My First HYROX Solo Sim — Race Breakdown & Lessons for Beginner Racers
By David Ledoux age 58 | thanks to Badass Athletics, Mexico
The Setup
If you're brand new to HYROX or looking to improve your score, this is my full race breakdown. I did a HYROX solo sim 48 hours ago at Badass Athletics here in Mexico. My finishing time was 1:38:36 — and in this post I'll show you exactly what worked, what failed, and what I'm changing for my next race on July 25th.
First, the conditions. I went off at 8:00 AM and it was already 34°C (feels like 39°C — about 100°F). I'll come back to the heat, because it shaped almost everything about this race.
Race Morning — Nutrition & Taper
My taper week was dialed in. Thursday, 48 hours out, I hit 500 grams of carbs — a heavy day intentionally. Friday was all rest. I woke up at 4:00 AM Saturday on race morning ready to go.
Race morning nutrition:
5:00 AM — 200-gram carb breakfast
7:15 AM — One gel right before warm-up
Walked the entire race route as part of my warm-up
I was in a wave of open men, wave time 7:30–7:56. They sent two guys every six minutes — eight total in my wave.
Lap-by-Lap Breakdown
Lap 1 — The Start
5:38 (goal was 5:30 — I deliberately held back)
Took two glasses of water at the 500-meter mark on the run. The two guys ahead of me did not. I was last into the ski.
Saw my coach Daya and gave her a hug before hitting the ski erg.
Key insight: Taking water early — even if it makes you last into the gym — pays off later. Hydration is a performance strategy, not a convenience.
Lap 2 — Finding a Rhythm
5:36 — A negative split by two seconds. I was holding steady.
Water at the 500-meter mark again, then into the sled push.
Lap 3 — The Heat Hits
6:51 — I lost a minute and 20 seconds on this run. That shocked me looking back. This is when the heat started to really affect me.
Sled pull felt strong — I trained on pro weight and it showed. 3:28 on the sled pull.
Key insight: The sled push and sled pull were my strongest stations. Heavy training paid off directly.
Lap 4 — Survival Starts
6:43 — I actually gained almost 20 seconds back on the run. I felt slightly better, but I was way off my six-minute-per-lap goal pace.
Burpees (four loops of 20 meters each = 80 meters total). I used a knee-up burpee style.
6:55 — under seven minutes.
The burpee aha moment: Mid-burpee lap I realized I had never done 80 meters unbroken before. In training I was doing 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 meters with runs in between. I had been doing shortened segments — 20 meters of burpees, then 10 wall balls or lunges. All these little pieces. From now on, I'm doing full burpee lengths or longer in training.
Lap 5 — Gears Slipping
7:21 — Lost 30 seconds on the run. I stopped for water on the way out and again at the 500-meter mark.
Row: 5:19 — I regained great composure, pulling at 2:20/500 pace, 24 strokes per minute. This was a turning point mentally.
Lap 6 — Composure
6:48 — Another 30-second gain on the run. Stopped for water at the 500-meter farmer carry.
Farmer carry: two 50-pound dumbbells, there and back three times on the road. No chalk.
I had put two nuggets of chalk in my pocket at 5:00 AM — and of course during the burpees it got crushed into dust. I pulled it out, rubbed my hands together. It was like greasy pancake batter. I genuinely don't know if it helped or made it worse.
Broke twice on the carry. Went to failure both times.
2:36 on the farmer carry.
Key insight: Chalk management matters. If you bring chalk, seal it better or bring it in a small container. Don't let it turn to pancake batter in your soggy pocket. (I had already poured 12+ cups of water on my head!)
Lap 7 — Heart Rate Spiking
7:07 — The heat was winning. My heart rate spiked hard on the farmer's carry.
I used my neutralizer breathing protocol — slowing heart rate down on the runs. At that point, I was in full survival mode. I know I'm overheated when I see black spots. In training I'd sometimes see them — today I never hit that danger zone, so I knew I was okay to keep going.
