Hyrox's sister act
Charlotte and Margot Vandenlindenloof have quickly become one of the most formidable duos in Hyrox. Since the sisters first teamed up in 2023, they’ve raced doubles over 17 times, collecting seven first-place finishes along the way. This year, they qualified for the Hyrox Doubles Elite 15, placing third in Paris with a time of 57:16. They followed that up with a 56:20 in London a few weeks later.
The Hybrid Letter spoke with the Vandenlindenloofs about how they complement each other, the mental edge required for head-to-head racing, and how they’ve built a bond that thrives under pressure.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Hybrid Letter: Can you both tell us a little bit about how you got into Hyrox?
Charlotte Vandenlindenloof: We did our first races separately in 2022, and then our second race—our first as a team—was in 2023.
Margot Vandenlindenloof: Our first race was in Amsterdam. We had signed up individually, but when we got there, we saw all these teams competing together and thought, Why didn’t we register as a team? It just looked so much better. That’s where it really started for us. Charlotte actually won her first race and qualified for the World Championships, and that made us realize there might be some potential here. We thought, Maybe if we do this together, we could be good enough to qualify. And then when we did our first doubles race, we realized—okay, if we really dedicate ourselves to training, we could make something of this.
THL: What were your athletic backgrounds before Hyrox?
MV: We both came from track and field—Charlotte still does it. I used to race the 800 and 1500 meters. But I put too much pressure on myself and ended up losing the fun of training and running. Eventually, I just stopped. I didn’t run at all for a while and switched over to CrossFit. I did that for two or three years and barely ran, except maybe 400 meters in a workout. After Amsterdam, though, I knew I had to start running again if I wanted to get better. I still don’t always love it, but Hyrox helped me rediscover a love for running. That’s been a really nice side effect.
THL: How do you approach a doubles race strategically?
MV: I think our biggest strength is that we’re good at different things. Take lunges—I absolutely hate them and I’m not very good at them. But Charlotte is a machine. She’s also the stronger runner, so usually she runs in front and sets the pace. The only exception is maybe the couple minutes right after the lunges when she’s recovering. Then I lead briefly, but once she’s ready again, she takes over and I just hang on.
CV: But then Margot crushes the wall balls. She does 80 of them at the end, no problem.
MV: That’s thanks to CrossFit. I actually love wall balls. They’re one of my favorite movements.
THL: Do you both train similarly when it comes to volume and mileage?
CV: Not exactly. Since I still do track and field, I’m more focused on running. I do more intervals and probably more mileage overall. Margot does more strength training and Hyrox-specific work. It’s a different focus for each of us, but the combination seems to work really well.
MV: It might benefit me to add a bit more running, but I’m also cautious about doing too much and losing the fun of training. I really enjoy strength work and gym training, so for me the current balance feels good. I want to keep it sustainable and enjoyable.
THL: The first time you raced together, was there anything that surprised you?
MV: I’m not sure it was surprising, but I definitely felt less nervous racing with Charlotte than racing alone. There are two sides to it. On one hand, you don’t want to disappoint your partner. They’ve trained hard too, and you want to give your best. But on the other hand, it’s comforting because not all the pressure is on you.
One thing we’ve always felt—since that very first race together—is that we’ll never be upset with each other for not performing well. That really helps. If one of us is struggling or can’t finish a station, the other is there to step in. We know each other well enough to communicate without speaking.
CV: Sometimes we only say two words to each other during the entire race. There have even been races where we’ve said nothing at all.
THL: When a race gets tough, what do you each do mentally to push through?
CV: I try to remind myself of all the training. A race is like a celebration of all the work you’ve put in. It doesn’t always go according to plan, but even the tough races are valuable. I’ve learned more from the bad races than the good ones. It’s all part of the process.
MV: For me, it’s about not wanting to let my partner down—not in a pressure way, but in a motivational way. If I’m in a dark place or feel like I’m out of energy, I just think: We’re doing this together. That really helps me push through.
THL: You had your sights set on Elite Doubles all season. How did that experience compare to the 15+ other doubles races you've done?
CV: It was completely different. In most of our races, it's basically a time trial—you just try to go as fast as you can. But in the Elite Doubles race, we actually had to race other teams head-to-head. The judges were really strict. There were definitely some panic moments. It felt like a whole different type of race.
MV: Exactly. Usually we’re just focused on our own pace and rhythm. But this time, we were surrounded by strong teams and everyone was flying. I’m not the fastest runner, so when I see others pulling away on the runs, it’s tough. You’re constantly trying to calculate—How far can they go before I lose too much ground? Do I need to push now or wait for the stations? Mentally, that’s really hard. The pacing becomes much more tactical.
CV: And Margot actually led the first run! That almost never happens. She said everyone started so fast, but she was one of the first ones out. It was fun to see.
THL: What was the most difficult part of your Elite 15 qualifying race?
CV: The sled pull was rough. We lost about a minute there and didn’t understand why at the time. We thought maybe we had done something wrong. And then the wall balls—we got a lot of no-reps for depth even though we were going below parallel. I think we ended up doing around 120 wall balls. It was frustrating.
