'...be the first in the finish line'
Tim Wenisch, the PUMA HYROX athlete, shares his HYROX journey
October 4, 2024Tim Wenisch, the PUMA HYROX athlete, shares his HYROX journey
October 4, 2024PUMA’s global partnership with HYROX continues to showcase the sport’s immense popularity, with over 175,000 participants competing in more than 65 races during the 2023/24 season. This dynamic collaboration has led to the creation of the first-ever PUMA X HYROX collection. To mark this achievement, we had the opportunity to interview PUMA HYROX athlete, Tim Wenisch, about his experiences with HYROX, his most memorable moments, and his goals for the future.
Tim, how did you get started with HYROX Sport?
Tim: I used to do athletics and I was a middle-distance runner, competing in 800 to 1500 meters. Then I stopped at some point and went through a phase where I started doing a bit of strength training and running. I can still remember it quite well. It was 2018, and there were always magazines lying around in the gym. I would read through them during the warm-up,
and one day I came across an article about Hyrox, which was still called Curox back then. I read through it and thought, “Okay, this is actually what I want to do—running and weight training.” So, I signed up straight away in 2018, which was very ambitious, almost too ambitious. There are really funny videos from that time. I did it for the first time, and I think it took me about nine minutes. I’ve been doing it ever since and have loved the way I train ever since.
What does a typical training day look like?
Tim: You have to differentiate between whether you’re in-season, say two or three months before or during competitions, or if you’re in the off-season, typically after the World Championships. The nice thing is that you can increase or maintain your fitness with every training session, and it’s extremely varied.
Many people come from different backgrounds, such as triathlon or swimming, which is beneficial if you’ve built up some cardio performance. But you can approach Hyrox from a broad range of fitness levels. The beauty of the training is that you can incorporate all kinds of activities. You can go into the mountains, take a road bike tour, and train very broadly. You don’t have to spend the whole year in the gym. That’s the exciting thing about the sport and one of the reasons why it’s so successful.
Tim are there any sections where you think, “Oh, I know I can still make up time here even if I wasn’t that fast before”?
Tim: Yes, my strategy so far has always been to give it everything I’ve got from the start and hopefully make it to the end. Because of my endurance sport background, I’ve managed to finish the last few races relatively well. Mentally, it’s possible because you look back and remember having good Lunges and Wall Balls, which sticks in your head. Others may have had bad experiences with the Lunges, affecting their mental approach to the race.
I think it’s generally a good idea to work out a strategy and not get ahead too quickly. As a tip for anyone doing it for the first time, I would suggest being more defensive up to the Sleds, getting through the Sleds well, and then increasing the pace at the end. This way, you finish with a positive feeling. For major races, like the Elite, you have to think carefully about whether to go hard at the start or not. There’s an advantage to both; if you let yourself be pulled away at the beginning, it’s mentally hard to catch up at the end.
When you think back to your career or your time in Hyrox, what stands out in particular? What was your best moment?
Tim: I did a double once, two years ago, and that was the first time I ran sub-50. It was 48:52 or something like that, and that will stay with me forever because it was my first double where we ran under 50 minutes. It’s just nice to have achieved that every time because, even if someone has a world record, they’ve already been beaten. I’ve also lost three world records in one day. It’s not nice, but no matter how many times you beat the world, this sub-50 stays forever, and it really is a moment that sticks with you.
PUMA has now brought out special HYROX products. What do you think about the HYROX shoe?
Tim: Right now, I can’t think of any brand off the top of my head that offers a shoe like this. PUMA is the only one that really has a good shoe.
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Tim, how do you recover from sub-50?
Tim: The nice thing about the competition is the cool places; you always meet lots of people that you wouldn’t normally meet. Of course, I often enjoy myself after the event on Saturdays, and I also like to go partying with everyone who’s there from time to time. However, all the alcohol afterwards doesn’t help with recovery. I always make the same mistake, and the recovery takes a few days longer, usually starting only on Tuesdays. But as I said, you have to celebrate reaching 50 properly in Amsterdam. Generally, I would recommend everyone to get out on the bike afterwards, get a good night’s sleep, or just celebrate the moment and deal with sore muscles the week after.
Cool! We’re already at the last question. What does the future look like in HYROX for you? What are your goals?
Tim: Even outside of Hyrox, the event is always geared towards being your own thing. Hyrox simply offers a form of competition to measure yourself against others. My aim is really to be the first to cross the finish line in every race, and that’s how I approach every event. Whether it works out in the end or not, you can then tell by the fact if someone is fitter. And that’s totally fine. But that’s my goal, even over the next few years. I’ve been doing it since 2018, and I am still running the training and the race. Nothing will change, staying healthy and trying to have a relaxed attitude with training or before training in the competition, and simply having the desire to race. That’s just how I like to go in.
