A New Arena: Cole Sager Takes on HYROX, Part II
Last week, we highlighted Cole Sager’s recent HYROX experience, as he and his fellow CompTrain coaches Bryce Chambers and Jamison Price participated in their first race in Chicago. Chambers and Price competed in the Pro Doubles division, while Sager competed in the Men’s Pro division.
In the second part of the YouTube episode, Sager starts by reflecting on his 12-year career as a professional CrossFit athlete, which also provides insight into why he pursued a new goal in a different sport.
- “It’s the pursuit of things that help refine you in the process. Me at 24, had I won the CrossFit Games, I wouldn’t have won that with grace. I spent 12 years of my life pursuing the same thing. Do you know how many times I hit my target? Zero.”
Sager continued:
- “I had more letdown in the process than grand success. Maybe in the refinement process of pursuing that for so long, it (turned) me into someone who could handle hardship well. And help someone else. I want to be a well-rounded human being for the rest of my life.”
Sager’s goal heading into the race was sub-60 minutes, a time that Sager deems “competitive.” For comparison, this would be between 4-5 minutes off the Elite 15 men, finishing between 53 and 55 minutes.
In the end, he fell short of his goal, finishing in 1:08.37. After the race, he shared that he felt humbled and that it felt hard at every single point. Compromised running was more challenging than he anticipated; it was his limiting factor, he told us later.
- “I was respectable at the stations, as one would assume, given my CrossFit Games background, but what blew my mind was that the Elites in HYROX are doing the stations just as fast, or even faster. I have a lot more respect for the Elite15 than I previously did,” Sager told Morning Chalk Up.
Sager acknowledges HYROX’s comparison to CrossFit, something that has sparked animosity in certain circles and arguments over which sport builds a better athlete. He feels that it’s unfair to lump the two together, as the training and competitions couldn’t be more different.
- “Using solely CrossFit is not going to prepare you very well for a HYROX, similarly to how HYROX training wouldn’t prepare you for a CrossFit comp. CrossFitters would need a more balanced approach to their training, with a fair amount more emphasis on aerobic work, particularly compromised running,” he said.
While he fell short of his goal, a fire has been lit as he prepares for the next one.
- “I am really looking forward to seeing how fast I can get it, while still being able to perform respectably in other arenas. I am currently signed up for Phoenix at the end of January, and I am really excited to adapt the training I am putting together for CompTrain to include more running and help balance out my training for it. I am definitely not satisfied with my performance by any stretch of the imagination,” Sager said.
