my eyes welling up. This is hardly the time for a good cry so I pull it together just in time for the 10 second countdown timer to start, next thing I know, John Cena’s The Time Is Now is blaring in my ears and we’re off!
The start line at HYROX is a much spoken about right of passage and until you experience it, you won’t truly understand what all the fuss is about. HYROX Johannesburg is my second time on the HYROX dancefloor (as it’s affectionately known by HYROX athletes) in 5 months, but my first attempt was a lot more relaxed. I’d competed in the mixed Relay at HYROX Cape Town with a group of friends from my gym. But this time around, I’d committed to taking up the challenge solo in the women’s open. After months of training, it was a surreal feeling to finally be here doing the damn thing.
Our wave of brave women burst out of the starting blocks, and a glance down at my fitness tracker reveals that my heart rate is already through the roof. I make a conscious decision to avoid the errors of my first HYROX rodeo and immediately reduce my pace to bring my heart back down to normal levels. It’s easy to get carried away with everyone around you practically sprinting out the gate, but if you can practice self-restraint early on you’ll save yourself a lot of pain later.
I remind myself that I have a race plan and I’m not going to let my ego ruin my fun. If you approach it the right way, HYROX is like a big playground for adults who like to lift weights and do hard things. Whether you grew up with aspirations to conquer the big slide at Jimmy Jungles or set your sights on one day being able to take on the monkey bars; HYROX is the realisation of every cool thing you dreamed of doing as a child.
My ego now firmly in check, I take the race in my stride, ticking off every run, every station one at a time, careful not to overdo it and blow my race. But let’s be clear, this Yoda-like approach to taking it easy isn’t in my nature. Ordinarily, I’m highly competitive, but 5 months of HYROX training has humbled me. I have a new understanding and appreciation for what my body can do, and if there’s anything I’ve learned through training for this race it’s to listen to my body. At the risk of sounding like I sell Himalyan salt lamps for a living, having a deep understanding of my body and its capabilities is the biggest gift I got out of my HYROX training programme.
Listening to my body during the race is what gets me through a short-lived niggle in my knee after 6kms of running, when fatigue is setting in and I’m beginning to slouch, putting unnecessary strain on my knee. I do what I’ve learned on my long runs in training; I take a deep breath, stand up straight to correct my posture, and make a conscious effort to activate my quad muscles with every step, stopping my knee from caving in due to fatigue.
Listening to my body is what gets me through the shakes after the burpee broad jumps. Feeling a little unsteady on my feet, I make sure to take a break and reach for electrolytes at the hydration station while my heart rate returns to normal. Unless you’re pushing to podium, it’s normal to take a break in a HYROX race. Even so, I remind myself to take breaks with a purpose. In the moments where I am standing still, I am multi-tasking, I am conscious of using this test time to take in electrolytes, a sip of Red Bull, or an energy gummy while catching my breath.
After 1 hour and 47 minutes I cross the finish line, achieving my goal of getting my hands on a coveted HYROX Johannesburg finishers patch and coming in 13 minutes before my planned finish time. Even more exciting, I can still walk after my race!
I wasn’t in any pain after the race, and I didn’t experience much muscle stiffness in the days following the race. For me, that was the most successful first solo run I could hope for.
I survived my first HYROX individual race and so can you. Now, with two HYROX races under my belt I’m sharing my HYROX survival tips. One newbie to another. Sure, you can pour over advice from the HYROX pros and those with far more races under their belts. But I have a distinct feeling they’ve forgotten what it’s like to take on HYROX for the first time. Even then, most professionals come from elite fitness backgrounds (whether they were already semi-professional athletes, personal trainers, or fitness coaches), so they’ve very likely not had to attempt a HYROX race as a normie with a full-time desk job and limited time to train.
So keep reading for my HYROX training tips for beginners who’ve set their sights on crossing the finishing line and having some fun along the way.
HYROX women’s open training tips:
If you’re a beginner who is new to Hyrox-style training (new to running or new to functional training), then building a strong foundation of strength, endurance, and proper form is key. If you find the whole process of getting into functional training overwhelming then I highly recommend joining a HYROX affiliated gym or signing up for an online HYROX-specific training programme.
