Fitness

Nguyễn Tiểu Phương raises the national flag in Chicago at the HYROX World Championships. Photos courtesy of Tiểu Phương

HÀ NỘI — Marathon runner Nguyễn Tiểu Phương has made history as the first and only Vietnamese athlete taking part in the HYROX World Championships, a global indoor fitness race that is currently ongoing in Chicago, US.

With over 500,000 HYROX athletes around the world competing this season, Chicago's iconic Navy Pier area will bear witness to the historic fitness competition. Only the top 1 per cent of athletes qualify, earning an invitation to compete for the title of HYROX World Champion.

Phương secured her ticket to join the world elite and pro athletes after she topped the podium in the 50-54 age group at the Hyrox event in Incheon, South Korea, placing 20th in the overall ranking with a time of 1hr 55:26min.

"I come here to learn from other rivals and improve my ability," Phương told Việt Nam News.

Nguyễn Tiểu Phương in a training session.

"HYROX was founded in 2017 in Germany to give fitness practitioners and gym-goers an opportunity to compete with each other. It is a combination of both running and functional workout stations. In my opinion, HYROX can be considered the most comprehensive sport."

"I have spent about one year training and have taken part in numerous competitions to earn my slot. I will try my best and hope to complete my race in under 1.52 hours, which is currently Việt Nam's record," said Phương, who will compete on Saturday at her own expense.

Phương said that since the first tournament was organised, the number of events and participants have rapidly expanded worldwide, especially in Europe and the US.

Although not typically seen as a tough sport, Asian athletes — including those from Việt Nam — have not yet made names for themselves in many competitions, because HYROX has only recently taken off in this part of the world.

"In Việt Nam, many people have practised HYROX and have taken part in events in Taiwan, South Korea and Thailand. But none of them has entered top three," Phương said.

"I am proud to be a pioneer of unknown or little-known sports in Việt Nam. But this time is totally different. In the six World Marathon Majors, you can either qualify based on your time, win a lottery, run for a charity or travel with a tour operator. In HYROX, the only way to compete is to win the top spot at an official event," said Phương, adding, "It is a prestigious tournament!"

Phương is the first Vietnamese runner to earn a six-star medal, which is awarded to those who complete the original six World Marathon Majors.

The Majors are the most prestigious marathons in the world: the Tokyo Marathon, the Boston Marathon, the London Marathon, the TCS Sydney Marathon, the Berlin Marathon, the Chicago Marathon and the New York City Marathon.

Nguyễn Tiểu Phương will take part in running and functional workouts in the world championships.

Taking part in this year's tournament will pave the way for the nation's top fitness coach to also wave the Vietnamese flag at the 2026 HYROX World Championships in Sweden.

In Chicago, athletes will run and do a functional workout station, repeated eight times. The race is hosted indoors in expansive exhibition halls, creating an immersive and electrifying atmosphere.

Among the workouts is the 1000m Ski Erg. This erg predominantly targets the arm, shoulder and core muscles. When done efficiently, it also involves muscles in the lower body – making the Ski Erg a full body workout.

The 50m Sled Push exercise targets the lower body muscles, including the entire posterior chain, core and anterior thigh muscles.

Meanwhile, the 80m Burpee Broad Jump station is a full body workout that is both loved and hated at the same time due to its difficulty.

Nguyễn Tiểu Phương (left) competes in the Incheon Hyrox last month.

Other stations include the 50m Sled Pull, 1000m Rowing, 200m Farmers Carry, 100 Wall Balls and 100m Sandbag Lunges.

The race format remains consistent across the globe, enabling global leaderboards and a cumulative World Championships at the end of each race season.

The HYROX World Championships are the pinnacle of each HYROX season, where the fastest racers from around the world come together to battle it out for the highly sought after title of ‘Age Group World Champion’.

Male and female HYROX winners will receive US$7,500 each in the 2024-2025 season. _ VNS