Why Hyrox is a sensation among UU students and employees

The Jaarbeurs convention centre, in Utrecht, will host one of the largest Hyrox events in the world this week, on November 28-30. The event was so coveted that getting a ticket was a struggle. Not all Hyrox enthusiasts from Utrecht University were able to get one, according to athletes working out at Kratistos, Olympos' fitness location at Utrecht Science Park.

DUB was there on Friday evening and witnessed people training intensely in the sports hall. Led by trainer Meza Kabanyane, students and staff from the university and the University of Applied Sciences (HU) are working hard to train for the Hyrox race, both physically and mentally. “When you participate in a Hyrox race, you must run a total of 8 kilometres. It's an endurance exercise. Between the running sessions, you must push and pull a heavy sledge, so it is also important to train your strength. You must keep moving, even though your body is aching. That's mentally tough too.”

How it works
Kabanyane has been teaching Hyrox for four years and practising the sport for even longer. He has participated in several competitions as part of a team of four, as a duo, and solo. 

Those who compete solo must complete all sixteen components on their own, while those who choose to do it as a team can divide the strength components between teammates. Everyone has to run, though. According to Kabanyane, that is not the only advantage of competing as a team: in addition to sharing the strength exercises with others, team members can also motivate each other to keep going.

Kabanyane will participate in the Hyrox race at Jaarbeurs alongside his best friend. “He lives in Germany, I live here. We train separately, but we keep each other informed.”

Meza Kabanyane. Photo: Matthijs Meulblok

Burpee
Elizabete, a third-year Economics & Business Economics student at Utrecht University, couldn't get a ticket. “There were over 13,000 people in the queue.” She trains in Kabanyane's class and has been doing Hyrox for three years, after switching from athletics, where she specialised in the 400-metre hurdles. “The combination of strength, cardio and running appeals to me.”

A few years ago, when the hype hadn't yet reached its peak, she volunteered as a referee at a Hyrox event, which earned her a free ticket to a subsequent competition of her choice. She has competed twice and is disappointed that she can't participate now that a big Hyrox event is taking place in Utrecht.

Monja Marzouk, training manager at the Institute for Movement Studies at the Utrecht University of Applied Sciences (HU), also follows Kabanyane's class. He started doing Hyrox at Olympos two years ago. “Meza used to teach Cross Challenge, but that was discontinued for a while. I really wanted to keep training with him. Besides, running offers a nice combination of strength and fitness, which I find very interesting.”

Marzouk never thought she would do Hyrox. “When I hear about the exercises, I often think: ‘Those aren't my favourites’. But getting to train them allows you to improve, which then makes the exercises become more fun."

Her favourite exercise is the burpee broad jump, an exercise where people have to jump up after lying down. “I found it a very difficult exercise at first, but I'm getting better and better at it. The push-up and the jump are challenging.”

Monja Marzouk. Photo: Matthijs Meulblok

Racing with your father
Raf, a Psychology student at Utrecht University, trains in De Meern. He plans to participate in the Hyrox race at Jaarbeurs as a duo with his father. 

“Both my parents have participated before. My mother did it with a friend, and my father did it on his own,” he recollects. His father thought it would be fun to do it with his son, too. “I thought: 'Why not?' I was ready for a sporting challenge anyway.”

Raf has been training for the big day for three months. He has been going to the gym, on and off, since he was 16. “I didn't really take running seriously. I only started doing that in the last few months. I have been enjoying it, to my surprise.”

He started the 75 Hard Challenge in September to get in shape and improve his discipline. "It's a 75-day challenge with a few simple rules: exercise every day, eat healthily, sleep well, read some pages of a book every day, and not drink alcohol. I think that's the ideal preparation for a Hyrox.”

Raf dreads the burpees the most. “They're just tough. Going from low to high. At some point, it makes you feel a bit light-headed. But, luckily, I'm doing it with my father, so we can take turns when it gets too hard.”

Ticket wanted
Marloes Strijk, Department Manager of the secretariats at the University Corporate Offices, is still looking for a ticket for the Women's Double. “It would have been my first Hyrox if I had been able to get tickets.”

Strijk recently participated in the Gym Race, an event similar to Hyrox. "There are a few differences, though. At Hyrox, you run 5 to 8 kilometres, interspersed with strength exercises, whereas at the Gym Race, running distances are shorter but you have more exercises in between.”

Strijk started training with a personal trainer after the pandemic, which fuelled her ambitions to keep going. She now runs twice a week and goes to the gym three times a week. “I find the combination of running and strength quite challenging. At the gym, you don't usually have competitions or clear goals. Events like Hyrox or Gym Race give you something to work towards.” The atmosphere at the competitions is particularly motivating to her. “You do it with other people, which makes it fun.”