Boston's HYROX Coaches on Training, Pacing & What No One Tells You Before Race Day

HYROX Boston is back October 8–11 — and whether you're already registered, deep in training, or still on the fence, one thing is clear: Boston's HYROX community has never been more ready.

We sat down with three local HYROX coaches and athletes and asked them everything. From training timelines and pacing strategy to the mistakes that cost athletes the most time, here's what they had to say.

Meet the coaches:

• Sal Martinez — HYROX Performance Coach | EverybodyFights
• Brendan Shea — HYROX Coach & Athlete | MYSTRYDE Athletic Club
• Lauren Keenan-Rich — HYROX Athlete & Coach | Backyard Boston

How They Got Into HYROX

Every HYROX story starts somewhere. Here are theirs.

Sal Martinez, EverybodyFights: Sal found HYROX through CrossFit and a love of running. "A friend told me about an endurance race combining functional movements with running and I was instantly hooked." His first race was in Dubai in 2023. When he returned to Boston and couldn't find a local coach, he sought out official certification himself — and is now one of only three HYROX Performance Coaches in Massachusetts.

Brendan Shea, MYSTRYDE: "HYROX felt like the perfect combination of every phase of my fitness life. I sprinted in high school, spent years heavily involved in CrossFit, and most recently focused on road racing from the 5K up to the marathon. HYROX pulls all of that together in one race." For athletes who've always lived between worlds — too much of a runner for CrossFit, too strength-focused to be just a runner — HYROX clicks in a way that few other formats do.

Lauren Keenan-Rich, Backyard Boston: Lauren's story might be the most relatable of all. Pregnant with twins and already thinking about what came next, she stumbled across a clip of HYROX online. "I knew nothing about it, but I saw all the stations and thought — cool, finally a race for us non-runners. Jokes on me!" She set a goal: HYROX for her 40th birthday. When the race came to Boston, Backyard went all in — training staff, building classes, running clinics and simulations. "Our community was hooked," she says.

Why HYROX Has Taken Over

The sport is growing fast. We asked each coach why.

Sal Martinez, EverybodyFights: "HYROX requires zero technical Olympic weightlifting or complex gymnastics. If you can run, row, push, and pull, you can physically complete the race." No DNF cutoffs. Divisions for beginners, doubles, relays, and pros. And every race across the globe uses the exact same course and sequence — meaning your finish time is a precise, globally comparable data point. "That feedback loop gives athletes a concrete roadmap for training, making progress measurable and deeply addictive."

Brendan Shea, MYSTRYDE: "The events themselves are extraordinarily well run, and the energy on race day is unreal." For a lot of athletes, their first HYROX is also the last time they show up just to finish. The data pulls them back.

Lauren Keenan-Rich, Backyard Boston: "It is a scalable, community-focused race that gives people a purpose to their training. We are in an era of craving community, shared struggles, and celebration — wanting to not feel so isolated, and motivated to keep showing up. HYROX is truly made for everyone."

The Common Thread: Accessibility + purpose + data. HYROX gives athletes something to chase — and a community to chase it with.

The Biggest Training Mistake

All three coaches land in the same place here. The answer might surprise you.

Sal Martinez, EverybodyFights: "People forget that HYROX is mostly a running event. Factor in the Roxzone transitions, and you are running well over 8km — which easily makes up more than half your race time." His advice: reach out to people who have actually completed a race and ask what surprised them most. Better yet, work with an experienced HYROX coach who can guide your programming and help you avoid the pitfalls before you stumble into them.

Brendan Shea, MYSTRYDE: "Too much focus on station work and not enough on running. There's a ton of time to be gained by building aerobic capacity through more running volume. If you can get your running fitness to a solid place, a lot of the time gap on race day closes itself before you even touch a sled."

Lauren Keenan-Rich, Backyard Boston: "They — myself included — try to get really good at all the things immediately. They do a bunch of very intense HYROX-style workouts, piling on fatigue instead of fitness. Focus on the ENGINE, and let the bricks stack." At Backyard, Lauren rotates through three variations of HYROX training to keep athletes building rather than burning.

The Common Thread: Run more. Build the engine first. All three coaches said it — in their own words.

How to Structure Your Training

Timelines and weekly splits, straight from the coaches.

