Greyson Kilgore: Chasing the HYROX Elite 15 While Raising Three Kids

Greyson Kilgore is an American HYROX athlete and coach whose training includes long mountain bike climbs, controlled station work and sessions fitted around school pickups. After finishing fourth at the 2026 Americas Regional Championships, he is pursuing more opportunities to race against the sport’s best.

On the Rox Lyfe podcast, we discussed how he is building towards that goal while raising three children with his wife, Katie. His approach offers some useful lessons about choosing training priorities, preparing for difficult race moments and keeping ambition in perspective.

 

From decathlon to HYROX

Greyson grew up in southern Idaho with three brothers and a competitive group of children on his street. Wrestling, running, ball sports and outdoor adventures all featured, with track and field eventually becoming his focus.

At university, he competed in the decathlon. His strongest events were an unusual combination: pole vault, discus and the 1,500 metres. Spartan racing followed before he found his way into HYROX.

That background helps explain his comfort with different physical challenges. However, he is careful about assuming decathletes will automatically excel in HYROX. Many, he points out, prefer the explosive events and simply try to survive the 1,500 metres.

 

Why mountain biking features in his HYROX training

Asked what might surprise someone watching his training, Greyson’s answer was the amount of time he spends on a mountain bike.

One session involves climbing a steep grade for around an hour to an hour and a half. He feels this has been one of the most valuable additions to his training, giving him sustained cardiovascular work alongside a demanding effort through his quads and glutes.

His experience coaching outdoor athletes influences that choice. He sees connections between the muscular endurance needed for climbing and the repeated leg work required in HYROX.

There is a practical reason, too. He can ride from home. Driving somewhere to begin a workout would eat into a day already shaped by work, school pickups and feeding the children.

The lesson is to consider which training options fit your circumstances. Greyson has found something accessible that he enjoys and believes supports his racing. For the broader principles behind combining different types of conditioning, see our HYROX training plan fundamentals.

 

Two quality days, with controlled work around them

At the time of our conversation, Greyson was working towards roughly 20 hours of training per week, organised around two quality days.

One centres on a longer HYROX-focused tempo session. The other is a double threshold day, with running in one session and erg or mixed work in another. Much of the remaining week is easier aerobic training.

Station practice also appears outside those harder sessions. Greyson described using small sets of wall balls, lunges and burpees between runs, keeping the repetitions low enough to control the intensity.

For him, that might mean eight to ten burpees or 15 to 25 wall balls at a time. Those are examples from his own training, rather than a prescription for everyone.

He has also reduced his emphasis on maximum strength because he feels he already has a sufficient foundation. Someone arriving from an endurance background may need a different approach.

His priorities have changed as he has learned more about his own performance. Being stronger is only useful if it addresses what is holding him back.

 

What Greyson prioritises when training time is limited

Most listeners cannot train for 20 hours a week, so I asked what he keeps when programming for athletes with less time.

Greyson described three sessions, labelled A, B and C in order of importance:

• A: A longer, tempo-style HYROX session.
• B: An interval session with more rest and less urgency around transitions.
• C: A longer endurance session, typically 90 minutes to two hours for many of his athletes.

He then adjusts the supporting volume around those priorities. He explained that this can fit into a week of around ten to twelve hours, with rest days accommodated around the athlete’s availability.

That distinction matters. These are the sessions he prioritises within an individual programme, rather than a universal three-day plan.

For your own training, the useful question is whether you know which sessions matter most. When life interrupts the week, having clear priorities can help you make a deliberate adjustment.

 

Let the warm-up inform the decision

One of Greyson’s most relatable examples involved a disrupted night after his youngest child asked him to come and lie beside her.

He woke feeling tired and unsure about the planned session. Rather than making the decision immediately, he ate breakfast, started warming up and assessed how he was moving and feeling.

“The warm up really should be a check system for people.”

On that occasion, he felt good once moving and completed the workout successfully. His point was about gathering information before deciding. He also recognised the risk of committing to a workout regardless of how he felt.

 

Preparing for the moment you want the race to end

Greyson’s race preparation includes conversations with his dad, who coached him in several sports growing up and now helps with psychology and strategy.

During his Salt Lake City win, Greyson caught himself wishing the race would simply be over, despite believing he was in a position to win. Recognising that thought gave him a chance to respond and refocus.

Two cues he uses are “I have more” and “smile with your eyes”. They give him something familiar to return to when the effort becomes difficult.

He wants to earn places in Elite 15 singles races and qualify for the World Championships. Yet his enjoyment also comes from local events, conversations with first-time racers and being part of the community.

The full conversation explores that balance further, alongside his training changes, racing experiences and the unusual mountain story behind his approach to tying his shoes.

To check out the full interview, watch below or listen on the Rox Lyfe podcast.