Mini-Series: This is Part 7 — HYROX Mumbai Recap. Start with Part 1 — Rock Bottom Pattern, Part 2 — The Morning I Finally Listened to My Wife, Part 3 — First 30 Days, Part 4 — Nutrition Playbook, Part 5 — Travel Without Rebound, or Part 6 — Hybrid Training.
Race Day: HYROX Mumbai — Cramps, Grit, Finish
!Race hero — finish photo
Caption: 1:37:23. Grit over glamour—and a clear blueprint for next time.
HYROX humbled me in the exact places my training was thin—and proved I can suffer well. We crossed in 1:37:23. Not pretty. Precise. Now we know.
Course recap (lap-by-lap truth)
Eight 1 km runs wrapped around eight stations. Simple on paper; savage in execution.
Warm-up & Start
* Easy jogs, mobility, a few wall-ball sets. Ate light; electrolytes in.
* Goal: hold ~7:00–7:10/km, arrive at each station breathing but calm.
* Reality: ~7:11/km average. HR climbed earlier than planned.
Lap 1 → SkiErg (1,000 m)
* Felt okay. Settled too conservatively on the ski to "save legs."
* Takeaway: technique was fine; could have pressed 2–3 s/500 m faster without spiking HR.
Lap 2 → Sled Push
* The truth serum. Friction + fatigue lit the quads.
* Cue drifted (hips behind pad, long steps). Lost time.
* Takeaway: economy before load. Short piston steps, hips under pad.
Lap 3 → Sled Pull
* Harness posture inconsistent; too much upper trap.
* Takeaway: sit into it, long pulls, quick rebounds, stop "shrugging."
Lap 4 → Burpee Broad Jumps (80 m)
* Pleasant surprise. Rhythm clicked.
* Strength: ranked well here (top-third range).
* Takeaway: cadence > jump distance; keep hands/feet pattern identical.
Lap 5 → Row (1,000 m)
* Cramp struck mid-piece. Breathing scrambled, split slipped.
* Takeaway: pre-race sodium was fine; this was run-to-row transition + bracing weakness. Need core + breathing resets before handle-down.
Lap 6 → Farmers Carry (200 m)
* Strength: posture solid, grip okay, pace steady.
* Takeaway: carries training transferred perfectly. Keep them.
Lap 7 → Walking Lunges (100 m)
* Form drifted under breathing; knee travel forward, torso pitched.
* Takeaway: tempo lunges + reverse lunges in training; preserve shin angle, trunk tall.
Lap 8 → Wall Balls (100 reps)
* Sets broke earlier than planned but no misses.
* Takeaway: set pattern (e.g., 20-20-15-15-10-10-10) and own the rests.
Finish
* 1:37:23. Spent, not shattered. Grit intact. Weak links circled in red.
Split board (from the timing sheet)
!Official splits — HYROX Mumbai
Caption: Where we bled time: sleds, row, lunges. Where we held: carries, burpees.
* Run pace (avg): ~7:11/km
* Stations (strengths): Farmers Carry, Burpees
* Stations (limiters): Sled Push/Pull, Row (cramp), Lunges under fatigue)
What actually went right
* Pacing discipline: No death sprints early; we kept the race runnable.
* Carries & Burpees: Training transferred; form stayed tidy under fatigue.
* Teamwork: Smooth handoffs; no bickering; stayed on plan.
What broke (and why)
* Sled economy: Step length got long, hips behind pad → wasted force.
* Row transition: Cramp from run-to-row + bracing lapses; breathing control missing.
* Lunge posture: Fatigue collapsed shin/torso angles → slower, riskier steps.
6-week fix-it plan (surgical, not heroic)
!Fix-it plan — 6-week map
Caption: Threshold + Z2, sled economy, lunge posture, row bricks, wall-ball sets.
1) Run economy (global unlock)
* Tue: Threshold 5–6×1 km @ T-pace (2:00 jog).
* Fri: Z2 50–70 min + 6–8×20 s strides.
Why:* Brings 7:11 → 6:xx/km, lowers HR at same pace.
2) Sled push/pull technique
!Station technique — sled cues
Caption: Short piston steps, hips under pad; harness sit-back on pulls.
Push: 6–8×20 m @ race load, ≤60 s rest, short steps, hips under pad*.
* Pull: Harness sit-back, long pulls + quick rebounds, no traps.
* Progress rest ↓ → distance ↑ → load ↑ (in that order).
3) Lunges under breathing
* Reverse lunges (tempo 3–1–1–0) 3×12/leg
* Walking lunges 3×40–60 m broken sets; torso tall, vertical shin
KPI:* 100–200 m total with clean posture.
4) Row/Ski cramp-proofing
* Core sequences: dead bug / paloff press / side plank 2–3×/wk (8–12 min)
* Run → Row bricks: 800 m steady → 500 m row @ race split × 3 (60 s rest)
5) Wall ball set-patterning
* 100 reps @ race weight in ≤6 sets, rest on a clock (20–20–15–15–10–10).
6) Sodium & fluids (simple, consistent)
* 500–700 ml water + electrolytes 60–90 min pre; sips between stations.
* Test in bricks; don't improvise on race day.
KPIs to log (race predictors)
* Threshold day: splits within ±3 s; HR cap noted
* Z2: same route pace ↑ or HR ↓ over weeks
* Sleds: 8×20 m push/pull with ≤60 s rest, RPE ≤8
* Lunges: 100–200 m total with clean form (video once/week)
* Row: 4×500 m @ target split (±2 s), 60 s rest, no cramp flags
* Wall balls: 100 in ≤6 sets; drift ≤5 bpm between sets
Data Card — HYROX Mumbai (paste into post)
* Finish: 1:37:23 (Men's Open Doubles)
* Run pace (avg): ~7:11/km
* Strengths: Farmers Carry, Burpee Broad Jumps
* Limiters: Sled Push/Pull, Row (cramp), Lunges under fatigue
* Next targets: 6:xx/km steady • Sled 8×20 m ≤60 s rest • Lunges 200 m clean • Row 4×500 m stable
Why this matters
Race day is a mirror. It reflected exactly what our training missed—and confirmed what carries over. The plan above is the shortest path from finishing to competing.
CTA
If you raced Mumbai too, drop your top two limiters below. I'll share a two-exercise fix for each that you can run for six weeks.
Next 1–3 actions (this week)
1. Book the week: Tue threshold, Fri Z2, Thu sled skills.
2. One brick: 800 m steady → Row 500 m × 3 @ race split (60 s).
3. Film lunges: 30–40 m clip for shin/torso angles—fix form before volume.