HYROX Bologna
Final time
1:12:20
On 24 December 2025 I decided not to train for a race, but to become an athlete. Not the same thing. For me HYROX isn't just a performance: it's a test of consistency between what you say you want and what you do when you're tired and your head is pitching you a thousand clever excuses to quit.
Three and a half months later, on 6 April 2026, I finished HYROX Bologna in Doubles with Iaco, my business partner. One hour and twelve minutes. It was my first race.
The three principles
HYROX is a pact with fatigue
I don't need to feel ready, I need to show up. I train to hold on when my body is asking me to stop.
You need an engine, but also a brain
Pace, breathing, transitions, technique, head. If I let my ego drag me along, I pay sky-high interest.
Consistency beats intensity
Train even on an average day. Sleep, eat clean, recover. Progress is accumulation.
The road
24 Dec 2025
The decision
I start with 30-minute circuits: rower, goblet squat, jump burpees, push press. Four rounds, effort at 9 out of 10, and a diary where I write down every session.
12 Jan 2026
Iaco joins the gym
I rework my week so we can train together, both in play2match t-shirts. In Doubles the loads are the same as in singles: what changes is how you split the work, and the training has to be rethought around that.
21 Jan 2026
The first full HYROX in the gym
Strength, running and stations with no breaks. For two days my legs are made of wood. I learn lesson number one: recovery is part of training.
14 Feb 2026
Ten kilometres, locked in
For the first time I finish a full 10 km on the Saturday long run, and from then on that becomes the baseline. Meanwhile, inside the circuits, my running pace goes up from 11 to 12 km/h.
16 Feb 2026
The wall ball problem
Nine minutes of wall balls at the end of a circuit. The problem wasn't strength, it was strategy: too many breaks. I change approach and within a week the circuit drops by a minute and a half, with weights above race weight.
17 Feb 2026
Training the weak spot instead of dodging it
Lunges, when they come after fatigue. Leg sessions built exactly for that, with the front squat at the centre.
22 Mar 2026
Sixteen kilometres by mistake
My Garmin is set to miles: I think I'm running 10 km and I end up doing 16. Turns out the engine holds up much better than I thought. The limit is my muscles, not my lungs.
25 Mar 2026
The sled
At a specialised gym I work on the sled with a trainer: 155 kg pushed, 105 pulled. Here too the problem wasn't strength, it was technique.
31 Mar 2026
Activate, don't destroy
Last week, no tests to prove anything. Technique, strategy, and three days of complete rest.
6 Apr 2026
Race day
The race, split by split
Eight one-kilometre runs, eight stations, and the transitions in between.
| Segment | Time |
|---|---|
| Run 1 | 4:49 |
| SkiErg | 3:55 |
| Run 2 | 4:55 |
| Sled push | 1:58 |
| Run 3 | 5:41 |
| Sled pull | 2:54 |
| Run 4 | 5:36 |
| Burpee broad jump | 2:45 |
| Run 5 | 5:33 |
| Row | 4:26 |
| Run 6 | 5:00 |
| Farmer's carry | 1:42 |
| Run 7 | 4:51 |
| Sandbag lunges | 3:10 |
| Run 8 | 4:50 |
| Wall ball | 4:07 |
| Transitions (Roxzone)all of them combined | 6:08 |
| Total | 1:12:20 |
What I learned
What worked
- The SkiErg: steady pace, no panic.
- Lunges, which aren't the enemy anymore. The leg work showed.
- The last two runs under 4:52, after all that fatigue. I was running well again at the end.
- I never stopped and I finished strong.
Where I lost time
- Burpees: rhythm, flow and above all mental energy.
- Transitions: six minutes you don't notice during the race, glaring in the numbers.
- Wall balls: I didn't fall apart, but there's a lot of room to gain there.
After
- Four hours of sleep and legs wrecked for days. Two days later my body restarts and I can breathe again.
“I don't need to build more, I need to fine-tune better.”
FAQ
What is HYROX Bologna Doubles?
It's the HYROX race held on 6 April 2026 (Bologna), which Simone Tabellini raced in the Doubles category, with Iaco. Eight one-kilometre runs alternating with eight functional stations.
What was Simone Tabellini's time at HYROX Bologna?
1:12:20. My first HYROX race, paired with Iaco, my business partner. Three and a half months of prep, finished in an hour and twelve.
How did he prepare?
The decision (24 Dec 2025): I start with 30-minute circuits: rower, goblet squat, jump burpees, push press. Four rounds, effort at 9 out of 10, and a diary where I write down every session. Iaco joins the gym (12 Jan 2026): I rework my week so we can train together, both in play2match t-shirts. In Doubles the loads are the same as in singles: what changes is how you split the work, and the training has to be rethought around that. The first full HYROX in the gym (21 Jan 2026): Strength, running and stations with no breaks. For two days my legs are made of wood. I learn lesson number one: recovery is part of training.
What did he learn?
The SkiErg: steady pace, no panic. Lunges, which aren't the enemy anymore. The leg work showed. The last two runs under 4:52, after all that fatigue. I was running well again at the end. I never stopped and I finished strong.