"I actually registered
three days before the event"
Interview with PUMA HYROX Elite athlete Linda Meier
September 13, 2024Interview with PUMA HYROX Elite athlete Linda Meier
September 13, 2024PUMA’s worldwide partnership with HYROX continues to highlight the global success of the sport, which saw more than 175,000 participants compete in over 65 races during the 2023/24 season. This exciting collaboration has now given rise to the first-ever PUMA X HYROX collection. To celebrate this milestone, CATch up had the pleasure of interviewing the PUMA HYROX Elite athlete, Linda Meier, about her HYROX journey, her highlights, and her future aspirations.
Linda, how did you get started with HYROX Sport?
Linda: That was quite funny. It was more or less a coincidence for me. I found out about a HYROX event at my gym through friends who had signed up for it. They asked me if I wanted to join and I thought to myself, “I don’t really know what it is, but doing a competition like this together sounds really good. You like running and strength training, so it can’t be too bad. I actually registered three days before the event and did my first HYROX. I have continued ever since.”
And in how many did you take part in or is it impossible to count?
Linda: I would have to check, but I’d say about eleven, twelve, thirteen. There were definitely a few.
What does a typical training day look like?
Linda: I think it’s actually relatively similar for everyone now. Those who didn’t start with running had to focus more on it initially. Others might still be looking at the exercises, perhaps more in strength training or the combination of both. But over time, it has probably become clear that all training sessions or plans are relatively similar.
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There are various disciplines that you have to do, in addition to running. Which one do you find the most difficult?
Linda: Physically, I would say running after the Sled Push. Mentally, I definitely find the Wall Balls at the end challenging. I think every workout has its pitfalls. It’s important to be able to pace yourself well. You also learn this through the competition experience. Looking back at my first race, I think I sprinted the first kilometre in 00:03:02 and was already completely exhausted. But you just let yourself be pulled along a bit. Initially, I found the Ski Ergometer difficult, but it comes down to the whole competition. It really depends on how I approach the competition and how tactically I position myself to have the mindset to pull off the Wall Balls at the end. So, it’s really a combination of everything.
When you think back to your career or your time in HYROX, what stands out in particular? What was your best moment?
Linda: When I did the season opener in Basel (Switzerland) and ran the world record there. It was really just a test run for me. But I still don’t think that was the best moment. I don’t come from a competitive background, and it was never the plan; I just did it for myself.
The best moment happened in Amsterdam two weeks later. I went with my family and two friends, and they cheered me on. It was the first time they really saw what I do all day. It takes up a lot of time, and it was the most beautiful finish line and the most beautiful HYROX experience. Feeling their support made me realize that I’m not doing it alone. Even if my environment isn’t so into HYROX or sport, they were still behind me, and I thought that was very cool.
PUMA has now brought out special HYROX products. What are the special requirements for a HYROX shoe?
Linda: You have to deal a little bit with the subject of HYROX. You might have a shoe that’s perfect for running but not at all suitable for workouts. Or you simply have a good training shoe that would be great for workouts, i.e., one that gives you stability so that you don’t twist your ankle or knee or provides a good stance for wall balls, but it’s just a bad running shoe. What PUMA is currently trying to do is to standardize exactly that, so that it’s not just a running shoe or a training shoe, but really a HYROX shoe. I can’t think of any other brand that is dealing with this topic at all, trying to get it all together in one shoe.
What does the future look like in HYROX for you? What are your goals?
Linda: What are my goals? Well, what’s coming up for me in the next HYROX season is simply to grow even further. That has always been my biggest focus: to run my personal best, to work on myself in the workouts in the individual areas, and to get better at running. It’s a holistic approach, focused on myself rather than others. I know that this is where I am most successful. I think the last few competitions have shown that when I focus on myself, I perform at my very best. I’m not a professional athlete; I have a full-time job that has nothing to do with sports at all. In other words, it really is just a hobby for me, and I can still say that I’m in the Elite with the amount of training I can do. My goal is simply to continue to push myself in the same way and make sure that I stay in the Elite for as long as I can.
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