Hyrox takes over Cape Town: ‘Very painful, but I really had fun’

702 and CapeTalk’s Africa Melane speaks with fitness enthusiast and Hyrox participant, Palesa Mabuye.

Listen below:

One of the world's fastest-growing fitness races, Hyrox, was back in Cape Town over the weekend.

Dozens of participants gathered at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

The circuit-style race includes eight one-kilometer runs that occur between eight different functional workout stations, such as a sled push, rowing, kettlebell, sandbag, etc.

Mabuye clocked a time of about two hours.

“It was great, but very painful… but I really had fun… It is a marathon of the gym.”

– Palesa Mabuye, Hyrox participant

While she lives an active lifestyle with regular workouts, Mabuye has been preparing for Hyrox since December 2024.

Not feeling confident ahead of the Johannesburg Hyrox in March, she opted to go to Cape Town. 

While it is an extremely physical race, it is equally mentally challenging, she says.

“It is also very mentally [challenging], so the stronger you are, the stronger your race is… Every second of that workout, it’s you speaking to yourself… It’s really a mental game.”

– Palesa Mabuye, Hyrox participant

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the discussion