by Rachel Tallant
In the last several years, HYROX has become a household name among fitness-goers across the globe. You’ve probably heard of this beast of an event – maybe you’ve even competed in one yourself. Having conquered her first HYROX Challenge in Washington, D.C., this past March, long-time HAC member and Personal Training client Kathy McCord knows first-hand how grueling this athletic feat can be. Kathy not only crossed the finish line — at 68 years old, she proved that grit and determination have no age limit.
Originally from North Jersey, Kathy moved to Delaware after graduating from Princeton with a degree in chemical engineering. Since retiring in 2016, Kathy has been extremely active in her community. She serves on at least five boards, including Archmere Academy, St. Mary of the Assumption, Princeton alumni, and the Ministry of Caring for low-income housing for seniors. Outside of her board work, Kathy focuses on two things: her family and her health.
When she first started working with HAC Personal Trainer Andrea Bradley 15 years ago, Kathy couldn’t run half a mile. The more she trained, the more her stamina grew; she could not only lift more weight but also endure through longer workouts. With Andrea’s encouragement, Kathy eventually joined RUN HAC and has been participating in 5Ks, 10Ks, and half marathons since 2019. “I’m not a fast runner,” she says, “but I just stick to it.” Now she uses races to travel the US and has visited 49 of the 50 states thanks in part to her running.
Kathy’s two grown sons, Christopher and Gregory, are very active themselves and both completed a HYROX competition in Toronto this past October. Kathy and her husband Mike (also an active HAC member) got tickets as spectators to watch their sons compete. “You’re right in there with them,” she remembers. “It was phenomenal – the atmosphere is electric and energizing.” To Kathy’s surprise, when her sons finished the race, they said, “Mom, you could do this. You’re strong and have great endurance.” Her husband agreed.
So, Andrea put together a regimen for Kathy that emulated the race so she could train for HYROX in Washington, D.C., in early March.
If you’re unfamiliar, HYROX is a global indoor fitness race combining 8km of running with 8 functional workout stations, alternating between 1km of running and one workout. It’s for all levels, with no set time limit. Challenges are divided by gender, with the option of doing the challenge in pairs. Competitions are formal – judges are watching, and you must follow the rules! Events typically average 15,000 competitors who are released in waves of 50 every 10 minutes.
The order of events and weights for Kathy’s event were as follows:
- 1 km Run
- 1000 m SkiErg
- 1 km Run
- 50 m 225lb Sled Push
- 1 km Run
- 50 m 175lb Sled Pull
- 1 km Run
- 80 m Burpee Broad Jumps
- 1 km Run
- 1000 m Rowing
- 1 km Run
- 200 m Farmers Carry with 35lbs in each arm
- 1 km Run
- 100 m 22lb Sandbag Lunges
- 1 km Run
- 100 Squat Wall Balls with an 8.8lb ball and a 9ft tall target
During her event-day warm-ups, Kathy was feeling confident. “As soon as I pushed and pulled the sled and did some wall balls, I knew I could finish.” But HYROX is an endurance race – a lot can change between the warm up and the last rep.
On her absolute last event, about 20 wall balls in, Kathy was exhausted. She turned around to a judge and said, “I can’t do this, I don’t know why I signed up, I’m too old, I never should’ve done this.” The judge looked at her and said back, “Are you kidding me? All these young women here are cheering for you. You’re their inspiration. They want to be you one day.” This gave Kathy the fuel to finish. And when she did, so many young women came up to her and her sons. “Your mom is a beast!” they cheered.
Though Kathy’s confidence had waned towards the end of the event, Andrea always believed that she could finish. “Even if it would be physically challenging, I knew mentally she could make it through.” Andrea came to the competition as a spectator for Kathy and was there for her every step of the way. Another HAC trainer, Anthony Brown, texted with Andrea to keep tabs on Kathy’s performance throughout the competition and even bought Kathy a special HYROX shirt as a memento.
HYROX is a grueling competition mostly attended by 20 and 30 year olds. Kathy was the second oldest competitor of the approximately 15,000 athletes.
When asked, “What’s next?” Kathy told me she would love to take the challenge again, either in DC next year or in a new location, hopefully with both her sons and maybe even her husband. She said, “My goal was to finish HYROX (many athletes do not complete the competition), but now that I know I can do it, I would like to improve on my time.”
Kathy’s journey is a powerful reminder that age and self-doubt are no match for determination and community. She proves that the finish line isn’t about medals or rankings – it’s about courage, persistence, and inspiring others along the way. In every arena, Kathy shows us all how to keep moving forward, no matter the challenge.
