So, why do you like Hyrox again?

My deepest, heartfelt condolences. Your blissful, la-la-la existence has likely been thrown into the blender by the tornado-level spam of Hyrox content flooding your algo in the past few weeks. In the off-chance that you trained your feed to block any and all triggering gym-bro language, let me catch you up; I promise to be gentle. Imagine if a marathon and a CrossFit gym create a protein-hungry love child. A smug know-it-all obsessed with productivity who thinks they are undeniably better than everyone else. Case in point: any athletes reading this are probably grinding their teeth to powder, resisting the urge to bark Hyrox is nothing like CrossFit (derogatory for the latter). 

I’m sorry, I guess???

The real reason why it feels like Hyrox is competing with TSITP for prime Instagram real estate is because the event just landed in Mumbai for its second edition on September 7. And 3,500 athletes from all over the country arrived with creatine running through their veins, ready to run eight kilometres alternating with eight soul-crushing workout stations. It makes sense that Yoska, the digital platform for endurance fitness, has brought the race to India. After all, its CEO Deepak Raj has completed the circuit five times himself and ticked the box on Ironman—think even Hyrox on steroids—a whopping 27 times.

Imagine doing lunges for 100m, except this time you have a 20kg bag of sand on your back—not metaphorical at all. Oh, there’s also a station where you push 150kg on a sled and then pull 100kg back over 50m. In the grand finale, you have to do squats while throwing a squishy 6kg ball up 15m a whole 100 times as your lats and glutes wince in pain. Forgot to mention, the best part is that it’s all being timed: the faster, the smoother, the better. 

Wait, I lied. The real best part is that athletes are being vetted and sussed out by hundreds of eager spectators. Such is the fame of the race that you have to buy a ticket just to watch a stadium full of Gladiator-like (gender-neutral, mind you) athletes grunt and scream while their abs glisten from the sticky sweat. What was that famous saying? One person’s torture is another’s treasure.

Launched in Germany in 2017, the competitive, hedonistic race bobbed around different countries before making its India debut in May this year. And in just under four months, it has found a battalion full of fangirls. So, The Nod caught up with some of the athletes at the finish line to discover the stations that broke them, the food they can’t wait to devour, the music that kept them going, and the people who will disown them if they ever hear the phrase ‘zone training’ again.

Ishaan Trehan, 27, agency founder, Bengaluru

Pre-race fuel from last night: I had butter naan and paneer butter masala, but I made the mistake of eating an early dinner. By 12 am I was hungry again and had to eat a salad, so probably plan better.

The station that broke your soul and the one that made you feel invincible: The station that broke my soul, my heart, my back, and my arms was the sled push. And I’ve always hated the farmer’s carry, but at the event I was suddenly running with 50 kilos in my hands, which was…great and shocking.

Junk food you can’t wait to devour: Tubs of gulab jamun and tiramisu. Basically, all the dessert I had to stay away from so far.

That one person almost as relieved as you, now that Hyrox is over: My girlfriend. She can’t wait for me to stop yapping about zone training and heart rates. But little does she know that I have a half-marathon in two weeks, so it never really stops.

Rajnandini Menaria, 22, mixed martial arts fighter, Udaipur

Pre-race fuel from last night: Lol, we carb-loaded the shit out of last night; there was pizza, ice cream, biryani, enchiladas...you name it.

Most played song while training: ‘Victory Lap’ by Fred Again—truly a masterpiece.

The station that broke your soul and the one that made you feel invincible: My knees and glutes were screaming for help during the sandbag lunges, but the wall balls were a breeze.

Pre-race pep talk with your partner: We screamed a bunch of gibberish to hype each other up and talked about the mountain of food we’ll devour shortly after.

The pop culture duo that you and your doubles partner embody: Low-key I think we would be SpongeBob and Patrick, soulmates in the best kind of way.

Gaurav Kale, 34, Mumbai

The station that broke your soul and the one that made you feel invincible: The whole race was quite challenging; it was beyond my comprehension that I survived it. The lunges were the hardest for me and I faced a penalty too. Farmer’s carry was probably the easiest.

Pre-race fuel last night: We had a Maharashtrian festival, so I ate heaps of rice and a plate full of modak. I have to say, it wasn’t the best idea.

Junk food you can’t wait to devour: My wife and I are going to have fish and then Chinese food. I can’t wait to have tiger prawns.

Karthik, 32, stock trading analyst, Bengaluru

Pre-race fuel from last night: Mumbaicha vada pav with extra pav (carb loading, am I right?).

Most played song while training: Endless Hans Zimmer and more recently the F1: The Movie theme; you need your music to be calm when your workouts are crazy.