Lunges: 6:29
The lunge aha moment: Same as the burpees. I trained a lot of 20-meter lunge segments with weight. I never did 100 meters unbroken. From now on, I'm doing 120 meters with an overload in training.
Lap 8 — The Final Push
8:06 — Wheels coming off. Pure survival running.
Wall balls: my goal was the 16 down to 9 rep scheme. I took a couple of deep breaths after the 16, hit the 15 reps — at that point I'd done 31 total. I was still under two minutes.
Then I have no real memory of reps 31 through 70. Coach Manuel's little brother Angel was calling out reps in Spanish and it was going into my deaf ear. I had no idea where I was. I'd come back, take 7–8 reps, usually end with a no-rep — I'd just go to one knee and breathe.
I kind of regained consciousness around rep 71. I went 71–79, 79–89, and 89–100 in closing sets.
Curled up in a little ball, ran 25 meters back to the finish line, sat against the cinder block wall in the shade for about a minute, gave the thumbs up.
Mission Accomplished.
The Numbers - includes Roxzone time on exits.
My pre-race mental goal was 96 minutes.
To hit 98 with at least 10 water breaks factored in — not bad.
How much did the heat hurt my runs? In training I was hitting 5:35–5:45 per lap with a racing goal of six-minute laps. My total run time was 52 minutes against a goal of 48. Between water breaks and heat impact, I'm confident I could have gone sub-90 in cooler conditions.
7 Lessons Every Beginner HYROX Racer Should Know
1. Train the Full Station Length — Not Just Segments
I repeatedly broke down on stations because I trained partial lengths. Burpees, lunges, wall balls — if your race station is 80–100 meters, your training needs to match or exceed that distance. Short segments build technique but not the mental and physical endurance for the real thing.
2. Hydration Strategy Wins Races
I took water at every single 500-meter mark on the run. It cost me a position or two entering the gym, but I stayed functional through laps 7 and 8 when others were cramping and fading. In heat especially, this is non-negotiable.
3. Heavy Sleds in Training = Fast Sleds on Race Day
Training on pro weight sleds made the race sled push feel light. I hit 3:50 — my strongest station. If your gym has pro weight options, use them. The adaptation transfers directly.
4. Negative Split Pacing Works
I held back on lap 1 deliberately. My friend Ivan always preaches negative splits — start conservatively, build into each lap. It works. Lap 2 was two seconds faster, and I had more left late in the race than competitors who went out hard.
This is his private race strategy checklist!
5. Know Your Neutralizer Protocol
When your heart rate spikes and the heat is winning, you need a deliberate protocol to calm down. Mine was slowing my run pace, taking deeper breaths, and committing to the next station. Identify yours in training before race day.
6. Nutrition Timing Is Individual — Find Yours
500-gram carb load Thursday, 200-gram breakfast at 5:00 AM, gel at 7:15 AM — this was my formula. Test it in training first. What you eat and when matters as much as what you do during the race.
7. Mental Composure Is a Trainable Skill
I regained composure on the row (220 watts, 24 SPM) after a rough lap 5. That didn't happen by accident — I practiced entering stations calm and resetting my rhythm. Practice it in training the same way you'll race.
What I'm Changing For My Next Race
More Zone 2 running — My runs cost me time. More base aerobic work.
Long stations in training — 120 meters of overweight sandbag lunges, 100-meter unbroken burpees, full wall ball sets.
Heat training — If possible, train in the hottest part of the day or add heat acclimation sessions.
Gel protocol — One gel before run 1, one gel after run 5 before the row.
Target: sub-90 minutes
Race Day Stack
Gels × 2 (race morning)
Chalk (in a sealed container — not loose in pockets)
Water strategy at every 500m mark
Garmin for lap tracking
Neutralizer protocol for heart rate management
Final Note
My first HYROX solo sim is done and in the books.
If any of this was useful, my DMs are open — reach out.
David Ledoux
Hola from Mexico. 🇲🇽
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