This is a guest post by Charlie Melvoin, who attended the first ever HYROX Cruise. He is the founder of swimming headset Zygo. He lives in London with his husband and two children.
I never thought I’d be the type to show off my HYROX finisher patches, but here I am, ten races later, with no more space on my backpack and three shiny new ones from their first-ever cruise – one patch for each port. However, like many aspects of the cruise, the final format differed from what they initially advertised. The original four-night itinerary was Mallorca-Marseille-Barcelona-Mallorca (Oct 21-25), but adverse weather on the Marseille route necessitated a diversion to Valencia, rendering my Marseille patch – and indeed a large portion of cruise swag – an inaccurate souvenir.
For the uninitiated, HYROX is a fitness competition that includes eight strength challenges and eight one-kilometer runs. It takes place in major cities once or twice a year, drawing thousands of people across several days. Since its inaugural race in Hamburg in 2017, HYROX has hosted more than 400 global events in a copy-and-paste format that has made it attractive to participants and investors alike. It’s a well-oiled machine.
This 2,500-person cruise, in contrast, was a novel experiment. Many HYROX fans, including me, questioned the concept, cost, and environmental impact. My decision to join was driven as much by curiosity as it was by enthusiasm for the brand. I paid for my trip and have no affiliation with the company, so this is an unbiased account from a 39-year-old hobby racer who would have asked these ten questions about the experience.
(1) Was it good value for money?
This is highly subjective, but I would say yes. For starters, the ship was nice. HYROX partnered with the German travel company TUI to take over Mein Schiff 4, a premium cruise liner with an all-inclusive package. The exact sticker price varied according to cabin type and the number of occupants, but it was in the ballpark of $2,000-$3,000 per person, which sparked outrage among many HYROX followers who already felt that the average race ticket (call it $170) was expensive. Skeptics on Instagram and Reddit saw it as a shameless money grab; cynics called it a scam and predicted hidden charges. But that wasn’t the case. I spent zero dollars on board apart from a WiFi package. I could have paid to eat at the ship’s fancier restaurants, and I could have paid for certain auxiliary activities like breadmaking (€25) and blackjack (€30), but the free food and drink were great, and the free programming was more than enough to fill my days. As it relates to price, it’s important to note that, unlike a typical HYROX race, the cruise did not sell out when tickets went on sale in early December. Far from it. They ran a 30% off promotion in April and continued discounting into September, so it’s safe to say that HYROX overestimated the demand for an untested concept at that price point.
(2) What did you do all day?
It was a fitness fanatic’s paradise of nonstop training (uniformly excellent) and talks (hit or miss) in a surreal setting. They turned the upper deck into a track overlooking the outdoor pool area, which was flanked by workout stations. At any one time, there were several class options to choose from – HYROX-related stuff, of course, but also spinning, yoga, Pilates, TRX, and more – led by elite athletes and specialist coaches from HYROX and their cruise partners (Les Mills, F45, HWPO, PRVN, and Athletic Camps), resulting in a total of more than 350 hours, according to their calculations. I didn’t see the appeal of doing non-HYROX classes, but others did, and that was something I appreciated about the format: an overarching “to each their own” spirit with a refreshing lack of pressure to participate in any one thing, be it for fitness or for fun.
I woke up the first morning and entered the still-dark pool deck to find hundreds of people exercising while music blared and a guy with a mic pumped everyone up. “Okay, this is cool,” I thought to myself. As the sun rose, I made my way to a mobility class then to a breathwork session before disembarking to join a group run along the beach in Valencia. Back on board I did a ski erg tutorial (turns out my technique was all wrong), followed by a tough circuit class in the “arena” they created to simulate a HYROX venue. At this point I was exhausted and sat down for a talk with a pro racer-turned-coach entitled “Champion’s Mindset: Elite Race Tactics” before my stretching class and ten-minute aroma infusion in the communal sauna. The next two days continued at that pace. Buoyed by the coaches’ infectious energy and a sense that I should make the most of this opportunity, I was constantly checking the Mein Schiff app to see what else I could squeeze in on top of my already packed schedule. Meanwhile, other passengers chilled in the jacuzzi, read by the pool, explored on land – in short: treated it like any other cruise. Again, to each their own!
(3) Did it make you a better HYROX athlete?
This was a core part of their marketing – “performance insight rarely available in one place, from race strategy and sports science to recovery and nutrition” – and they delivered on that promise. I picked up several tips that will help from both a mental and tactical standpoint, particularly in doubles. For example, I didn’t realize that the person not pulling the sled can stand behind the box and use their body as a wall to help their partner avoid stepping outside of the line (and risk getting a penalty). I learned that doing a few extra fast pulls on both ergs before getting off the machine will make it easier for my partner to resume the effort, since the flywheel maintains momentum during the transition. I heard several doubles champions talk about how they pace their runs and divide stations, and I asked them questions like, “What’s your go-to self-talk when things get tough?” and “Do you drink beetroot juice?” For once, I wasn’t the only HYROX geek in the room. (It was like how theater kids feel when they discover performing arts camp.) No one scoffed during a serious discussion around how to shave off seconds during burpee broad jumps or whether taking time to chalk your hands for the farmer’s carry is worth it. Even if you’re like me and have done several races and perhaps work with a HYROX coach, there was something uniquely productive about being so immersed in a community united around the sport.
(4) Who else was on board?