The station that broke your soul and the one that made you feel invincible: There is only one answer to both these questions and that is burpee broad jumps; don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Junk food you can’t wait to devour: Pepperoni pizza and OG fudge from Corner House in Bengaluru.

That one person almost as relieved as you, now that Hyrox is over: My wife, because we can return to having normal conversations that do not involve running cadence, heart rate zones and macro breakdowns!

Kanika, 40, yoga instructor, Mumbai

Pre-race fuel from last night: I ate a lot of rice the night before, and toast with jam, peanut butter and banana a couple of hours before the race.

The station that broke your soul and the one that made you feel invincible: The sled pull and push definitely killed me on the day. Thankfully, my mixed-doubles partner was there to take that load off. Lunges and burpees were surprisingly good.

That one person almost as relieved as you, now that Hyrox is over: Oh, it has to be my daughter. She thought I was obsessed with the race. She always caught me watching Hyrox Reels.

The pop culture that you and your doubles partner embody: I have no idea who we are, but I would like us to be Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars.

Jay Mehta, 29, architect, Mumbai

Pre-race fuel from last night: A lot of pasta and a lot of cheese. For a race like this, carb-loading is important; just electrolytes don’t cut it.

The station that broke your soul and the one that made you feel invincible: The sled push was really tough. It felt like something was wrong with the surface. And burpees were probably my best station.

That one person almost as relieved as you, now that Hyrox is over: My wife is super excited. Every time an event like this comes up, you have to wake up early, sleep early, and eat right, so she’s glad it’s finally over.

Back to the gym tomorrow or never returning: I’m taking a break. I’m going to Singapore for a week to just relax.

Sushma, interior designer, Bengaluru

Most played song while training: For a pre-race pump and to beat the rainy vibe, I made a playlist called ‘Thrash with a lot of Techno’.

That one person almost as relieved as you, now that Hyrox is over: My sister and I live together, so she is probably going to be relieved that I won’t be washing heaps of gym clothes every other day.

Junk food you can’t wait to devour: I actually didn’t go on a no-junk-food Hyrox sprint. I still used to have my favourite desserts at least once a week, much to the displeasure of my coach.

Back to the gym tomorrow or never returning: I will probably do an easy 5k and stretches tomorrow. I’ve enjoyed training for this race; it’s made me focus more on myself and develop healthier habits. I’m waiting for the next Hyrox in Bengaluru. I want to get faster and stronger for it.

Neil Punatar, 25, Mumbai

The station that broke your soul and the one that made you feel invincible: The wall balls are always the hardest, and the lunges are usually tough, but today they went pretty easy.

That one person almost as relieved as you, now that Hyrox is over: My mom. I’ve been talking about this non-stop since February, so she can’t wait for me to stop mentioning Hyrox.

Junk food you can’t wait to devour: Now that the race is done, I can’t wait to eat Punjabi food. So, naan, sabji and dal.

Back to the gym tomorrow or never returning? I’ll take a break for a week or two. I need that time off. And then I’ll get back in again.

Kavisha Parekh, doctor, Surat

Pre-race fuel from last night: A whole plate of sushi. I would highly recommend!

Most played song while training: I usually don’t listen to music. The sound of my feet hitting the ground is all I need.

Returning to the gym tomorrow or never going back: Oh, definitely heading back. I have two half-marathons lined up and need to improve my running.

Aarchi Mehta, 21, Surat

Pre-race fuel from last night: I ate a ton of pasta and protein bars. They were great energy boosts.

Most played song while training: The Chhaava soundtrack on repeat constantly.

Scream through the race or quiet and focused with eyes on the prize: Quiet for the most part. People around us were very motivating, but the moment I touched the finish line I started crying.

The station that broke your soul and the one that made you feel invincible: Lunges really broke me—it was hard. And wall balls were relatively easy.

Malavika Bedi, 37, CrossFit coach, Bengaluru

Most played song while training: ‘Shake it to the Max’ by MOLIY

Scream through the race or quiet and focused with eyes on the prize: I am not a screamer but a dancer. I showed some moves at the rowing station while my partner was rowing. It was also great to see so many people in matching outfits.

Pre-race pep talk with your partner: Just focus on us and no one else in our wave, stick to our plan, and have presence of mind in case we need to change the strategy midway.

The pop culture duo that you and your doubles partner embody: Elsa and Anna, because we are strong, kind, and brave.

Ryan Alvarez, 44, Goa

Pre-race fuel from last night: A lot of carbs, so sandwiches.

The daily activity that feels like child’s play after Hyrox: Running—I’m from a run club. But after Hyrox that feels a lot easier.

Junk food you can’t wait to devour: Ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream.

Back to the gym tomorrow or never returning: There’s no break. I want to do all the events that come to India, so I’m going to start training for the next.