The global fitness race is blowing up on social media—and Black women are showing up in a big way. After running my first HYROX in Washington, D.C., I finally get the hype.
By Kimberly Wilson
Essence
https://www.essence.com/
If your timeline looks anything like mine, you have been seeing Black women post HYROX finish line photos for months now and quietly wondering what all of the hype is about.
I was right there with you not too long ago, and then I went and signed up myself. And I can proudly say, this past weekend, I crossed my first HYROX finish line at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in D.C. and I am still on a high from it.
Here is what makes this moment so personal to me: three years ago I could not run for two consecutive minutes. I have been on a weight loss journey, and the idea of a fitness race was not even in my vocabulary back then. Signing up for HYROX was me betting on myself in a way I never would have before, and three months of training later, I showed up and got it done.
Those three months were not always pretty either. There were days I did not want to show up to train, and I showed up anyway, because I knew consistency was the only way through. That is the part nobody really talks about when they post their finish line photos, but I think it is the most important part. I could not always see the progress happening, but I kept trusting that the work would speak for itself eventually. On race day, it did.
Walking into the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and seeing so many Black women there was something I was not prepared for, and I mean that in the best way. They were competing, cheering from the sidelines, motivating complete strangers mid-run, and honestly just radiating the kind of energy that makes you want to go harder. There were moments during my race where I looked to my left and saw a Black woman pushing through something difficult right next to me, and I thought, if she is doing it, I am doing it (and trying to go just as hard). Black women have always made each other better and HYROX was no different.
Now let me actually explain what HYROX is for anyone who is genuinely unfamiliar, because the concept is simple even if the race itself is humbling. It is a global fitness competition where you alternate between running one kilometer and completing a workout station, eight times through. The stations are the ski erg, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jumps, rowing, farmers carry, sandbag lunges, and wall balls. You can compete individually, or with a partner in the doubles category where you split the stations between you. I did doubles with my best friend, and we crossed that finish line together, and I genuinely would not have wanted it any other way.
What makes HYROX different from other fitness races is that there are no qualifications to enter and you are really only competing against yourself. You are not trying to beat the person next to you. You are trying to beat your own previous time, which means it meets you exactly where you are, whether you are a seasoned athlete or someone who, like me, spent years convinced that running was simply not for her.
If you are thinking about signing up, here are a few things I wish someone had told me before I started training. And that first thing? The sled push. Please make sure that you practice this specifically at some point because it will humble you fast if you go in cold (for me, I practiced in a gym that had an easier carpet to push it on, so on race day, it seemed much heavier).
Second, this is a runner’s sport! It is important to build your running base early because eight kilometers accumulates across the course and you want your legs to still work when you get to the later stations. You also need to pace yourself those first couple of runs because you don’t want to gas yourself too early in the race.
Third, do not skip practicing transitions between running and going straight into a station, because that adjustment is harder than it sounds. And finally, find your person to do this with because everything about this experience is better when you have someone to share it with.
Now, about the tickets. Getting into a HYROX race is genuinely a bit like the Hunger Games. Tickets drop fast, sell out faster, and if you are not paying attention you will miss your window entirely. But at a little over $200, it is absolutely worth the effort of snagging one when the drop happens. Set your alerts, have your payment information ready, and be prepared to move quickly.
If you are ready to find your race, Houston is March 26-29, Miami is April 3-5, and New York has dates running from May 28 through June 3. New York actually had to add June 1 and June 3 because the original dates sold out almost immediately, and if that does not light a fire under you I am not sure what will. Tickets are a little over $200 and they go fast, so if you see a date near you open up, do not sit on it. Everything you need is at hyrox.com.
Three years ago I could not run for two minutes, and this weekend I crossed a HYROX finish line. If that is not proof that you are more capable than you think, I don’t know what is.
