At the end of the 2021/22 season we put together an article that looked at some of the most memorable moments in the history of HYROX. Well, since then, the past season (22/23) has given us many more memories to add to the list as we’ve seen the sport grow, with almost 100,000 athletes compete in 42 fantastic events.
Here’s a few stand out moments for us in the 2022/23 season (in no particular order)…
Lauren Weeks Dominates in Manchester
Lauren Weeks, a former world record holder and world champion, secured her rightful place in our list of unforgettable moments last year when she competed in the 2022 World Championships while seven months pregnant, ultimately clinching an incredible 9th position.
Despite her achievements, there would be questions coming into this season around her postpartum recovery and how quickly she would be back to her best.
Well, at the end of January in Maastricht, she answered those questions by dominating the race to secure the title of 2023 European Champion. She then followed this up with an impressive win in Manchester at the World Championships where she largely led from start to finish and finished, on a 4-lap course, in the grid format, in 59:47. This made her only the second woman to break 60 mins and made her the HYROX World Champion – an astonishing achievement just 10 months after giving birth.
You can watch my interview with Weeks, a few days after the race in Manchester, by clicking here.
Hunter Breaks the World Record (again)
After clinching the 2022 HYROX World Champion title in Las Vegas, Hunter’s future in HYROX seemed uncertain. He had aspirations away from the sport which cast doubt on whether we’d ever seen him in a HYROX race ever again. However, that all changed when he announced his return in early 2023 and eventually appeared on the start line in Barcelona in March 2023.
There was talk about whether he could be in record breaking shape before the race, but some questioned whether that could be possible after a 10month hiatus, much of which had been focused on something different entirely. Those doubts were soon quashed when he started the race out fast and pulled ahead of a strong field. It turned out to be a truly incredible showing that broke his existing record – a record that hadn’t truly been under threat from any athlete up to that point.
It was also a great watch on the livestream, and for the hundreds in the venue who got to witness this very special performance first hand (check this video for the atmosphere at the wall balls / finishing line).
Of course, Hunter then went on to dominate at the World Championships in Manchester, but his World Record in Barcelona stood out as a special moment in HYROX history.
Jacoby Breaks 60mins Barrier
In many ways it feels like Megan Jacoby has been around HYROX forever, so it’s hard to believe 2022/23 was her debut season! In just her second race she broke the Women’s Pro world record, in a time of 01:01:56, in Chicago in November 2022. However, that record was soon beaten by Mikaela Norman (also in her debut season) in Hamburg just 3 weeks later (with a time of 01:00:45).
With the ever-improving performances in the Women’s field, I think many expected the 60-minute mark to eventually be broken, and sure enough it was, in spectacular fashion, by Jacoby, when, in Anaheim, she dominated the race from the start and finished in an astonishing time of 58:58!
Mr Consistency Gets His Win
Last year we included Alexander Roncevic’s 3rd place finished in the 2022 World Championships as one of the memorable moments, as that gave him his third World Championship podium finish, a feat unmatched at the time by any other competitor.
Well, this season not only has he further bolstered his legacy by finishing second in Manchester (making it four podium finishes in HYROX World Championships), but he got the major title win he’d been craving (and deserving) by winning the European Championship in Maastricht. Alex is already a legend of the sport, and I think everyone was delighted to see him get this fantastic win.
50 Mins Barrier Gets Smashed
There have been several world records broken in HYROX during the season, all of which are obviously impressive, but particular mention should go to Michael Sandbach and Tim Wenisch who were the first people to finish a HYROX in under 50 minutes when they set the Men’s Doubles world record in Amsterdam, finishing in a time of 48:52.
It is a pretty incredible time and, despite many impressive pairings throughout the season, is still 1:30 ahead of the second fastest time in the division!
Big Weekend
The 19th November 2022 will surely go down as a huge day in HYROX history, with 3 events on the same day, including what was, at the time, the biggest indoor fitness event ever with 5000 athletes and 2000 spectators taking part at London Excel. On the same weekend there was also an event in Dallas, and another in Hong Kong, making 8000 total competitors in one day.
If there was ever a sign that the sport was growing rapidly, and becoming truly worldwide, that weekend had to be it!
Hogan’s Hong Kong Trip
Following the HYROX Hannover event, Tom Hogan, a seasoned competitor in the Elite levels of HYROX, found himself displaced from the coveted top 15 qualifying positions for the World Championships. With only one qualifying race remaining in the season (which was set to take place in Hong Kong), the Irish-based athlete would need to make a long trip to try and regain his place amongst the top 15.
And that’s exactly what he did.
It turned out to be an epic race…
Pre-race it had been expected that both Tom and James Kelly would dominate, but there was a newcomer on the scene in the form of Gabe Heck. After a fantastic battle between the 3 of them – which we were lucky enough to be able to watch on the Instagram livestream in real time – it seemed like Gabe Heck had taken the win. However, he was eventually given a 1-minute penalty for passing through the wrong gate when leaving the Roxzone. That meant Tom took the win but, most importantly for him, he’d finished in a time that saw him secure his place in the Elite races in Manchester at the last possible chance! Read a full write up of the event here.
Mikaela’s Stumble
Another newcomer to HYROX this season was Mikaela Norman – a CrossFit Games athlete who broke the Women’s Pro world record on her HYROX debut in Hamburg. She’s impressed ever since, but unfortunately illness kept her out of the World Championships in Manchester where she was undoubtedly one of the favourites for the title.
Many of her performances this season have been memorable (her debut in Hamburg, and her race in Stuttgart where she broke the Women’s Doubles World Record with Megan Jacoby, in particular).
However, one that stands out is where she won the North American Championship, against an incredibly strong field, despite being tripped up on the first run. She took quite a tumble (which you can see 50 secs into this video), that must have shook her, but she got up, carried on, and clawed her way back into the race before winning in impressive fashion!
4 HYROX, 1 Day
At HYROX Glasgow, Joel Enoch ran an incredible 4 HYROX races (2 doubles, 2 individuals) in one day to help raise money for charity. I think anyone who has completed just one HYROX can probably appreciate what an awesome achievement this is! What’s more, he made sure to do at least 50% of the work in the doubles event, and completed his individual races in 01:18:03 and 01:41:55, and the doubles in 01:14:16 and 01:16:44. He certainly didn’t hang around!
You can watch my interview with him here.
Magida Wins in Chicago
Just 3 weeks after a relatively disappointing showing at the European Championships in Maastricht, I’m not sure many people had expected David Magida would be able to win the North American championships in Chicago against a strong mens field. But he ran the perfect race, allowing others to lead towards the start before coming into his own in the second half.
His running, in particular, looked strong and relaxed throughout, and gave him the biggest win of his career whilst earning him the title of the 2023 North American champion.
You can see David’s post-race comments in this write up of the event.
Lautwein’s Emotional Podium
Despite being a notable absentee from the 2022 World Championships in Las Vegas due to severe illness caused by COVID-19, Tobias Lautwein, a former world champion, wasn’t heavily favoured for a top-three finish at the World Championships in Manchester. The challenges he faced extended beyond his illness, as his training leading up to the event had been impacted by the demands of being a father to four children, including two young twins.
However, on the day, he ran his usual strong race, at his own pace, and in an incredible finish just about pipped Ryan Kent to the line to claim third spot. It wasn’t just the performance that left an impression, however. His emotional post-race interview – which you can see in the video below – showed just what it meant to him and warmed the hearts of all who saw it.
Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this review of some of the most memorable moments from the 2022/23 HYROX season. For a look at some of the most memorable from the following, 23/24 season, click here.
