My First HYROX: Everything I Got Wrong (And The One Thing I Got Right)

My first solo HYROX. On my own, in my forties, with no coach and no plan - just two years of running and a lot of confidence I hadn't earned. I finished in 1:33:50. 1489th out of a very big number of people who were all faster than me, and I have never been happier to come 1489th at anything. This is the whole thing, station by station, with the official splits on screen. Where I got it wrong - going out at 5:09 for the first kilometre when I don't run at that pace, standing up to pull the sled like I was closing a curtain, not knowing the RoxZone existed. And the one thing I actually got right. If you're doing your first one, stick around. I'll have already done it badly and I can tell you exactly how it goes wrong. CHAPTERS 00:00 Opening 00:17 Still can't believe it 00:35 Before HYROX I was just a runner 01:04 Who I am 01:21 Race day, and forty wasted minutes 02:11 The start tunnel — mistake number one 03:00 Station 1 · Ski-Erg — where I realised 03:32 Runs 1–7 — the one thing I got right 04:29 Station 2 · Sled Push — the one I was scared of 05:35 Station 3 · Sled Pull — where it went wrong 06:32 Station 4 · Burpee Broad Jumps — the worst of it 07:28 Station 5 · Rowing — my kind of station 07:52 Station 6 · Farmers Carry — the best two minutes 08:24 Station 7 · Sandbag Lunges — legs on fire 08:54 Station 8 · Wall Balls — a hundred of them 09:59 The finish (1hr 33min) 10:41 The next one THE NUMBERS (official results export, HYROX London, 4 May 2025) Finish 1:33:50 · 1489th overall · 226th in the 40–44 age group Ski-Erg, 1000m — 4:58 Sled Push, 50m at 152kg — 3:30 Sled Pull, 50m — 6:25 Burpee Broad Jumps, 80m — 5:58 Rowing, 1000m — 4:55 Farmers Carry, 200m — 2:18 Sandbag Lunges, 100m — 5:16 Wall Balls, 100 reps — 6:57 Running 45:35 · Stations 40:17 · RoxZone 7:58 (8.5% of the race) Runs 1 to 7 — 32 seconds between my fastest lap and my slowest. Next one's booked. Doubles this time. That video's coming. Tell me in the comments which race is your first one, and what's scaring you the most. @therealsunnyside on Instagram #hyrox #hyroxlondon #firsthyrox #hyroxuk #hyroxtraining #hybridathlete #everydayathlete #hyroxbeginner #runningmotivation #ukrunning