Hundreds of fitness enthusiasts in Abu Dhabi are getting ready to sprint, squat, row and lunge their way through one of the world’s fastest-growing competitions: Hyrox.
Established in Germany in 2017, it’s a fitness race combining endurance and functional strength; the name Hyrox is derived from the words “hybrid” and “rock star”.
The competition comes to the capital for the first time on Saturday. While it has previously been held in Dubai and Sharjah, the sold-out Abu Dhabi race offers both newcomers and returning participants another chance to put their fitness to the test.
‘We can do hard things’
Abu Dhabi resident Sumayyah Marit Raidvere is giving Hyrox a try for the first time. She was convinced to join after seeing videos of the Sharjah event on social media. She says she gave in to the “social pressure” when she heard the race was coming to the UAE capital. Although she’s never participated in an endurance competition, Raidvere has run the Brussels and Adnoc 10K races.
Ranim Kaddoura is also a newcomer who decided to take on a Hyrox event after completing the Adnoc 10K run last year.
Kaddoura originally thought she’d need a full year to prepare after seeing videos online. So when a friend suggested they team up for the July event, she was hesitant. After some convincing, she eventually signed up, with a little more than two months’ notice to train.
She explains that she has a mantra in her household: “We can do hard things.” It’s a message she makes it a point to teach her children. “I don’t like the phrase ‘I can’t’ existing in our house. So this was really a confrontation of things I preach at home. I felt I needed to live up to my word.”
What is Hyrox?
Hyrox has four divisions: open, pro, doubles and relay. Each race – no matter where the location – always has the same format.
I love competition, and I’m constantly chasing that next challenge, so Hyrox felt like the perfect fit
Mariam Tarek,
performance coach in Abu Dhabi
It consists of eight 1km runs, each immediately followed by a functional workout station in this order: 1,000-metre SkiErg, 50-metre sled push, 50-metre sled pull, 80-metre burpee broad jumps, 1,000-metre rowing, 200-metre kettlebell farmer’s carry, 100-metre sandbag lunges and 100 repeated wall balls. The weight for some of the stations will vary based on division.
The energy at a Hyrox event can be electric as it consists of a mix of music, cheering spectators and the constant movement of athletes powering through each station.
‘Constantly chasing that next challenge’
Though the competition is strenuous, those who have participated before believe it is worth it. Mariam Tarek, a performance coach in Abu Dhabi, has taken part in three events already.
“I love competition, and I’m constantly chasing that next challenge, so Hyrox felt like the perfect fit,” she says. “The adrenalin makes you want to go out hot, but that’s mistake number one. Pacing is key. It’s a long race, and if you don’t respect the structure, it will humble you.”
Mariam Diab, a marketing manager who also works as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor, has competed in Hyrox events in both Dubai and Sharjah. Her interest was sparked by her fitness community, made up of fellow trainers and athletes.
“The training journey was fun, having to do it together. Although it was challenging, it was a new type of training,” says Diab, who had only done HIIT and group classes before.
“We had only started training about two or three months before. My partner and I ended up doing the race and were happy with our time result.”
‘Built for inclusivity’
While Raidvere and Kaddoura are preparing for the event in different ways, they share one common denominator: training with a coach who has Hyrox experience.
Steve Pere is the co-founder and a personal trainer at boutique gym GritnCode in Abu Dhabi. Like other gyms, such as F45, GymNation and Warehouse Gym, he runs classes aimed at training those who want to take part. As a bonus, he’s also participated in Hyrox himself.
“Hyrox is built for inclusivity. Unlike CrossFit or obstacle races that require specific skills or technical movements, Hyrox focuses on functional exercises that most gym-goers are already familiar with, such as running, rowing, skiing, sled pushes and pulls, farmer’s carries, lunges and burpees,” he says.
“It’s repetitive by design, with a standard format that allows participants to track and improve their personal time, whether or not they want to compete against others. The structure and exercises help reduce the risk of injury, making it accessible to a wide range of fitness levels.”
Pere has seen people in their 60s as well as those with disabilities successfully cross the finish line, noting there’s a mental and physical toughness in it. Tarek also agrees that although it is challenging, it is something everyone can do.
“The best part about Hyrox? It’s accessible. You don’t have to be an elite athlete. You just need the courage to start,” she says. “Anyone can complete the race. Truly anyone. That’s what makes it special. It welcomes all levels and shows you what you’re really made of.”
‘Movements most people already know’
In terms of physical preparation, Pere says Hyrox offers a weekly training programme for gyms to use, noting that it “doesn’t require mastering complex skills”.
“It’s built on movements most people already know from regular gym training,” he adds. “At GritnCode, our programming is split into specific sessions focused on what you want to improve: strength, endurance, conditioning or technical skills like rowing mechanics.”
Even with a familiar course, nerves can still creep in. For Raidvere, the start corridor, burpee broad jumps, and pacing her runs are like “kryptonite”. Kaddoura points to running as her weakest point. Despite having competed in previous Hyrox races, Diab, too, says running remains the most challenging part for her, while Tarek finds the final workout station the toughest.
“Wall balls, hands down,” she says. “You get to the last station and think ‘this is it’, but your legs are jelly, your arms are shaking and your lungs are begging for air. Still, it’s the most epic part too, especially if the crowd is loud and you’re feeding off that energy. It pushes you through the pain,” she says.
Although difficult, Diab says one of the most memorable moments from the event came as she neared the finish line.
“I loved that my family was cheering me on in my first race,” she says. “It was my birthday, so it was a very memorable moment – celebrating being a year older but also stronger, doing things I’ve never done before, challenging myself, only to prove that age is just a number. And to also set an inspiring example to my daughters.”
Tarek aims to become one of the first Egyptian women to rank among Hyrox’s top athletes. Raidvere, meanwhile, hopes to improve her 5K run time and compete in Hyrox Stockholm later this year alongside her sister. For Kaddoura, the race is a chance to strengthen her mindset beyond just fitness.
Those who have already taken part say Hyrox is more than just a race and that it is for everyone. For those still hesitant, Diab offers some encouragement.
“Go for it, enjoy the journey, don’t think about the time you finish,” she says. “Stepping into the racecourse and taking part means you already achieved and won. Also, never underestimate what you can do; you will be surprised.”
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pocketsTEACHERS’ PAY – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here’s a rough guide as of January 2021:
– top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month – plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated ‘outstanding’ or ‘very good’, followed by American schools
– average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
– it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
– some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
– maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
– at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
– in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANIFrom Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Sole survivors
Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
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Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
Killing of Qassem SuleimaniKilling of Qassem SuleimaniMalcolm & Marie
Directed by: Sam Levinson
Starring: John David Washington and Zendaya
Three stars