Hyrox?!

My Instagram feed has changed a lot over the last few months.

It’s gone from Afrobeat, hip-hop dancers, and motivational female speakers to shiny, impossibly fit women and men offering tips on how to run faster, train better, and dominate Hyrox.

There are jokes too: check in on your friends… they might be pushing heavy objects around convention centers in random cities for no reason at all.

And then — somehow — I said yes.

I’ve joined a Hyrox relay team here in Bangkok. Our race is on March 21st, 2026. I feel encouraged that they asked me to be part of it. I also feel slightly out of my mind for agreeing.

Right now, I’m not fit. I’m inconsistent. I’m heavier than I want to be. I wasn’t always like this — but that doesn’t really matter. This is the body I’ve got for the race. And some days, my mind is already trying to negotiate an exit strategy.

I’m terrified of the commitment. Half of me wants to find a replacement participant. The other half is showing up anyway.

I’ve only just started running again after an injury to my right tensor two months ago. That was from forcing too hard. Now, I’m back at the gym, working with kettlebells and basic strength exercises. Last week I managed three short runs and three short gym sessions. That may not sound like much, but it felt like a solid return.

Yesterday, I ran a full 5km for the first time in two months. I’m proud of that.

My running life has been a long arc:

2km at age ten and up.

3.5km in my early teens.

10km in my twenties.

7.5km in my thirties.

And now — just finding my way back to 5km in my mid-40s.

These days, even this short run only happens with mobility work beforehand and long stretches after. Otherwise, there’s pain. Or injury. Or both.

Our Hyrox relay team comprises four women. Each of us runs two 1km legs and completes one station. My stations are a 50m sled pull of 78kg and 100m lunges with a 10kg sandbag.

Typing it out like this, it sounds reasonable.

Then I look at the other competitors…

For now, I’m rebuilding my running and training strength separately. I haven’t yet had the courage to combine them into full Hyrox-style sessions. That will come next month.

Through this all, I’m staying close to my roots: yoga asana once or twice a week — it’s the medicine I need to balance my Achilles, my hips, and my nervous system.

I have no idea how this will all go.

But I’m trying my best to show up.

Over the next two months, I’m hoping for consistency over perfection, fitness over bursts of speed, and trust over fear.

Wish me luck.