Balancing careers, family and health is a challenge. For a growing number of people with already packed lives, Hyrox has become an unlikely answer.
The fitness race, which has been exploding across Asia and driving tourism, attracts people across professions. Whether they’re lawyers, doctors or entrepreneurs, their verdicts are similar: in a life of constant hustle, Hyrox represents the best of both worlds, combining cardio and weightlifting in a way that fits even the most high-intensity schedules. And, they say, it helps regulate them.
We spoke to four racers about how Hyrox balances their lives.
“Working in intensive care reminds me what a gift it is to be able to move,” says Ryan Cheung, a 31-year-old doctor and musician born and raised in Hong Kong. “And that’s what I channel in my training.”
Hyrox didn’t find the doctor at his best – quite the opposite, in fact. Three years ago, Cheung was burning out. Months of working in emergency and anaesthesia had taken a toll on his mental health, his personal life and his self-esteem. “Everyone around me was kind of progressing, but I felt very stuck and away from the daylight, both metaphorically and in reality,” he says.
That’s when he reconnected with running, something he’d left behind in high school. Weight training was already part of his routine, so Hyrox entered the picture naturally. “It really does represent the best of both worlds,” he says. “You get to develop yourself holistically.”
Holistically and efficiently. Between the heavy demands of intensive care, the night shifts, a personal life and a music career, the hybrid training has become a means of self-care for the now-Hyrox ambassador.
“Every day, when I choose to train, I am blocking time I won’t give up for anything else, because I’ve decided that this time is valuable to me,” he says. “I’m using it as a daily reminder that I am capable of doing difficult things. That I am resilient. That I am strong. And that I can push through.”
For Cheung, Hyrox is obviously not just any race. “It’s given me an avenue to be the best version of myself,” he says. “Whatever adversity I face in life, I know I can deal with it.”
“You know how it goes in corporate central,” says Gordon Chan, 52. The overnights. The three days without going home to close an important case. The day trips – Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan – one after another.
“I thought I could do it all, until I had a medical scare in my forties,” he adds. “That’s when training and Hyrox arrived in my life.”
Hyrox’s average participant is in their early 30s, but the 52-year-old has found in the hybrid training what he calls the perfect balance: both cardio and weightlifting exercises that he can practise anywhere, with anyone.
Because he’s been focusing on creating a sustainable long-term routine, Hyrox training became his favourite. The event wakes up his competitive side, too. It has age groups up to 89 with their own rankings, but everyone still races side by side. For Chan, that means being in the 50s category while running next to someone in their 20s.
“At the end of the day, I’m doing it to keep up with my kids. I don’t want to be the father who only drives them to sports class,” he says. “I want to exercise with them too. Next time I compete in Hyrox, it’ll hopefully be next to them.”
Balancing work, love and training is never easy. When you’re an athlete or an entrepreneur – let alone both – your life tends to revolve around your own schedule. But some couples still find a way to meet in the middle.
Queenie Azabeth, 25, and Nick Brown, 33, Singaporean and Hong Kong coaches respectively, built their lives around that middle ground. Together, they founded the hybrid lifestyle space Hasa House in Shanghai.
“Training and competing together has honestly become our quality time,” says Azabeth. “Since we work together and live very busy lives, training gives us a space to disconnect from work and reconnect with each other.”
That spirit led them to start competing in Hyrox together in 2024. The benefits have extended beyond physical fitness. “We discovered we communicate really well under pressure,” Brown says. More generally, Hyrox is a competition that teaches you how to work as a team.
“Having shared goals has been really healthy for both our relationship and our business,” Azabeth adds. “It’s something we’re both passionate about, and it keeps us accountable and aligned.”
Today, as their business expands, they try to maintain this routine. Azabeth, who isn’t training for Hyrox right now, still finds value in hybrid training. “I never want to neglect areas like strength, cardio, mobility, agility and endurance,” she says. As Brown highlights, it’s about training smarter and together to continue to feel good, stay focused, manage stress and show up as the best version of their self every day.
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