Hyrox

When I registered for the 12/7/24 Hyrox in Anaheim, I asked if they had an adaptive division.  They did not.  Nothing was said about changes that were in the works, but when I looked at the rules in the days leading up to the race, I saw that they had separate rules for athletes with disabilities.  Not just one division had been added, but six (nine if you count the subdivisions).  They are

(a) Lower Limb Impairment
(b) Upper Limb Impairment
(c) Short Stature Impairment
(d) Visual/Hearing Impairment
(e) Neurological Impairment (broken down to the following sub-divisions)
i.  Neurological Major
ii. Neurological Minor
(f) Seated Impairment (broken down to the following sub-divisions)
i.   Seated With Hip Function (SWHF)
ii.  Seated Without Hip Function (SWOHF)
iii. Seated Without Core Function (SWOC)

I assumed that I would be either neuro minor or neuro major due to Parkinsons, but I reached out to the race organizers to be sure.  It was basically left up to me to decided on minor vs major.  My gut said minor, but the definition in the rulebook suggested otherwise:

Neurological Minor Division:

This division includes athletes with neurological impairments that result in minor limitations, typically affecting a single extremity. Examples include peripheral nerve diseases or similar conditions that cause mild functional deficits. Athletes in this division may have minor impairments but retain significant mobility and strength in their limbs.

Neurological Major Division:

This division encompasses athletes with more severe neurological impairments affecting two or  more extremities. These conditions may involve paralysis, significant functional deficits, or severe motor control issues. Examples include paraplegia, hemiplegia, severe stroke, head injuries, or conditions like Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). Athletes in this division may also rely on orthoses, walkers, or trolleys to assist with walking.

The part about number of limbs affected is the part I was tripping over, since all of my limbs are affected.  However, the last bit about "retain significant mobility and strength in their limbs" won the day, and so I became the first athlete in the neuro minor division.  And the last.  [spoiler alert] Yes, I got first in my division.

With that settled, it was time to focus on the race itself.  My start time was 9:50 am, but I had arrived at 6 am to deal with registration.  I had a second breakfast with about an hour and a half to go (ham sandwich and a bottle of water), since I was about to burn a whole bunch of calories, and I would not get anything else to eat until at least noon.

I did not do much to warm up, just stretched a bit.  I took my mid-day dose of pills at about 9:49, at the last possible opportunity prior to the start.  I had intended to go slow, take it easy, and establish a baseline that I could try to beat next time.  I sometimes do go easy, but this was not one of those times.  I had a decent first run, keeping up with a faster teammate right up to the ski erg.  From that point on the separation between he and I grew, but that's ok.  It was not a competition between me and anyone else, but with myself.  

Before going any further, here are the phases of the Hyrox:

  1) 1000m run, 1000m on ski erg

  2) 1000m run, sled push

  3) 1000m run, sled pull

  4) 1000m run, burpee broad jump

  5) 1000m run, 1000m row

  6) 1000m run, farmer carry

  7) 1000m run, sandbag lunge

  8) 1000m run, wall ball (x100)

I performed well enough on the erg and the rower.  My running was ok; at times I ran fast, ran slow, or walked.  The adaptive rulebook says that a neuro minor participant will run 750m instead of 1000m (and 350m for neuro major), but that was not observed.  Lest I be accused of shorting the run, I must state that I ran the same distance as everyone else.  The sled push and sled pull were lighter, at 102kg instead of 152kg.  The sled pull was supposed to have been 75kg according to the race director, but it was 102kg.  I mentioned this to the volunteers at that workout, but they did not change anything, and I did not argue.  The erg and row were unchanged for neuro minor, and the same is true for burpee broad jump, farmer carry, sandbag lunge, and wall balls.

I was wearing my Team Fox fundraising shirt (the new and improved edition that lists my sponsors!), but it has long sleeves and was somewhat warm.  During the last lap I was feeling pretty good and did a few sprint intervals.  When a motivating Judas Priest song started playing, the shirt came off.  That thing was absolutely soaked, and I did not want to put it back on, so used it as an excuse to buy a Hyrox shirt.

The sequence of events at the finish line is supposed to include turning in timing chips, but I wasn't thinking made a wrong turn.  I missed the whole line of get your beverages, pose for a photograph, and turn in your chip ... and I ended up walking around with that thing on for at least 10 or 15 minutes.  By the time I got back to the finish line and actually finished the post-race activities, I saw a time of 1:51 at the photo spot.  They say that this is the official chip time, but my official results on the web page said I finished in 2:00.  This will not happed at the Las Vegas Hyrox.  There wil be no more confusion about my results.

My body held up reasonably well.  There is ample room for improvement, of course, in every aspect of the race.  My left heel has been hurting for three months (diagnosis - plantar fasciitis), and it hurt during the Hyrox.  The worst was during the sled push; other than that, the new Hokas that I bought for the marathon pulled me through.  That shoe is not ideal for a Hyrox, but it has fantastic cushioning, and it minimizes foot pain.  Nonetheless, by the time I had finished my race and spent a few more hours wandering around, watching and photographing my teammates, my feet were screaming.  My left hip joint was also hurting from the sandbag lunges.  My entire left leg, in fact, from heel to hip, was not feeling too good by Saturday afternoon.  By Sunday morning, after some food and sleep, it was much improved.  By Sunday night, most of the pain was gone (all but that left heel), and muscle stiffness was beginning.  On Monday I went to the noon workout class at TCTC to break up that stiffness and get back to normal.  It is Tuesday morning as I write this, and I feel good.

Next race:  February 1 in Las Vegas

Some people have asked how Hyrox compares to Spartan.  Other than the fact that both are physically challenging races that demand strength and endurance, I would say they have little in common.  Spartan is outdoors, and so the running is (mostly) on trails.  Hyrox is indoors, and the running is on smooth concrete, or whatever the floor is made of.  Spartan is an obstacle course race.  Hyrox has no obstacles, but a series of workouts.  Spartan courses start at 5k (3 to 4 miles) for the Sprint and go up to half marathon (13 or 14 miles) for the Beast, and even more for the Ultra.  Hyrox has eight runs of 1000m each, for a total of 8km or 5 miles.  Spartan races are affected by weather, and they frequently do things like inviting the local fire department to come out and spray runners with the firehose.  As far as I know, Hyrox has no plans for such things.

Hyrox says that their race is for everyone, and I would tend to agree.  You have to be able to finish, sure . . . but even if you can't finish by yourself, you can run with a partner or as part of a relay team until you are stronger.  Bottom line, I like it.