Hyrox Abu Dhabi

HYROX Abu Dhabi – Heat, Humility & a Whole Lot of Carbs

What a weekend! HYROX Abu Dhabi – the race, the chaos, the glory, the humidity... all wrapped into one big, slightly sweaty adventure.

About a week before the race, we got the news that HYROX Global had officially taken the reins. Cue sigh of relief – we knew we were in for a slick, well-run event. And that’s exactly what we got. Hats off. Smooth check-ins, tidy arena, and water stations at just the right moments (hydration was key – especially when the venue started feeling like a sauna by 8pm).

Team Spirit Level? Oh, we showed up. Over 40 of our crew lined up and absolutely sent it. Proud doesn’t even cut it – they put on a serious show. There were some PBs, a few dramatic collapses at the finish line (the good kind), and enough post-race photos to clog Instagram feeds for days.

The night before, we kicked things off in true endurance athlete style – with carbs. Around 25 of us packed into Dino’s Italian, absolutely demolishing every plate of pasta in sight. There’s something about seeing an entire team casually eating their bodyweight in rigatoni that just screams we mean business.

Now, my race?
Utter disaster. Tried something new. Regretted it immediately. You know it’s a rough day when you're already questioning your life choices mid-sled push. From that point on, it was less “compete” and more “just survive.” By the time 8pm hit, I wasn't sure if it was the heat or the fact I’m usually halfway through my evening chamomile by then – either way, it was spicy.

But silver linings! I got the chance to sit down with one of the big dogs from HYROX Global on Saturday morning. Had a great chat about what’s brewing in the region, offered up my support (because let’s be real, I’m fully obsessed with this sport), and got some juicy updates.

The hot gossip?
No, there won’t be a HYROX Dubai race at Expo this November (sorry, rumour mill). But don’t stress – the Middle East is firmly on the map. HYROX Global is working to bring races to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah, Riyadh, Bahrain and Cairo. Music. To. My. Ears. And hopefully yours too.

Even better, I learned how much effort goes into these events behind the scenes. They’re constantly testing, improving, tweaking (and probably not sleeping much) to make the races better and more consistent across the globe. They’re even working on regulating arena temperatures – yes, really – to make each race feel the same whether you're in Manchester or the Middle East.

They’re also addressing the sled turf drama (yes, they know it’s a bit wild) and improving tech like the wall ball counters – which, I was told, are now laser-accurate. “Do people think we spent all this money on new sled turf to make it worse?” he said. Good point. Painful… but fair.

So next time you’re about to shout “MY SLED WAS HEAVIER,” just remember: these folks are working their butts off to make this sport better. And honestly, they’re doing a cracking job.

Massive thanks to the HYROX team for building something this epic. We're lucky to have it, and I can’t wait to see what this next Middle East season brings.

Catch you on the start line (hopefully on a faster sled lane),

George

Dino’s Italian Abu Dhabi