Danel Louw is a South African HYROX Elite 15 athlete whose running background has helped her break an hour in Women’s Pro and compete against the best in the sport. But her route into HYROX began with an ambition she felt she had left unfinished.
A former national school-level 800m champion, Danel had stepped away from competitive running before finding a new opportunity to pursue life as an athlete.
On the Rox Lyfe podcast, she joined me to discuss that second chance, the changes she has made to her training, and how she is tackling the station she still considers her weakest: burpee broad jumps…
From Track Running to HYROX
Running has been part of Danel’s life since childhood. Her father sprinted and hurdled at school, while an aunt and uncle regularly competed in the Comrades Marathon. Joining them for runs on family holidays helped develop her own enjoyment of the sport.
She competed over 400m and 800m through school and university, recording an 800m best of 2:11. Cross-country and longer road races also became part of her sporting life.
Eventually, though, progress stalled. She describes training hard without seeing her times improve, while demanding university studies added to the fatigue. She stepped away and spent some time attending CrossFit classes for enjoyment.
The desire to compete returned. Danel resumed track training with a new coach in Stellenbosch, and it was during that period that she discovered HYROX.
The Elite 15 and a sub-60-minute race were ambitions from the start. HYROX offered another opportunity to pursue something she had wanted for years.
“I feel like I gave up on my dream once and I never want to do it again.”
Becoming More Than a Strong Runner
Danel’s running gave her an advantage in her early races, but the workout stations exposed where she needed to improve.
She recalls being able to outrun competitors without being particularly competitive on the stations. Her first Pro race took around 67 minutes, and the overall effort felt harder than she had expected.
Since then, developing her strength has helped her become a more balanced HYROX athlete. She also believes it has benefited her running. When she first started HYROX training, she ran less but felt that stronger muscles helped her run better.
Why She Changed Her Running Intervals
Despite her background, Danel still sees running as an opportunity to close the gap to the women ahead of her.
The distinction is between being able to run quickly for a short period and sustaining a demanding pace for longer. She feels comfortable working hard for around three minutes, but extending that effort towards six minutes is more challenging.
That has influenced her choice of intervals…
Earlier sessions often included repetitions over 200m, 400m or 600m. More recently, she has included efforts lasting six to eight minutes, returning to a style of training she had previously found difficult but useful.
Recovery varies with the session. Sometimes she takes around a minute of standing rest; other workouts include a short jog between efforts.
For more on balancing running, strength and station practice, see our HYROX training plan fundamentals.
Working on Her Toughest Station
When I mentioned Danel’s three-minute burpee broad jump split in Mumbai, she sounded surprised. She still regarded burpees as her worst station.
The improvement had followed a lot of attention in training.
“I really have burpees for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
Alongside practising the movement, Danel has been working on upper-body strength and her core. These are areas she feels need developing to help her move through the station more effectively.
She does not describe a single technique change that suddenly solved the problem. Her approach has involved repeated practice and work on the physical qualities she believes are holding her back.
Interestingly, a better race split had not immediately changed how she felt about the station. She still saw plenty of room to improve.
If burpees are also a difficult part of your race, our HYROX burpee broad jumps guide covers technique, pacing and training considerations.
Hard Training Does Not Mean Every Day
Asked what might surprise someone watching her train for a week, Danel pointed to the balance of intensity.
“I have hard days and I also have easy days.”
She thinks people can assume elite athletes train extremely hard every day. Her own week includes sessions with different demands.
That balance also sits alongside work. At the time of our conversation, Danel was combining her athletic ambitions with online programming and part-time work supporting children’s movement development.
She would like to become a full-time athlete, but her training currently fits around those commitments.
To check out the full interview, watch below or listen on the Rox Lyfe podcast.
