Runner says HYROX changed her training priorities

Canadian Running Magazine published a first-person account on May 21 in which writer Cameron Ormond said HYROX changed how she trains as a runner. Ormond wrote that preparing for her first HYROX race in Ottawa pushed her toward strength, power and plyometric work that she said runners often neglect. She said the shift came after a 2024 knee injury interrupted her running and left her rebuilding basic strength. The article, published a few days after she raced in Ottawa on Sunday, framed HYROX as the first event in nearly two years that made her “excited to train again.” ### Why did HYROX change this runner’s routine? Cameron Ormond wrote that a 2024 injury to the cartilage behind her patella sidelined her from running and most physical activity. She said the setback came just after her collegiate running career ended and while she hoped to keep competing post-collegiately, leaving her “pretty lost.” Rehab, she wrote, was slow enough that it took months before she could bike again, and she said her knee still flares up at times when running. (runningmagazine.ca) HYROX, by design, required a different build. Ormond wrote that signing up changed her mindset because the event demanded more than steady mileage, with training centered on “strength, power and plyometrics.” She said that emphasis made her feel stronger and healthier than she had in years. ### What does HYROX actually ask runners to do? (runningmagazine.ca) Canadian Running has described HYROX as a race format that alternates 1-km runs with workout stations, repeated eight times for a total of 8 km of running. The stations include a 1-km SkiErg, 50-meter sled push, 50-meter sled pull, burpee broad jumps, a 1-km row, 200-meter farmer’s carry, sandbag lunges and wall balls, according to the magazine’s earlier coverage. (runningmagazine.ca) That structure helps explain Ormond’s point about training priorities. Canadian Running wrote in an August 2025 explainer that runners may appear well suited to HYROX because of the 8 km of running, but the race also demands functional strength and the ability to keep moving under fatigue between stations. (runningmagazine.ca) ### What was different from standard run training? Ormond wrote that many runners spend most of their time on volume and steady-state work. Her account said HYROX preparation pulled attention toward multi-joint strength and explosive movements instead, a contrast with conventional run plans built around mileage, tempo work and aerobic sessions. (runningmagazine.ca) Canadian Running’s broader HYROX coverage has made a similar distinction. The magazine wrote that runners bring pacing skill and endurance to the event, but may be less prepared for the strength stations unless they train specifically for them. ### How big is HYROX in running culture now? Canadian Running reported that HYROX “finally landed in Canada” in 2024, with Toronto’s Enercare Centre hosting the first Canadian event on Oct. 5, 2024. (runningmagazine.ca) The magazine has since published a string of pieces linking HYROX to runners, including articles on whether marathon training and HYROX fit together, whether runners should race it, and how elite HYROX athletes use running backgrounds. (runningmagazine.ca) A Canadian Running article published last month said HYROX drew more than 550,000 participants across more than 80 global races in 2025. That figure, cited by the magazine in a profile of the women’s world record holder, points to the scale of the hybrid-racing boom that Ormond’s account sits inside. (runningmagazine.ca) ### What comes next for readers who want to follow this shift? Canadian Running’s HYROX archive continues to track the sport’s expansion in Canada and among runners, including race reports, training pieces and athlete profiles. Ormond’s May 21 article remains posted alongside earlier explainers on race format, training demands and Canada’s event calendar. (runningmagazine.ca 1) (runningmagazine.ca 2)