Northern surprise
Marcus Wallace surprised many — including the race organizers — by winning the first North American contest of the new Hyrox season last weekend in Toronto. Racing in several heats behind the favorites, Wallace finished in an impressive 57:57, a personal best by more than three minutes.
The Hybrid Letter spoke with Marcus about his breakthrough performance, transitioning from CrossFit to Hyrox, and his renewed hope of breaking into the Elite 15.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Hybrid Letter: Can you tell us a bit about you and your athletic background?
Marcus Wallace: I was a CrossFit gym owner for over 10 years. Last winter, our building got bought, and we had to leave pretty quickly. Now I do remote sales for a company in the gym space. I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with my wife and two kids, which takes up a lot of my time.
Growing up, I was into football, basketball, and track all through high school. I played football in college, but I always tell people that track was really my sport. I was bigger and faster, so I got recruited for football, but track was where I excelled. After college, I went right into owning the CrossFit gym. I did CrossFit mainly for fitness, not competitively. At 6’3" or 6’4", I’m not exactly built for CrossFit. I started Hyrox in 2022.
THL: What initially got you interested in Hyrox?
MW: I’ve always been a more endurance-oriented CrossFitter. I’d do a sprint triathlon here or a century bike ride there. Biking was probably my most serious endurance activity, though not at a high level. It was something I’d do a few hours a week alongside CrossFit, so that drew me to Hyrox. With my track background, I was naturally decent at running, although I’m one of the weaker runners in the field now.
THL: Coming from CrossFit, what were some things you had to work on to find success in Hyrox?
MW: Before my first Hyrox race, I thought I was running a lot, but I was only doing about 10 miles a week. I came out a little too fast and was definitely crashing by the end. So, endurance was a big focus. I was good at the stations from the start, but I needed to work on not expending too much energy in them and being able to run fast coming out of them. That’s been the focus — maintaining speed while managing energy.
THL: Did you have a goal in mind for Toronto?
MW: In Dallas in 2023, I ran just over 61 minutes. In Anaheim’s last-chance qualifier earlier this year, I tried to come out fast with everyone and blew up. I knew I was capable of a faster time. For Toronto, I was thinking low 59s and would’ve been happy with anything under an hour.
THL: How has your training changed?
MW: At first, it was mostly CrossFit with a bit of running. After my first race, I started working with Rich Ryan, and he upped my endurance and running game a lot. I worked with him for about a year, up until Deka Worlds in 2023. Then, after my gym shut down, I took a break and trained on my own for a while. After Anaheim, I started following the Hybrid Engine program with Lauren [Weeks] and Anthony [Peressini]. It’s the standard programming — not one-on-one — but I’m good at sticking to it and checking all the boxes each day.
THL: What has your running volume increased to now?
MW: For the two races before Toronto, I was running about 20-30 miles a week. I’m a bigger guy, around 205-210 pounds, so I’m careful not to overdo it. I was splitting my running with a lot of indoor cycling. Recently, I’ve pushed my volume up to about 40-45 miles a week.
THL: Do you prefer racing the clock or racing against people?
MW: In Toronto, the heats were alphabetical at first. Dawson Miller, who came in second, is a buddy of mine and lives in the same neighborhood. We train together sometimes. Initially, he was in a later heat, and we were trying to get him moved up. Eventually, they bumped him back into my heat with no explanation, but it worked in my favor. He’s a metronome when he runs—super consistent. I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep up with him, but staying close would mean I was doing well. It turned out to be good for me, even though he was upset about not being in the first heat.
THL: What are your goals for this season?
MW: My number one goal was to qualify for Worlds in Chicago. I just aged into the 35-39 category, so I knew I had to beat David Magida and another fast Canadian guy in my age group. Now that I’ve secured that, my focus is on the Elite Doubles with Dawson in Houston. As for the Elite 15, I had kind of given up on that, but if I run fast in Chicago, we’ll see.
THL: How do you decide when to race?
MW: I did some last-minute Deka last year. I was signed up for Hyrox in Chicago, but the week before, I got shingles. I was training for that race, and that’s when we found out my gym was closing. I told myself I wasn’t stressed, but I guess I was. I took a 14-month break from Hyrox after that. I like the challenge of Hyrox and trying to figure out the puzzle. My wife works weekends as a nurse, so we have to coordinate. I have to pick and choose my races.
THL: What is your overall approach to training and recovery?