I did all my functional training at F45 Training Woodstock in Cape Town (F45 Training is the official global training partner of HYROX) and loved the process. I didn’t have to worry about my programming, I would just show up to class and get to work. Find an F45 near you here. Before signing up, be sure to check that the F45 location you’ve chosen is a HYROX participating studio.
If you’re in South Africa and are unable to join a studio-style gym with HYROX classes, then you can also look at an online training programme like The Yard Athletic online HYROX Training programme.
My HYROX training programme:
Full disclosure, before I started entering HYROX races I did have a base of 6 years of consistent functional training at F45. My usual training load had me in the gym at F45 Woodstock averaging 5 F45 classes a week with sessions between 45-60 minutes each. My usual workout load included 3 resistance training classes a week and two hybrid functional training classes. With this load I had a good cardiovascular and strength base to build on for HYROX.
I started training for HYROX 5 months prior to the race and my biggest challenge for this race was to start running consistently, as well as work on my compromised running training (to get used to running on jelly legs after each workout station). To tackle this hurdle I needed a running training programme that would help me with the conditioning and endurance needed for the running portion of a HYROX race.
Here is the basic training programme I followed over my 5-month training period.
Monday: 45-min hybrid HIIT training | Interval Run
Tuesday: 45-min full body resistance training
Wednesday: 45-min HYROX specific training
Thursday AM: Short tempo run
Thursday PM: 45-minute upper-body resistance training
Friday: 45-min hybrid HIIT training
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Long Run
About 3 months out from race day, every alternate Sunday was a HYROX specific training session instead of a long run. I moved my long run to Friday to replace the 45-minute hybrid HIIT training session.
My HYROX running programme:
Running plays a huge role in HYROX, so if you’re new to it, following a structured 10K plan is a great place to start. I used the F45 Training 12-week HYROX running programme (free to all F45 members on the F45 Training app) which included running 3 times per week. This HYROX running plan included an interval run, tempo run, and long run every week.
I started with walk-run intervals. For example, week 1 I did 5 x 400m runs at 80% effort with a 200m (or 120 seconds) recovery walk in between each interval. Gradually, I increased the running duration while shortening the walking intervals as my endurance improved. By week 12, I was doing 6 x 1200m runs at 80% effort with a 500m (or 300 seconds) recovery jog in between.
My tempo runs in week 1 started with a 20 minute run broken up into a 5 minute easy pace, 10 minute tempo pace, and 5 minute easy pace. By week 12, I was doing 30 minute tempo runs broken up into 5 minutes easy pace, 20 minutes tempo pace, and 5 minutes easy pace.
Week 1 my long runs started off at 40 minutes at a steady, moderate pace. The programme recommended beginners switch between running and walking if any discomfort was experienced. By week 12, my long runs were 50 minutes at a steady, moderate pace.
Once you’re comfortable running continuously, you can introduce compromised running once a week: where you run immediately after a strength movement to simulate race conditions. For example, perform 10 wall balls or a 30-second sled push, then go straight into a 400m run. Focus on consistency, and you’ll build the stamina needed for race day. Fortunately a lot of this was included into the HYROX workouts at F45 Training Woodstock so I didn’t need to find yet more time to fit this into my already heavy training load.
Don’t sleep on recovery!
Another super important part of my HYROX training programme was recovery. I would not have been able to consistently increase my training load without a daily focus on recovery. Over the 5 months of training for HYROX Johannesburg I discovered that recovery can be fun!
My recovery sessions included regular weekly hot yoga or reformer pilates stretch classes, weekly sauna sauna sessions, and using recovery tools like compression boots and daily foam rolling. I highly recommend the Hyperice Normatic 3 Leg System and the Hyprice Vyper foam roller. Incorporating recovery into my daily routine lightened the cumulative load on my body every week, keeping me injury-free and able to keep pushing throughout my training block.
