It has been confirmed. Two of the fittest Australian CrossFit athletes in the world are dipping their toes in a different sport. Tia-Clair Toomey and James Newbury will compete in the mixed doubles at HYROX this December.
The news was first hinted by The Barbell Spin and BOXROX got in touch with James Newbury who has confirmed the information.
The HYROX event will be held in Melbourne on December 14-15. This will be the first time they are trying out the up-and-coming fitness sport HYROX.
However, there is no “pro division” for mixed doubles (when a male and female athlete compete together). This is the only division for mixed pairs, the pro division exists only for same-sex duo.
Tia-Clair Toomey needs no introductions. She is the most decorated female athlete in CrossFit history, winning 7 CrossFit Games in her career (the most ever held by an individual athlete).
James Newbury is a 5x CrossFit Games athlete having competed 4 times as an individual (his best placement was 5th in 2019). This year he tried for the first time in a team and took home the coveted gold medal.
What is HYROX?
HYROX is a fitness competition consisting of a 1km run followed by one functional exercise, repeated for eight rounds. The exercise changes each round, while the run remains constant, equating to a total of 8km run and eight different functional exercises.
It is a great test of overall fitness as it requires strength, speed, power, and endurance in abundance. These HYROX events take place all over the world and have a variety of categories to make the event accessible for all.
In between the runs, you have to perform, in this sequence, the following exercises:
- 1000m SkiErg
- 50m sled push
- 50m sled pull
- 80m burpee broad jumps
- 1000m rowing
- 200m farmers carry
- 100m sandbag lunges
- 75 or 100 wall balls
This means that you start off the competition running 1 kilometre (0.62 miles) and then you do the first exercise on the list, in this case 1000 metres on the SkiErg. After that, you run another kilometre and go to the next, which is a 50-metre sled push. Then run and go down the list of exercises until the end.
Combining functional exercises with endurance makes HYROX unique yet attainable for people from a huge variety of athletic and fitness backgrounds. It is the perfect competition for everyone who loves to work out, have fun and push their boundaries. You can participate individually or in a team of 2.
Each season culminates with the World Championships where the athletes with the fastest times from each division in each city go head-to-head.
According to their official website, over 98% of the participants complete the race. There are no time caps and no qualification requirements, so everyone is welcome to run and race at their own pace. Above 50.000 people participate at official HYROX events every year. You can find a race close to you here.
