HYROX WINS, STRUGGLES, AND LESSONS LEARNED

Published: 28/11/2025 | Written by: Kate Hutchinson

Kate Hutchinson is a full-time secondary English teacher, a Sports Direct ambassador, and a dedicated HYROX athlete. Sport has always been part of her story – even if the way she trains has shifted over the years. Because of that, she knows exactly what it feels like to ride the highs, push through the lows, and juggle real life with a serious training schedule. Long story short – it isn’t easy. But, it’s worth it! Here are her camp notes.

My HYROX journey started in January 2024 with a mixed doubles race with my husband. At the time, I was still hanging onto the idea that I was a triathlete just taking a little break. But HYROX has a way of pulling you in fast, and it didn’t take long before I was hooked. Since then, I’ve raced more and more, first in mixed doubles, then pro doubles with a close friend, and I’ve even ventured into pro solo twice.

This year brought some success that I honestly hadn’t expected or even aimed for. My partner and I qualified for the World Championships in Chicago in the pro doubles category, and we ended up finishing in the top fifteen in the world. That result qualified us for the first Elite 15 Major of the 2025/26 season in Hamburg. We went into the race ranked twelfth and came out sixth, which we were absolutely buzzing about, especially given the calibre of athletes competing that day. To top it off, we were only thirty seconds off third place, which would have qualified us for the World Championships in Stockholm. That result gave us a huge sense of belief that we really can belong at that level. Now we’re motivated to keep chasing qualification for the remaining majors and, ideally, the Elite 15 World Championships. To stay in contention, though, we have to keep our ranking in the top fifteen, which means we need to be on our A-game every time we race. It’s exciting but also a huge amount of pressure.

WHAT’S GOING WELL

After Chicago, I sat down and really reflected on what was working and what needed improving. I realised that, on the stations, the gap between me and the very best in the world was actually quite small. The biggest opportunity for improvement was my running.

With that in mind, I used summer, the HYROX off-season, as a real chance to work on it. I built my weekly mileage gradually, going from around 30k to about 60k, and I started following a set weekly structure of two easy runs, one long run, one tempo, and one track session. Keeping the focus narrow and clear meant I didn’t end up feeling overwhelmed or over-trained.

I also entered a few road races, including 5k, 10k, and a half marathon, to use as baselines and see if the work was paying off. The short answer: it was. I PB’d in every distance, which was a massive confidence boost. On top of that, I made consistency my main priority. I set myself the same weekly structure over and over again so it became predictable. Sessions became habits rather than decisions. That consistency over summer meant that now, even with dark evenings, long school days and general life chaos, I can still manage 60k a week without feeling like it’s breaking me.

Recently, I decided to take on a running coach. The main reasons were to make my training a bit more specific and to take away the mental load of planning my own sessions while working full-time. It’s honestly been one of the best things I’ve done. It’s nice to have someone else in my corner, cheering me on and taking away that constant decision-making that can get exhausting.

WHAT’S BEEN TOUGH

Balancing training with full-time work and dark mornings and evenings is, hands down, the hardest part. We don’t exactly get the best deal in the UK when it comes to daylight hours. No matter how motivated I feel, dragging myself out the door for a freezing 6am run or a 7pm gym session in the dark takes every ounce of willpower I have.

Fuelling properly during the working day is another challenge. Being on my feet all day teaching makes me constantly hungry, and let’s be honest, KitKat Chunkies and buttered toast at breaktime aren’t the best pre-track session fuel. Trying to smash 400m reps with a stomach full of toast has ended exactly as you’d imagine, and I’ll spare you the details.

I also sometimes struggle with feeling as confident about my HYROX-specific strength work as I do about my running. I’m not a coach or a PT, so I have to trust my experience and instincts when programming my own sessions. I’ve learned a lot through years in the gym, listening to podcasts, reading, and training with others in the HYROX community, but I still have that perfectionist streak that makes me question if what I’m doing is the best thing for performance.

When life gets busier, the first thing to slip is the prehab and activation work. I do try to make time for physio exercises at least once a week, but I know I should do more.

And then there’s my tendency to over-race. I love saying yes to competitions, and the buzz, the adrenaline, the travel, the endorphins, that’s what it’s all about for me. But it does take its toll. Racing abroad, getting home at midnight and then teaching at 8am the next morning doesn’t exactly scream recovery strategy.

The positive side is that I’ve become very in tune with my body. As soon as I sense I’m starting to feel run down, I don’t panic, but I do act quickly. I try to spot the signs early, eat more fruit and veg, get extra sleep, or switch a hard session for something lighter. It’s not about dropping everything, just listening and responding.

HOW TO CHECK YOUR OWN PROGRESS

I think it’s really important to check in with yourself regularly, not just when things start to go wrong. Ask yourself a few honest questions.

Can you actually manage the training load you’ve set yourself each week, or do you find you crash after a couple of weeks and start dropping sessions? If so, you might simply be doing too much. It’s so easy to get overexcited and give yourself the training plan of a full-time athlete, but it’s far better to build gradually and stay consistent than to burn out and feel like you’ve failed.

How are your energy levels and mood? If you’re tired, irritable, or constantly sore, that’s usually a sign you need a rest or a lighter day. I try to take one rest or mobility-focused day a week whenever my body asks for it.

And finally, are you ignoring your weaknesses? It’s tempting to just power through and chase volume, but small niggles become big problems if you don’t deal with them. Make space for the boring stuff like activations, prehab, and rehab because it saves you a lot of frustration later.

LESSONS LEARNED

What’s worked for me is focusing on where I can make the biggest gains, which for me was running, and showing up consistently rather than smashing myself every day. I’ve learned that little things add up. Consistency, recovery, and eating enough all make a massive difference. And on that note, carbs are definitely your friend.

What hasn’t worked is comparing myself to other people, trying to train like a full-time athlete when I’ve got a full-time teaching career, or under-fuelling. Those things only lead to fatigue and frustration.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Reflection isn’t about tearing yourself down. It’s about acknowledging how far you’ve come and figuring out how to keep improving. HYROX has taught me that progress doesn’t just happen on race day. It’s built in the small, consistent moments, the early runs, the dark gym sessions, and the times you show up even when you don’t want to. That’s where the real wins happen.