Sydney Wells has made HYROX her main sporting focus. The 2023 CrossFit Games athlete brings a background in gymnastics, university-level sprinting and competitive CrossFit, but her move into HYROX has still required a substantial change in training.
Racing Women’s Pro Doubles alongside Lauren Griffith, she has already shown what that combination can produce. When we spoke in September 2026, the pair had recorded wins in Las Vegas, New York and Washington DC, where they finished in 56:00.
On the Rox Lyfe podcast, Sydney explained why she wanted to commit to HYROX, how her preparation has changed, and why improving as a Doubles team has involved more than clever station tactics.
Why HYROX became her priority
Sydney’s decision began with a conversation about her sporting goals. During a meeting with the PRVN team, she found herself admitting that she was increasingly drawn towards HYROX.
Her running background was part of the appeal. So were the opportunities she saw in a growing sport, including the potential to build a competitive career around it.
“I don’t want to do it as like a side quest thing. Like I want to go all in.”
That commitment followed an attempt to balance the two sports. Initially, Sydney planned to train CrossFit three days a week and use the other days for HYROX. In practice, she found it difficult to give both the attention needed to perform at the level she wanted.
She was still competing in the World Fitness Project when we spoke, but HYROX had become the priority. For Sydney, familiarity with the movements did not make the preparation interchangeable.
A running background still leaves work to do
Before CrossFit, Sydney competed in the 400 metres and 4 x 400-metre relay at the University of Missouri. In the interview, she described a fastest 400-metre time of 53 seconds.
That is considerable speed to bring into a fitness race. But she was clear about the difference between her previous running and what HYROX asks of her.
Her sprint training often involved short repetitions, with relatively little work beyond 200 metres. HYROX means sustaining effort for close to an hour in her Doubles races, while repeatedly switching between running and stations.
She laughed about how difficult she and her fellow sprinters once found running a mile in college. Being a competitive runner had meant being prepared for a very specific event.
Her experience is useful for anyone arriving at HYROX with a strong sporting background. You can bring valuable strengths into the race and still have substantial work to do on its particular demands.
The training change that surprised her
Asked what would surprise someone watching her train for a week, Sydney pointed to the amount of long, steady work in her programme.
Under coach Cole Learn, she described spending considerable time doing easier cardiovascular sessions, including work on machines. At the time of the interview, she estimated around three hours of cardio a day, six days a week.
That figure describes her own training workload. The useful insight for other athletes is how much of her preparation involves controlled effort, even though she competes at a high level.
She also described three harder days across the week. Those included harder running sessions alongside strength work, and a Saturday with threshold running in the morning and BikeErg work later in the day.
Some sessions combine running with stations, including rowing and sandbag lunges. That gives her opportunities to practise moving between the different demands she will face in a race.
Compared with her CrossFit preparation, she is doing less of the repeated, all-out machine work she previously associated with conditioning. She has enjoyed the change, along with knowing more clearly what she is preparing for.
The station that caught her out
With Sydney’s CrossFit background, you might expect the gym stations to feel familiar. She felt comfortable with the lunges and had plenty of experience on the SkiErg and rower.
The farmers carry was a different story.
Moving quickly with kettlebells felt awkward, and she identified it as something she needed to practise. Holding the weight and running efficiently with it were different challenges.
She also found that the station offered less recovery than she might have expected in Doubles. When Lauren carried the kettlebells, Sydney still had to keep moving with her.
That makes her experience a useful reminder to practise how you intend to move through the station. For Sydney, grip strength alone did not answer the problem.
Keeping race day familiar
Sydney has also changed how she approaches competition. Previously, she might add treatments or other preparations that were outside her normal routine. Now, she tries to keep race day closer to life at home in Nashville.
Racing with Lauren helps her feel relaxed. She described them chatting with only seconds left before the start, rather than building the occasion up in their minds.
“I feel like when I don’t put a lot of pressure on something, I do a lot better.”
That sits alongside a competitive drive developed across several sports. Sydney wants to find out what she can achieve when she commits, and HYROX is now where she is directing that effort.
The full conversation also covers the influence of her twin sister Brooke, the setbacks behind her CrossFit career, and why HYROX has felt so demanding despite her sporting experience.
To check out the full interview, watch below or listen on the Rox Lyfe podcast.