Sal Martinez, EverybodyFights: A 10–12 week block is enough if you commit. Here's his recommended weekly rhythm:

• Monday: Lower Body Strength + Endurance Work
• Tuesday: Upper Body Strength + Erg Work
• Wednesday: Easy Long Run (Zone 2)
• Thursday: Easy Long Bike Ride (Zone 2)
• Friday: Full Body Strength / Interval Running
• Saturday: HYROX-Specific Race Flow
• Sunday: Rest

Brendan Shea, MYSTRYDE: Brendan recommends 16 weeks — enough for two distinct phases. Phase one builds aerobic capacity and strength. Phase two sharpens station-specific movement. His weekly template for first-timers: three running days (one easy, one speed session, one 45–75 minute longer effort) plus two strength and station days — one simulation-style, one pure strength with deadlifts, squats, and sled work.

Lauren Keenan-Rich, Backyard Boston: Lauren takes a more personal approach. "This depends on your current fitness level, your race goals, and how much time you can commit to training — so if anyone has questions, I'd love to chat." What she will say: "HYROX is so special in that it shows you how capable you are. If you are thinking of doing it, go for it. You are more prepared than you think. Grab a team for a relay, a partner, or own the challenge."

Pacing: The Make or Break Factor

This is where races are won and lost. Here's how each coach thinks about it.

Sal Martinez, EverybodyFights: "Too often, people start fast, crush the first half, and then crash." His three-part framework:

• Cadence: Control your running speed to keep your heart rate managed
• Transitions: With around 15 throughout the race, how you move between stations can save or waste precious seconds
• Breaking: Plan your rep schemes in advance — break wall balls into 4 sets of 25 rather than going unbroken. Structure your rest before you need it.

Brendan Shea, MYSTRYDE: Brendan's approach is almost surgical. "I'd recommend going in with a plan for your runs and trying to hit that pace evenly across all eight." He uses the first 200m of every run to recover from the previous station before settling into race pace. The result: "In most of my solo races, all eight runs land within 5 seconds of each other."

Lauren Keenan-Rich, Backyard Boston: Lauren offers a perspective that's easy to overlook: "I am always the last to leave the tunnel, and I feel that has done wonders for my pacing and race execution. It helps lock into the run your race mentality." Racing in doubles until now, she'll be doing her first solo this fall. "I feel like I will learn a lot more about pacing in that race" — a good reminder that even coaches are still figuring it out, one race at a time.

What They Wish You Knew Before Signing Up

Three coaches, three very different pieces of advice — all worth taking seriously.

Sal Martinez, EverybodyFights: "What you wear matters. Wear the right shoes for training and the event, and performance will follow." As a footwear engineer specializing in running and training shoes, this one is personal for Sal — and easy to overlook.

Brendan Shea, MYSTRYDE: "Read the rulebook." The number of ways an athlete can lose time — or get disqualified — without realizing it is startling. Not covering the full sled distance, coming up short on a rep count, a wall ball that doesn't hit the target. "None of it is complicated once you know the rules, but it can wreck a race if you find out the hard way."

Lauren Keenan-Rich, Backyard Boston: "It is so much more than fitness. Do not be discouraged by the elite times you see online. Finishing is the biggest accomplishment. My favorite race thus far was in New York — we were a minute slower, but I had some big wins that day. You don't have to win the race to win the day."

The Bonus Question: One Station, One Month

If you could only train one HYROX station for the next month — what would you choose?

Sal Martinez: "Technically it's not an official station, but it's running. Too often, athletes are not running enough."

Brendan Shea: "Wall balls. The movement can make or break your time, and it's technical enough to require real practice — especially hitting depth on the squat and hitting your target on the throw. I've seen athletes spend 10+ minutes at wall balls because of no-reps. Don't let that happen to you."

Lauren Keenan-Rich: "Running — it's the glue that holds the race together."

Three coaches. Two votes for running. One very compelling case for wall balls.

The Bottom Line

Different backgrounds, different paths to HYROX, and different philosophies — but the same core message runs through all three:

Build the engine. Pace with intention. Show up ready.

HYROX rewards athletes who treat it like a sport, not just a workout. And with Boston's community growing faster than ever, you don't have to figure it out alone.

Looking for where to train? Check out our full HYROX Boston guide for every training club, simulation, and event happening across the city before October 8.

And if you see Sal, Brendan, and Lauren on race weekend — go say hi and cheer them on! 🏋️