Early in August 2025 I was fortunate to be invited to the first-ever Red Bull HYROX Coaches Camp – joining 60 coaches from around the world. Held across Silverstone Race Circuit and Red Bull Racing’s MK-7 headquarters in Milton Keynes, it was a three-day mix of education, testing, training, and some very Red Bull-style experiences.
More than 2,500 coaches applied for the camp, with 150 making it to a final assessment phase before the final 60 were selected. Some familiar faces from the Rox Lyfe podcast were among them – including Shane Orr, Anthony Perressini, Zara Piergianni, Jane Erbacher and Tiago Lousa.
We stayed at Escapade Silverstone – ultra-modern accommodation overlooking the track, and it was the perfect base for an event that managed to balance high-level learning with the kind of community and camaraderie that HYROX is known for.
Day One – Testing, Welcome Drinks & Opening Talks
The camp began with performance testing in partnership with Output Sports – including a 2km row and other assessments designed to give a snapshot of each coach’s readiness to perform. This tied into data coaches had submitted ahead of the camp, with results feeding into a later lecture from Output Sports CEO Martin O’Reilly.
That evening we gathered on The Gallery Terrace, with its trackside view of Silverstone, for welcome drinks. Host Lauren Smith set the tone for the weekend before we heard from Douglas Gremmen (HYROX Chief Growth Officer) and Catie Munnings (Red Bull rally driver). A relaxed dinner followed, and from the outset it was clear that Red Bull and HYROX had covered every detail – from food and drink to travel – so coaches could just focus on the experience.
Day Two – Workouts, Lectures and the Never Been Done Concept
We were up early for a 6am workout led by Lauren Rantala, which also formed part of the Output Sports testing data. After breakfast we headed to Red Bull Racing’s MK-7 facility, where the lectures began.
The first was a conversation between Lauren Smith and Ralf Iwan about the HYROX 365 programme, before moving into “Programming for the Unknown” – a session led by Jack Birch (from Red Bull’s Athlete Performance Centre, or APC) and Chris McLeod (Liminal Space Consulting). Their focus was the role of the coach, the “why” behind what a coach does, and the concept of ‘Never Been Done‘ – how you might help an athlete achieve something unprecedented.
Olympic silver medallist and past Rox Lyfe podcast guest Kieran Reilly joined to share the story of his triple flair BMX trick – something no rider had ever landed before. Later, in a breakout session, we discussed how we’d assess his limiting factors, programme to address them, and monitor his progress. You could sense the depth of knowledge in the room as coaches built on each other’s ideas.
As Swedish coach Peter Sjöberg put it: “My biggest takeaway was the importance of setting big goals and planning for the unknown, even if it seems unreachable at the moment. It’s shifted how I’ll approach programming and coaching to better prepare athletes for real HYROX race scenarios and how to reach big goals.”
Nutrition at the Top Level
Stephen Smith, performance nutritionist at the Red Bull APC, works with athletes across sports including the Tour de France. His talk centred on personalised nutrition – considering the individual, their goals, and their sport when building a plan. Afterwards, we broke into groups amongst the coaches to create advanced nutrition strategies and training plans for fictional HYROX athletes, applying principles used at the elite level to real-world coaching scenarios.
Performance Readiness in Practice
The next lecture, given by Dr. Martin O’Reilly from Output Sports, tackled performance readiness – a complicated area to predict without testing, as it’s influenced by everything from sleep and hydration to motivation and environment. Coaches were encouraged to consider low-fatigue cost testing protocols as part of their programming, so athletes can assess readiness for a given session without compromising training.
We also explored how the right environment can boost performance – for example, a team-vs-team workout often pushes athletes harder than training alone. We then saw velocity-based training in practice, with Output Sports sensors tracking wall ball reps for depth and speed, feeding data instantly to iPads. It’s not hard to imagine how similar technology might one day be used in HYROX races to monitor movement standards in real time.
Workouts, Factory Tours & Running the Track
From there we headed to a HYROX performance centre-style workout – complete with a HYROX 365 inspired warm up, Red Bull F1 cars and a live DJ – honestly, the perfect environment to push yourself in a session! After training, we toured the Red Bull Racing factory, seeing where F1 cars are designed, built, and prepared for race day.
Dinner back at Escapade closed the long day, and the next morning started with a 6:30am 6km run around the Silverstone track, led by Elite 15 HYROX athlete Jake Dearden. With another Red Bull DJ on hand, and the sun just coming up, running the iconic circuit on a beautiful crisp morning was a standout memory of the camp.
Day Three – Social Media & The Red Bull Pit Race
Post-breakfast, we headed to Silverstone’s pit lane area, where a Red Bull rally driver shared his perspective (and how he uses data in his sport) before we moved into a social media branding workshop. The Red Bull content team gave us practical insights on creating hooks, telling stronger stories, and using data to refine content – all directly applicable to HYROX coaching businesses.
After lunch, the pace picked up again with a rally car passenger experience, giving us a few unforgettable laps alongside a professional Red Bull driver.
Then came the Red Bull Pit Race – held in the pit lane garages of the Silverstone circuit. The workout was split into multiple HYROX-style stations, with teams completing a 1.7km+ run on the Silverstone track between each station. The final test was the showstopper: every team member had to pull an F1 car for 25 metres before crossing the finish line! Thankfully, plenty of Red Bull was always on hand to help cool and fuel the athletes through the pretty gruelling test on a warm day.
A podium ceremony awaited the top three teams (humble brag – my team finished 3rd), complete with an F1-style champagne celebration – a perfect ending to an event that blended competition, camaraderie, and the unmistakable atmosphere that comes with Red Bull and HYROX.
More Than Just a Camp
Coach Alessia Donati summed up the feeling many left with: “My biggest takeaway was definitely the experience and the connections built with some of the best coaches in the world. It sparked so many ideas – I’m leaving with a head full of inspiration and things I can’t wait to implement.”
Red Bull’s growing presence in the fitness world is still new – but if this Coaches Camp is anything to go by, it’s going to make waves. From in-depth lectures and hands-on testing, to pulling real F1 cars and swapping stories over dinner, this was more than just a coaching camp. It was part education, part celebration, and part pure fun – the kind of experience only Red Bull can pull off, and the kind the HYROX community will be talking about for a long time.