Among the 2,500 passengers, it felt like half didn’t pay for their spot: elite athletes, coaches from affiliate gyms, HYROX employees, influencers, VIPs, etc. In an effort to maximize content production, and in light of weaker-than-hoped sales, HYROX opened the doors to people who weren’t there for the reason I was. In a stroke of bad luck, the first two guys I met while waiting to board had no interest in HYROX and bragged about getting a last-minute promo code for a free trip. They planned to consume as much food and drinks as possible and maybe try a class. I was initially upset by this clear dissonance between devotees like me and discounters like them, but I forced myself to ignore that population and focus on the other half of really awesome people. I don’t follow the Elite 15, as HYROX calls their top competitors, but several current and former Elite 15 racers were on board to train and/or talk, along with a handful of other celebrity athletes like CrossFit champion Katrin Davidsdottir. The average age was thirty-six, the founders said, which seemed right, because in addition to the fit young people you’d expect, there was a sizable contingent of older people – including the men’s world champion in the 70-74 age group – and also kids, some of whom compete in HYROX’s “Youngstars” league (ages 8 to 15). I met lots of couples and siblings who race together. A father and son team, too. People flew in from all over the world to be part of this chapter in HYROX history, including adaptive athletes who, by the looks of it (and from talking to one of them), were able to join all activities.
(5) Was it cruisey (in the lewd sense of the word)?
No! Which surprised me, to be honest, based on both HYROX’s own promotional material (e.g. taglines like “Grind by day. Vibe by night.”) and also the comments section of Instagram posts by @hyroxexperiences. One follower wrote, “Condom supplies will have to rival an Olympic Village.” Another person added, “This will end up as one big orgy.” That did not happen, as far as I could tell. Granted, I didn’t stay up late to witness the after-hours scene, but I can confidently say that the atmosphere from 6 AM to 10:30 PM was wholesome. Sure, there was music every night for those who wanted to drink and dance, and there were two big events the first and last nights, but it wasn’t sleazy or debaucherous (while I was awake).
(6) What was the biggest surprise?
The number of kids – way more surprising than the absence of an orgy. When cruise tickets first went on sale, only adults with an EU passport could buy them. Not long after, HYROX opened it up to all nationalities and ages, but I didn’t expect many parents to make a family holiday out of it. I was wrong. There was a kids club, and the indoor pool was full of children all day. I passed strollers in the halls and often saw kids on the sidelines, watching their parent(s) or waiting for a Youngstars class to begin. This took some getting used to – and wasn’t ideal, depending on whom you asked – but I didn’t mind. On the contrary, as a dad of two, I found it cool to see parents balancing self-care and childcare.
(7) Was a HYROX race part of it?
No, to the disappointment of many. Because initially it was. The first cruise announcement trumpeted an Elite 15 race on board. Indeed, that was the main draw for lots of people, so it would be interesting to know how many asked for a refund when HYROX canceled it. (They didn’t state the reason, but the critical importance of standardization in a HYROX race plus unpredictable conditions at sea make the idea seem foolish in hindsight.) Instead, HYROX is hosting the Elite 15 race in Hamburg this coming weekend, which, to add insult to injury, meant that most of those athletes were preparing for it somewhere else. In place of a serious event, HYROX hosted a “Cruise Showdown” the final night where twenty-four passengers paired up with a pro or special guest (like the founders) to do gimmicky HYROX-inspired games that, while entertaining, were nothing close to a real display of athleticism. I spoke to a trainer who had the smart suggestion to combine a future cruise with an on-land HYROX event so that passengers could both compete and watch the pros. Day one would focus on nutrition, warming up, fueling, and mindset, for example. Day two would be the race, with a huge celebration afterwards. Day three would focus on race lessons and recovery.
(8) What was the worst part about it?
The number of content creators. I’d like to think that future HYROX cruises, should they take place, won’t have the same must-document-every-detail dynamic that defined this inaugural one, because it was off-putting. It’s one thing to record a few videos for social media. It’s another to have a dedicated videographer follow you around, as the larger influencers did, or the poor man’s version: a tripod permanently propped a few feet away. Some people had body cameras affixed to their chests. There was even a talk on “The Digital Athlete: Social Media & Personal Brand.” I’m no Luddite, and I concede that this is a legitimate industry in today’s world, but there’s a point at which the performative nature detracts from the present moment for the rest of us. At times it felt like I was a mere pawn in a HYROX content creation scheme. And again, many of these people with big followings didn’t pay for their cabin, so it felt icky to have parallel tracks of (1) people who spent a lot to be there for the substance of the programs and (2) those who were comped to make glitzy reels of them.
(9) Did it have to be a cruise?
This is something I thought about a lot: could they have achieved the same thing with, say, a retreat? Probably not, if the goal was to accommodate 2,500 people in a photogenic forum and get fantastic footage from everyone. Plus, I confess: the HYROX hook convinced someone like me – who would much rather travel in other ways – to try a cruise for the first time. But the environmental impact puts me and a lot of people off, and the novelty factor will diminish with subsequent cruises, so my unsolicited advice is to make the cruise a rare occurrence (or even a one-off – check, done) and explore retreats instead.
(10) Are you glad you did it?
Yes. I filled every waking hour with meaningful programming and socializing, so I left the ship fitter (and very sore) and with more new HYROX hacks and friends than I anticipated. Could it have been better? Absolutely, for the reasons mentioned above. Would I do another HYROX cruise? Probably not, since I’m simply not a cruise guy and I’d rather spend that money on races. But I applaud the initiative they took in trying something new that brought people together in a non-competitive environment to bond over a shared passion for, yes, HYROX, but also, zooming out, for healthy living more broadly. And if that makes it sound like I officially drank the HYROX Kool-Aid, I can assure you that happened long before I set sail in Mallorca.