My HYROX nutrition plan and supplements
I don’t track macros religiously, but I always make sure I reach my protein targets every day to help optimise lean muscle mass, and then balance my meals with healthy fats and carbohydrates to keep my body fueled for training and give it what it needs to recover. My daily protein goals are around 2.5g of protein per 1kg of ideal body weight (based on the Lyon Protocal). For days when I struggle to get in enough protein I lean on whey protein supplements like My Protein Clear Whey Protein and Nutrigo protein bars. Both brands are available at Dis-Chem.
Post-workout, electrolytes have been a game-changer for me, especially after seriously sweaty sessions. Right now, I’m obsessed with DripDrop and Revive – these easy-to-use daily electrolyte drinks make rehydrating feel like a treat! You can find these products at Sportsman’s Warehouse and Wellness Warehouse.
I also added 5g of daily Creatine Monohydrate to my daily supplement list to help build lean muscle mass and speed up recovery. I feel like it’s made a massive difference and helped me keep up with the increased training load over my 5 month training period. Creatine Monohydrate is readily available and relatively affordable so it’s an easy thing to add into your nutrition plan. NPL Creatine Monohydrate has been my go-to during my training.
HYROX race day tips and gear
I had an absolute blast at this race because I gave myself permission to have fun and leave the pressure to the pros. That’s not to say I don’t have goals for the next HYROX race I attempt, but I loved that for this event there was no pressure to chase a PB. This race being my first ever solo attempt, I went into it looking to learn and have a great time.
I’d set my sights on taking my first full HYROX with as relaxed an approach as possible. It was never my intention to break my body (nor my spirit) so I focused on conditioning and set myself up to be comfortable with being out there for 2 hours. I crossed the finish line at 1 hour 47 minutes, happy that my race plan had gone off without any surprises.
My HYROX gear:
Comfort was an important factor for me when I was choosing my gear for the race. I didn’t want any distractions from fabric rubbing against my skin or pinching in the wrong places. I went with a Puma x HYROX Cloudspun Sleeveless top, Puma x HYROX Mid Impact Bra and gel running shorts with plenty of pockets for all my race day snacks. Puma’s Cloudspun fabric is unbelievably soft and light, and it kept me dry and comfortable throughout the race. In fact, I didn’t think about my gear at all during the race which is the best sign.
As for my shoes, I chose the Puma Deviate Nitro 3 running shoe for race day. It’s the official shoe of HYROX with many of the top athletes choosing this shoe to race in. I found the shoe to be an excellent companion on race day, especially when it came to the grip needed for the sled portion of the functional movements.
When you’re deciding on shoes for race day, your shoes need to be comfortable for running, simple as that. If you don’t love running in them, they aren’t the right shoes for you. A gait analysis at a reputable running shop can help determine if you need a neutral or stability shoe, but the most important factor is how they feel when you run.
Other nice to haves on race day:
Other extras I included in my race day kit included grip socks (if you want to be extra sure about heel sleep on the sleds), gym gloves, a sweat band (essential) or extra small gym towel. My hands were so sweaty by the time I got to the Wall Balls and it really affected my ability to get a good grip on the ball, it helped having a towel to wipe off my hands. The same went for the Farmer’s Carry, if you’re wearing gloves I recommend ditching them and chalking up for this station, my gloves were soaked through by the time I got to the Farmer’s Carry and they were a hindrance.
I also made sure I had enough stomach-friendly quick carbs. I ate a hot cross bun and 2 dates about an hour before my race and 30 minutes before I had a USN Vooma bar with caffeine. I also stashed a Vooma bar in my shorts pockets as well as enough Energade Sports Jellies to last 2 hours (roughly 4 jellies every 20 minutes). This plus the electrolytes, Red Bull, and water at the hydration stations in the Rox Zone were more than enough to get me through the race.
Register for your next HYROX race in South Africa:
HYROX South Africa has confirmed more races in South Africa in 2025 and it’s looking like this year we will definitely see an announcement for a second HYROX Cape Town race, other cities that have been floating around the online rumor mill are races in Pretoria and Durban but nothing has been officially confirmed by HYROX South Africa yet.
For updates and confirmations on upcoming HYROX races in South Africa be sure to follow HYROX South Africa on Instagram at Hyrox_SA.
