Maria Fecik has rapidly transitioned from ultrarunning to the elite ranks of Hyrox, establishing herself as one of Canada's most accomplished athletes. She has a BA in kinesiology and an MBA and is using both to run a training business, The Holistic Athlete, with her husband Mike.
The Hybrid Letter chatted with Maria about the evolution of her training, the challenges of racing against the elites, and how she thinks about pain.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Hybrid Letter: How did you first find Hyrox?
Maria Fecik: My husband is also a coach. He’s been coaching longer than I have. He started his coaching business ages ago, and then I came on more recently. Two and a half years ago, one of his clients, who was training for a triathlon, told him about Hyrox. His name is Marc Howe, and he's a pretty influential person in Hyrox. We were both a little burnt out from the ultra marathon world. In a previous life, I’ve done all the other sports like bodybuilding and hockey. So we felt like this could be something different and cool for us to try. We did our first Hyrox in New York as a mixed doubles. We went to Worlds in our first year as a mixed doubles couple, which was pretty cool. When we went to our first Hyrox Worlds race in Las Vegas, we didn’t realize the scale of it. It was eye-opening. And since then, it has exploded even further.
THL: Are you a full-time coach now?
MF: I’ve worked in management consulting for the past five years. So, I was balancing our in-person classes, online coaching, and then a full-time career as a management consultant. I actually just quit my job a month ago. It’s pretty exciting and also kind of scary. I’m going to spend more time building our business and our brand.
THL: How has your training evolved from preparing for ultra races to now?
MF: Before Hyrox, I was putting a lot of miles on my feet and lost a lot of speed and strength. Getting back into strength training was a bit intimidating. It was something I'd done for a long time before I got into Ultra training and prioritizing running long distances. I found I was super weak. I felt out-of-shape Ultrarunning, which I find ironic. I had to focus on getting back and getting stronger again. I was doing all the typical stuff, like the big four lifts. I was also really working on my speed. I found I lost a lot of speed because Ultra training was about training for distance, not necessarily speed. As soon as I ripped the bandaid off and started to get back into it. I felt like I started to see progress fairly quickly. That is also the motivation to continue to push.
THL: What do you like about Hyrox races? What keeps you coming back to compete?
MF: I’m a very performance-driven person. So seeing progress. Seeing that I can actually be pretty good at this and be fairly competitive. I had aspirations of getting into the Elite group. Seeing that come to fruition is more fuel to continue to improve and see where I can take this
I also love the feeling training gives me. I love hybrid training. I don’t think I would ever go back to Ultra training. As a woman, I love the feeling of being strong and fast. That helps me exude a lot of confidence in my life outside of racing.
THL: What are some of the challenges you've faced as you have started to race at the elite level?
MF: I’ve never felt as nervous racing as I do now. I wasn’t used to feeling this amount of nerves with so many eyes on me. I was combating that and imposter syndrome. The Elite have so many amazing competitors so it is very inspiring, and also intimidating, to race against them. The biggest difference between age group racing and Elite group racing is you’re not outworking everybody. Everybody works just as hard as you, and everybody's very talented, and that's why they're there. You are against the best of the best, not just anybody who shows up that day.
It’s a different mindset and approach. I think about being more strategic in terms of where I am going to expend more energy or where I am going to pull back. You have to be more strategic because you are racing for money and time to continue to be in the Elite field.
THL: What are your strengths, and how do you try to weaponize them during a race?
MF: My strongest area is running. I think my pro race in Madrid was one where I really started to push past people in running. My wall balls, aside from DC, have also been an area of strength for me.
Sled push and burpees are my Achilles heel. But I've been really trying to work on them and improve my time. For me, it’s all about where I can give a little and where I can make up time. I think the important thing when you are racing is also not to think too much about other people and running your race — nailing the pieces that you want to nail and the goals you set for yourself. It’s a longer race, and anything can happen.
THL: Where does your mind go during the hardest parts of the race?
MF: To be honest, Hyrox can be painful for me. I’ve had to pull my mind out of the gutter sometimes when I’m in a negative mindset or really struggling on a station. That means acknowledging that I’m struggling and telling myself it’s OK. It’s going to be over soon, so keep pushing and keep moving.
I’ve tried to shift and reframe the pain that I feel in a race. Ultimately, if you’re pushing hard, you’re going to be in a pain cave. Reframing that means seeing how much I can push myself through it. Can I continue going? Can I make my mind stronger than my body? I’ve tried to reframe the pain and struggle by reminding myself that it’s supposed to feel this way. That means you’re pushing. Not necessarily trying to stay positive about it but being realistic about it.
When I’m fatigued in training, I remind myself that this is the way I'm going to feel in the race. It’s okay. You’re tired, but how can you perform with this fatigued body right now? That’s going to correspond to a better race experience later on. I use my training as mental training. If my arms feel fatigued and I'm doing wall balls and I'm on 50: How many more can I push through even though my mind says I’m tired? I picture myself being in a race at the last station where it's me against somebody else. Are you going to keep going?
