236. My First HYROX Sim Experience

August 4, 2026

Dr. Andrew Fix pushed his body through a full HYROX simulation in the Colorado heat and walked away with a hard lesson about pacing that every first-timer needs to hear before race day.

What happens when a plan built on paper meets an actual clock, real heat, and eight stations back-to-back? Andrew found out firsthand at a HYROX simulation held with the team from CrossFit Falcon View. He went out too fast on the ski erg, a decision that cost him on the run that followed, and the pattern repeated throughout the event. Running makes up the majority of HYROX, and it rarely happens on fresh legs, so Andrew breaks down why compromised running deserves a real spot in training plans rather than an afterthought.

Fueling gets its own moment too. A single gel packet, taken with intention rather than panic, made a measurable difference in how he handled the back half of the event. Preparing for something he’d never done before came down to one move. Run the simulation, feel the heart rate spike, and test the fueling strategy before it counts on race day.

He also gets honest about the discomfort of pushing into unfamiliar territory and admits the experience left him humbled about what he thought he knew going in. HYROX rewards people who compete against their own benchmark rather than the person next to them. His finishing time now becomes a marker to measure against and learn from, not a number to chase blindly. For anyone eyeing a HYROX event this year, this episode offers a real look at what preparation actually demands.

Quotes

“Make sure you do a simulation. Get yourself prepared for what the actual race environment is going to feel like rather than showing up on race day.” (13:25 | Dr. Andrew Fix)
“You need to practice fueling on some of these longer runs because you’re going to have to fuel on these race days.” (14:07 | Dr. Andrew Fix)
“You’re comparing yourself against your own thing. It doesn’t have to be you competing with other people. It’s you competing with you.” (16:18 | Dr. Andrew Fix)
“No matter how fit you are, this can still make you feel extremely exhausted.” (16:51 | Dr. Andrew Fix)
“It’s all part of the learning curve and pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone and doing something that challenges you at the end of the day.” (17:10 | Dr. Andrew Fix)

Links

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