Like me last weekend, most travelers on the Thursday afternoon direct flight from Pensacola to New York were headed north for a weekend of eating, drinking and indulging. Local hairstylist Gabrielle (Gabby) Lara and local personal trainer Giorgio Trane had a different destination in mind ~ HYROX New York, one of the world’s fastest-growing fitness competitions.
Held at Pier 76 along the Hudson River, HYROX combines endurance running with functional fitness challenges designed to test both strength and stamina. Competitors complete eight one-kilometer runs, with a workout station between each run that can include everything from sled pushes and rowing to wall balls and burpee broad jumps.
For Lara, the event represented more than just a race, it was a personal goal months in the making.
“I was looking for something to physically and mentally challenge myself,” Lara said.
Originally, Lara had hoped to join a charity team for the Chicago Half Marathon, but when spots filled up she began looking for another challenge. After watching an influencer she follows complete a HYROX race, she knew she had found her next goal.
“I thought to myself, ‘That looks cool. I’m going to find one and sign up for that instead.'”
Lara has been training with Trane for approximately six years, but the pair began specifically preparing for HYROX in February. When it came time to find a partner for the doubles division, Trane offered to step in himself.
What started as a fitness goal quickly became a shared challenge.
Together, the Pensacola duo traveled to New York and completed the race in an impressive 1:25:08 navigating all eight runs and workout stations side by side. They did have a 30 second penalty so Lara states her new goal will be 54 minutes and 54 seconds.
While many of the exercises were familiar from training sessions, Lara said race day still tested her physically and mentally.
“These were pretty much all exercises we normally do with the exception of the burpee broad jumps,” she said. “For me personally, it was a toss-up between that and the running.”
The experience also taught her lessons about preparation and pacing.
“If you’re preparing for this competition, run way more than you think you need to during training,” Lara said. “Once your muscles become fatigued from the strength exercises, running and controlling your heart rate gets harder and harder. Also, don’t come out too strong right out of the gate.”
As HYROX continues to grow in popularity around the world, Lara hopes her experience encourages others to pursue goals that push them outside their comfort zones.
Despite going to New York City for very opposite reasons, it was very cool to see Gabby and Giorgio on my flight to New York City and learn about the challenge and commitment they signed up for. While personally I probably will not be performing in the HYROX anytime soon, I do feel inspired to start strength training again. We can do hard things!
Congratulations to both Gabby and Giorgio from the Local Pulse team! We love seeing Pensacolians do hard things, chase big goals, and represent our city well wherever they go.