THL: When you start working with an athlete heading into their first Hyrox race, how do you prepare them for that challenge?
MF: We put our clients through a Hyrox simulation. We set them up for the full race about eight weeks before, and it gives them a confidence boost. We always caveat by saying we can never really replicate what the race will feel like, but it gives you a sense of the volume and fatigue. Then, we sit with them after and analyze their stations. Where did you fall apart? Where did you feel okay? This gives us benchmarks so they can continue to progress.
The other thing we do with every client is create a race plan. We talk them through race nutrition, warm-up, things to watch out for, and things we’ve seen in their training. Our goal is to help them build confidence. Their first race is just a benchmark. Let’s focus on completing the race and making sure that you’re healthy and you feel good about how you showed up that day.
THL: How do you balance your own training and running a business?
MF: That’s something I’ve struggled with more recently. I found that I wasn’t balanced. I found trying to make plans outside of training and work very difficult. Now, I’m trying to prioritize my time and make sure I prioritize sleep so I can train early. I like to train early because, if I push it off, it has a cascading effect on my life. It’s making sure I get to sleep on time, get up in the morning, and get my things done.
It also means making sure I set aside time not connected to my phone, Instagram, or my clients. I typically have a pretty close relationship with my clients, so I get a lot of messages on programs and progress, which is great. But I need to create boundaries and take time for myself, my husband Mike, family, and friends. I really use my weekends to prioritize my personal relationships.
THL: The first Hyrox in Canada is coming in October. Are you excited to have a race on your home turf?
MF: Hybrid racing is big in Canada I think there is a thirst for it. It’s going to be an amazing event and huge for us as an affiliate gym. It never seemed really realistic for people to compete. Now that it’s coming to Canada, a lot of people are more motivated to train for it.
THL: You are the captain of Canada's World Championship relay team. What is your approach to selecting your teammates?
MF: There are a couple of factors. If you’re not already going to Hyrox Worlds, are you willing to go to Nice, France, for two stations? I also want to use it to build momentum for Hyrox in Canada. I did post about it, and there was a really good response with people putting their hand up or nominating others. It gave me a sense of who is out there who could potentially be interested. Now, we’re going to have a second part in the selection process, which will come out soon. There are going to be eligibility criteria in terms of experience and in terms of performance. There are also going to be some personal characteristics I think that are important like collaboration and teamwork. We’re going to be a team, and we want to be a high-performing team.
THL: What’s next for you?
MF: I’m going to Anaheim for the last-chance qualifier for Hyrox Worlds. [Elite Hyrox athlete] Meg Jacoby is my coach. So, we had a discussion about what makes the most sense. We decided to go to Anaheim and spend some time building. After that, I think we are going to have an off-season. It’s funny because I find there is kind of an offseason, but is there really an offseason? I don’t know yet. I want to take some time to build some strength and really continue to take my running to the next level. Meg is a great coach who can help me do that.
You can follow Maria Fecik on Instagram or train with her via The Holistic Athlete.
Workout of the Week: Sled Bunny
Each edition of The Hybrid Letter features a workout from Dylan Scott, the Hyrox North American Champion, and Markus Frison, the original Hyrox VCF champion and head coach of The Frision Method.
If you are interested in training with The Frision Method, you can find out more information here. If you have any questions about this workout, let us know in the comments.
Hybrid Athlete of the Week: Gus Manke
Name: Gus Manke
Age: 29
Hometown: Madison, CT
When did you start hybrid racing? I started CrossFit in 2014, switched to triathlons in 2020 because of COVID, and then found myself loving Hyrox starting in late 2022. I started hybrid racing because I loved the race format, and I wanted to run 5-10K distances. I also felt like Hyrox races offered a great measurable, repeatable goal to chase while balancing weightlifting and cardio, without excess strain on my joints. I love barbell work, but everything in moderation!
Favorite race to date?: Hyrox Dallas in November 2023. I raced with my training partner Gunther Klaus. I was chasing him all race, then finally passed him on the lunges. Gunther passed me back, but then I faced a rep-for-rep wall ball race with Ryan Maguire, barely beating him to qualify for Worlds!
Do you have a race goal? My goal was to make it to the World Championships, so I appreciate how far I've come. Now, my new goal is to break 63 minutes in Nice, France, in June. I feel confident I can.
Favorite station? Sled Push! This is where the stronger separate from the strong, and Hyrox needs more heavy weights to slow down all these light runners. Otherwise, it's just a cardio circuit!
Least favorite station? Rowing. Yes, burpees suck, but rowing is a slow descent into the pain cave.
Things you wish you knew when you started racing? How addicting Hyrox would become, and how many amazing friends and opportunities would come from it!
Video of the Week: James Kelly punches his ticket
Australian James Kelly provides a behind-the-scenes look at his race at Hyrox Cologne. He needed to win the race to qualify for the Hyrox World Championships. And he did that, recording the second-fastest time ever in the process.