FOUR Guyanese athletes made history over the weekend by competing for the first time at the HYROX Fitness competition in Suriname, and Team Fitness Express, fitness icon Dillon Mahadeo and business and fitness lover Jamie McDonald, combined their skills to secure an impressive third-place finish in the Doubles division.
This exciting achievement by Mahadeo and McDonald for Guyana sets in motion a wave that could see the sport introduced in the Land of Many Waters. The other Guyanese who competed in the Dutch nation over the weekend were Thurston Pearce and Anatola Ramsarran in the Individual class.
Mahadeo and McDonald expressed delight at competing successfully against more seasoned athletes and said they’re confident it’s the beginning of good things for fitness lovers.
HYROX is an international fitness racing competition that combines endurance running with functional strength exercises. Competitors complete eight 1-kilometre runs, each followed by a challenging workout station, including sledge pushes, sledge pulls, rowing, SkiErg, burpee broad jumps, farmer’s carries, sandbag lunges and wall balls.
The event tests cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, stamina and mental resilience,
making it a unique combination of distance running and functional fitness.
In the doubles division, two athletes race together, completing the running portions as a team while sharing the workload at the eight exercise stations.
While HYROX has yet to establish a competitive presence in Guyana, neighbouring Suriname has now hosted three competitions, reflecting the sport’s growing popularity in the region.
Mahadeo and McDonald’s third-place finish highlights the potential for Guyanese athletes to compete successfully in this emerging fitness discipline and encourages the future development of HYROX competitions in Guyana.
