Hyrox Vegas Recap
w/ Zach Matheny
Prepping for Hyrox Las Vegas
Entering this competition, I was 8 weeks removed from my powerlifting meet—I was a fish out of water. The last time I was really running consistently was back in my sophomore year of college soccer in 2016. Hyrox is composed of 8 events separated by 1 kilometer runs (8 events, 8K in total).
I was able to perform most of the movements here at Matheny Muscle House in preparation, but 8 weeks was a quick turnaround! Jake and I entered the Men’s Open Double Division, and his client Matt entered the Men’s Open Solo Division.
Vegas Vibes & Pre-Event Adventures
We arrived in Vegas on Thursday afternoon, and the competition was on Sunday morning. Yes, you see our problem here? We decided next time we compete it needs to be at the beginning of the trip! Although we came here to compete—it was our first time in Vegas as well—we enjoyed the Strip on Thursday night, won some money, and discovered that the Strip is pretty dead during the week.
We returned on Friday night, lost all the money we won, and decided to go dancing off the Strip. Saturday was all about recovery, and we ended the night at the Cirque Du Soleil “O” show, which was the highlight of the trip. We had probably walked a little too much, but we were excited to compete the next day.
Competition Day & Final Results
Our heat began at 10:30 AM local time, and our bodies were feeling okay for the most part! We had a strategy where Jake would push more on specific events and I would push more on others. The Hyrox Doubles rules state that each partner must complete some portion of every one of the 8 stations. For example, the first event was a 1,000m ski erg: I completed the first 300–350m, Jake completed another 300m, and I finished the final wave (order of events is listed below in the photo). Our fastest event was the sled push, and our longest event was the row. I personally felt strongest on the 40lb added Lunge event for 120m and the 104lb added Farmer’s Carry event for 200m. I almost puked on the sled pull—very tough, HA! The event ended with 100 wall balls, and I was able to complete two rounds of 30 reps to help our tandem finish. Our finish time was 1 hour and 23 minutes.
Overall, I enjoyed the event, and it’s something I could see myself prepping for again during my off-seasons from powerlifting. Every Hyrox event is the same—whereas CrossFit workouts always vary. The specificity of the event is something I enjoy, and it makes training a little easier.
