At Hyrox, a stern test of strength, endurance and determination

Business Times

2 days ago

THIS weekend, the National Stadium at the Singapore Sports Hub in Kallang will be where thousands of athletes – many of them shirtless, sweaty and pumping with adrenaline – will put their strength, endurance and overall fitness to the ultimate test.
To conquer Hyrox – as this popular competition is known as – one has to do everything from burpee broad jumps and sled pulls to rowing and sandbag lunges, to name just a few of the high-intensity workouts involved. There is also a fair bit of running involved – eight rounds of 1 km each.
Those who sign up can choose to either go it alone, team up with a partner in the doubles, or enter the relay. The format is consistent across all events, allowing for global leaderboards and a world championship.
Founded by German entrepreneur Christian Toetzke and two-time field hockey Olympic gold medallist Moritz Furste, Hyrox has come a long way from its first event in Hamburg back in 2018 where there were just 650 participants.
The 2025 season features more than 90 races with over 550,000 athletes and 350,000 spectators, with stops in Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Denmark and the United States, among others.
Singapore staged its first Hyrox event in 2023, followed by two more last year. The latest edition – set to take place on Saturday (Jun 28) and Sunday – has AIA on board as the official title partner, with the event known as the AIA Hyrox Open Asian Championships 2025.
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Besides the usual singles, doubles and relay races, this weekend will see athletes from across Asia compete against one another in a mixed relay championship. There will also be a corporate relay category for the first time where teams of employees will engage in friendly competition.
Hyrox participants have to complete eight rounds of one functional workout station and a 1 km run. PHOTO: HYROX APAC
As part of its sponsorship and in a first for the Hyrox championships, AIA Singapore is providing both participants and sponsors with complimentary personal accident coverage when they purchase their tickets, with the coverage lasting the entire month of June.
AIA Singapore is fielding a team in the corporate relay too, led by chief executive officer Wong Sze Keed. One of the other three members is general counsel and company secretary Penny Koo, who led a team to victory at the Hyrox Hong Kong women's corporate relay last year.
Koo, who is in her 40s and has been with the company since 2012, will be taking part in her fourth Hyrox event. Her last Hyrox outing was in Seoul last month, where she competed in the women's doubles with a friend from her gym.
BT Weekend recently met the affable lawyer at the Bugis Junction branch of Fitness First, an official Hyrox training club and an AIA Vitality partner. During the lively 30-minute chat, Koo opened up about her passion for Hyrox and how she balances the demands of work and her love for exercise and fitness. This transcript has been edited slightly for brevity.
You have been general counsel for the company for eight years now. What does the job entail?
I am responsible for all legal and corporate secretarial matters. I lead a team of 14 people, and we shape the legal strategies for the organisation, and provide advisory, transactional and governance support.
With so much on your plate, do you have to work over the weekends very often?
As an executive in today's world, almost everyone has a work phone, so the job never really stops. You have to set your own boundaries, and I am very privileged that our management team and colleagues respect personal boundaries. For the most part, with the ongoing focus on mental wellness, we really do encourage our folks to take care of themselves. Yes, the work will need to be done, but it is important to have that balance with enough rest, training and exercise.
Have you always been this physically fit and active?
I was born premature, about two months early when my mum fell down the stairs, so I would say I did not have the strongest start in life. I was diagnosed with severe childhood asthma, not long after I underwent surgery at three years old to remove a neck tumour.
I remember spending a lot of time at the hospital when I was a kid, and that also meant that when I went to kindergarten and primary school, I was the student with a doctor's letter to exempt me from PE (physical education) classes.
I thought to myself, hey, life is so unfair. So I tossed out the doctor's note, as I refused to be wrapped in cotton wool all my life. I was quite a stubborn kid. I did get some asthma attacks after I did some running or exercise, but it was not that bad, and I had my inhaler with me.
By the time I was in secondary school, I somehow stopped having these asthma attacks, and things just got better over time. I went on to represent my school in swimming and netball.
Penny Koo training on the SkiErg, a cardio machine that simulates cross-country skiing and involves a pulling motion with handles. This is one of the eight stations at a Hyrox event. PHOTO: AIA SINGAPORE
What is your fitness or exercise routine like these days?
I train every day. I make time for my exercise, and on Sundays I make sure I block out time throughout the week for my training. If it is in the calendar, there is a greater chance that it will happen.
I am up at about 5.30 am, and I will do strength training from about 6.30 am for about two hours, before heading to work. I may go for a run on some evenings. I also enjoy swimming and going for yoga.
How did AIA make the decision to be the title partner of Hyrox in Singapore?
There is clearly a lot of synergy between what we want to achieve together. Our mission and purpose is to help people live healthier, longer and better lives.
Hyrox has been trending for some years now as a very popular event that has mass market appeal, with a global reach and various categories for people of all ages and capabilities. There are also adaptive divisions, so we saw it made a lot of sense (for Hyrox and AIA) to come together.
Other than this weekend's competition at the National Stadium, we are also launching an AIA Ultimate Fitness Fest in August and September, with support from Hyrox. It is a variation of the official Hyrox races with a university edition and an open edition to cater to participants across all fitness levels.
What is it about Hyrox that you enjoy?
It is about being together with like-minded people at a well-run event with a great atmosphere. I have competed at Hryox in three places – Singapore, Hong Kong and, just last month, South Korea. No matter the venue, there is so much energy and everyone is cheering for you, even if they do not know your name or where you are from.
I also think that for people who are starved of time, these types of high-intensity exercises are something that anyone can do in a short amount of time. And when you are doing these high-intensity workouts, I do not think your brain can think about anything else other than what you are doing at that moment.
It is almost like you force yourself to take a break, whether it is from work or your phone or something else. All you can focus on in, that moment, is yourself, and the workout you have committed to attempt and complete.