MW: I just stick to what’s programmed for me. I try to check all the boxes. One thing I do well is not attaching too much meaning to any one workout. I have my paces, and I try to hit them without trying to be a hero. In the Hybrid Engine, we do CrossFit-style workouts, but there’s a note that says you don’t have to attack all of them. If you feel good, go for it; if not, just get the work done. The threshold runs are key for me—I do them twice a week and make sure I’m hitting my paces. The goal is consistency. If I can get a couple of years of consistent run training, I think I’ll get to where I want to be. For recovery, I don’t do anything too special. My parents have a sauna and cold plunge in their basement, so I use that when I visit. I’ve increased my eating and intra-workout fueling, which has helped a lot.
THL: What is your mental approach to a race?
MW: I did better in this last one. Dawson skied hard, and I came out about 20 seconds after him. I’m good at skiing because I’m bigger, but I kept my pace at 1:51-1:52 to keep my heart rate low. I figured if I did that, I could get 11-12 minutes into the race with a low heart rate. That put me in a good spot. I try to stay calm. My best stations are at the front, but I don’t have to win those stations. I can relax a bit going into them, come out with the other guys, and push harder later on. I got a little fired up at the end. I heard them announcing David Magida as the first Canadian champion. I didn’t check my time until I crossed the finish line. I was a little surprised but happy to see it.
THL: How have you seen Hyrox change since you started racing?
MW: The level of competition has increased a lot. In my first race, I came in third, not knowing much. That wouldn’t happen now. The number of people at events is crazy. I heard there were over 7,000 people over the two days. To be honest, I avoid going to the venue too much. I get there an hour before my race, warm up, and leave after. It’s a bit overstimulating for me.
You can follow Marcus on Instagram.
Weeks and Roncevic win the season's first Hyrox major
The Hyrox Elite 15 competed in their first major race of the year on Thursday evening in Amsterdam.
On the women's side, Lauren Weeks took first place with a world record time of 57:28. Weeks edged out reigning world champion Meg Jacoby, who posted a personal best time of 58:00. (Jacoby’s time was the second-fastest ever.) Joanna Wietrzyk secured the third bid for the Hyrox World Championship in Chicago next June, finishing in 59:28.
In the men's race, reigning world champion Alex Roncevic won again with a time of 53:31, just shy of the men’s world record. James Kelly was right on his heels, finishing in 53:53. Ryan Schadegg, who had to withdraw from the 2024 Hyrox World Championship due to health issues, finished third, crossing the finish line in 55:17.
You can watch both races on YouTube:
And check out The Hybrid Letter's interviews with the winners:
Hybrid Athlete of the Week: Chelsea Grant
Name: Chelsie Grant
Age: 30
Hometown: Toronto
When did you start hybrid racing? I was a competitive hockey player, but after I retired, I felt a bit lost with my fitness. In 2019, I started training at F45 and found a spark again. I loved the community, the intensity of the workouts, and I saw great progress in my fitness. Last summer (2023), I wanted to test that fitness and found a DEKA event to compete in. After that first race, I was hooked.
What is your favorite race to date? The ones that stand out the most are all team races. There’s something about racing with a partner that pushes me to give that little bit extra. One special team race this year was with my coach, Amber Tait, back in April. We set the Women’s Team DEKA Strong World Record (at the time). That record has since been beaten (by Amber and Terra Jackson), which I think is great for the sport. It continues to draw attention and inspire other female athletes, myself included, to keep pushing and see what we can achieve.
Do you have a race goal? My goal for this year was to qualify for three elite races at the DEKA World Championships after placing second in my age group last season. I’m pretty happy to say I exceeded that goal and qualified for six elite DEKA races this year! Now my focus is on DEKA Worlds, and I’m bringing everything I’ve got to those races.
Favorite station? RAM burpees. It’s the last station of the race, and the only thing between you and the finish is those 20 reps. Something inside me always kicks into another gear here. My husband says I look like I’m going to “launch the RAM into space.” Some friends started calling me the “burpee slayer,” and I like that nickname a lot.
Least favorite station? It’s the assault bike. No matter how much I train on it, it sucks just as much every time. That said, I wouldn’t take it out of the race! It’s that critical part where the race starts to hurt, and you have to choose to dig deep and push through the pain.
Things you wish you knew when you started training/racing? Don’t be afraid to reach out to others in the sport and ask questions! The community is amazing, and people love sharing their experiences and knowledge to help others improve.
I originally read this name as “Marcellus” Wallace.