MV: We made some small but costly mistakes. At one point I did a burpee and jumped maybe half a meter forward, but my heel landed on the line so I had to do another rep. On the rower, my feet got stuck in the straps and we lost some time there too. When you know every second counts, those little things get in your head. It was especially stressful since the battle for third place was so close.
CV: We never felt secure at any point in that race. But our last few stations are strong, and once we came into the rower in third place, we felt like we had a real chance. I think we gained ground again during the lunges.
THL: How has racing solo helped your performance as a doubles team?
CV: I think we’ve done a fairly equal number of solo races. I’ve done one Pro race and three Open, while Margot has mostly raced Pro and also did the Barcelona Last Chance Qualifier.
MV: I was actually a bit disappointed with that race. I didn’t feel like I showed everything I could do, and overall the experience didn’t feel great. But from a training perspective, solo racing is excellent. It really tests your fitness and endurance. The doubles race may feel a bit lighter since you’re sharing stations, but the pacing is different. I’m not sure how much it translates exactly, but both formats bring something valuable. I’d like to do more solo races next season, but doubles will still be our main focus.
THL: How are you approaching the World Championships this year, especially with it being your first race abroad?
MV: We both qualified to race solo in our age group but decided to skip it so we could focus fully on Elite Doubles. That said, I’m second in line for a roll-down spot for Elite 15. Of course, I hope all the women are healthy and able to race, but if the opportunity comes, I’ll take it. It would mean three days of racing, which would be tough—but a lot of the other Elite 15 women are doing both doubles and individual too, so it would be a level playing field.
CV: We experimented with some changes during the London race since we had already qualified in Paris. We had nothing to lose, so we took some risks—and it paid off. We got a one-minute PR. I think we’re going to keep that strategy and just push a little harder at Worlds.
MV: We’re a little nervous about everything surrounding the race—interviews, the scale of the event—because we don’t have a lot of experience with that side of things. I think we can be a bit awkward sometimes, but we’re excited. It’s going to be an amazing experience to race alongside athletes we admire and get to know some of them a bit better.
You can follow Charlotte and Margot on Instagram.
2025 Hyrox World Championships: Elite 15 Preview
Next Thursday is the start of the 2025 Hyrox World Championships in Chicago. The premier race is the Elite 15 singles, which takes place on Thursday evening. You can watch the action live on YouTube beginning at 6:30 PM Eastern.
Athletes qualified for the race by placing in the top three in one of four major races held during the season — Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, and Glasgow. (15 athletes qualify for those major races through an average of their two best pro times over the last year.) If an already qualified athlete finished in a qualifying position at a major, the qualification spot rolled down to the next finisher. The final three spots were determined by a last-chance qualifier in Barcelona, which was open to anyone.
In the women’s field, three-time champion Lauren Weeks is the consensus favorite, having won three majors this year and setting the world record. Weeks finished second in last year’s race to Meg Jacoby, who withdrew from the field as she recovers from back surgery. Jacoby was replaced by the 4th-place finisher in Barcelona, 2022 World Champion Kris Ruglowski.
Weeks is expected to be challenged by a strong field, including 21-year-old Joanna Wietrzyk, who is the only woman to beat Weeks in a race this year.
In the men’s field, James Kelly, last year’s 3rd place finisher, had a strong season, winning two majors and finishing second in another. He will be challenged by the 2024 champion, Alexander Roncevic, and the winner of the Las Vegas Major, Dylan Scott.
Looming over the field is Hunter McIntyre, the three-time champion and world record holder. McIntyre, however, has not won a major race since 2023.
All the favorites will have to compete against a stacked field, featuring many athletes capable of a win or podium finish. Rich Ryan, Tim Wenisch, Beau Wills, and Pelayo Menendez Fernandez have had particularly strong seasons.
Hyrox is also streaming the Elite 15 Doubles Race (6/14, 7:20 Eastern) and the Mixed Relay Invitational (6/13, 7:20 Eastern), where two men and two women from each country face off.
Hybrid Athlete of the Week: Carly Chavez Gomez
Name: Carly Chavez Gomez
Age: 36
Hometown: Denver, CO
When did you start hybrid racing? I started hybrid training about two years ago. I used to mainly be a runner, but four years ago I began incorporating weight training along with running. I discovered Hyrox around that time, and that’s when I really started diving into hybrid-style workouts.
Favorite race to date? Dallas, TX in March 2025. It was a last-minute decision to sign up, but I’m so glad I did—I ended up placing first in my age group in Women’s Pro.
Race goal? My last race time was 1:07, and I’d love to bring that down to at least 1:05.
Favorite station? I love the running aspect of Hyrox, but if I had to pick a station, I’ve really come to enjoy the sled pull.
Least favorite station? The burpees.
Something you wish you knew when you started racing? How addicting it is! After my first race, I was hooked. I’ve met so many wonderful people at every event, and the community is incredibly supportive—that’s a big part of what makes the experience so special.