The elite Hyrox doubles strategy that won London

Ollie Russell captured first place in the London Elite Doubles race alongside Charlie Botterill with a blistering time of 50:02. Russell is also an accomplished solo racer, including a podium finish at the World Championships in the 16–24 age group. A former rugby player turned CrossFitter, Russell is the founder of Russell Performance Training, where he trains athletes competing in Hyrox, Ironman, CrossFit, and other sports.

The Hybrid Letter caught up with Ollie to talk about his athletic roots, his evolving training philosophy, and what it takes—mentally and physically—to deliver a peak performance on race day.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The Hybrid Letter: How did Hyrox get on your radar?

Ollie Russell: I was pretty deep into the CrossFit world at the time. Hyrox came to our gym to run a PFT. I’d always done well with grunt-style workouts, and the gym owner told me to jump in and show them how it’s done. They were telling the CrossFit box owner that no one would go under 17 minutes. I ended up beating that time by a few minutes. They were like, “You need to sign up.”

THL: What was your athletic background before CrossFit?

OR: I played rugby basically from the time I could walk. I also tried just about every sport growing up. I wasn’t the best at any one thing, but I was pretty good at a lot of them. As I got older, I had to start picking a path. I went to English schools for javelin, did some multi-events, and competed in pentathlon. I think I finished fifth in the UK, which put me just outside qualifying for England—so I just missed out on getting the England badge. It was frustrating, but a great experience.

I ended up choosing rugby, but again, I narrowly missed out on the top level. That became a bit of a theme—I’d get close but not quite make it. I’ve never been the most genetically gifted athlete. Everything’s been about grinding for me. My two brothers, on the other hand, are extremely athletic. I always tell them, “I wish I had your genetics and you had my mindset.”

Eventually, I signed an academy contract with Leicester Tigers and played in the under-18 system for two years. When the contract ended, I actually did get offered a full contract—which doesn’t happen for most players—but I won’t go on too long about that. Fast forward five or six years, and here I am, doing what I do now.

THL: What intrigued you about Hyrox, coming from a competitive CrossFit background?

OR: The frustrating thing with CrossFit was that I could hold my own in engine workouts and perform well in conditioning events—often finishing pretty high in the Open. But when it came to heavy lifts in short workouts—five to ten minutes—I’d get smoked. I realized that if I wanted to go all in on CrossFit, I’d have to spend the next five years building serious strength. That forced a bit of a mindset check: is this really what I want?

Then Hyrox came to our gym. I went to the first race in Birmingham, won my age group, and ended up going to the World Championships in Las Vegas where I placed second in the 16–24 category. I found myself enjoying the endurance aspect more and decided to channel my energy into this new event.

THL: Most of your races—including your first—have been in the Pro division. Why start there and continue?

OR: With a rugby background, I’d done a lot of heavy lifting. I wasn’t the strongest guy, but I could move weight decently. So I thought, why not just jump into the deep end? The Pro division is what’s used at the World Championships, so there wasn’t much point in dialing it back.

As I did more Pro races, I noticed faster runners often choosing Open. Honestly, my Open and Pro times would probably be very similar. The weight isn’t what slows me down—it’s the running. I’ve done some mixed doubles, Pro doubles, and one Open doubles, but I haven’t raced Open solo. Just no reason to, really.

THL: What changes have you made in your run training that have helped improve your Hyrox times?

OR: I haven’t trained the same way for three years straight—it’s evolved a lot. Hyrox itself is still developing, so figuring out the best approach has taken time. Over the last three to six months, I feel like I’ve finally dialed in a system that works for me.

I use a lot of cycling to manage the pounding that comes with running. I also get a fair bit of volume from rowing and biking—especially rowing. I usually hit two to three rowing sessions a week, and I actually think it’s helped my running. If I tried to do 70 to 80 kilometers of running per week, I’d probably start seeing injuries. So I find other ways to build aerobic volume. You’re still training the same energy systems.

THL: What strategies have you developed in your solo races?

OR: I split Hyrox into two halves. I’m strong on the rower, so I’ll row slightly slower to let my heart rate drop and get some recovery in. I can still pull a 1:50 and come out fresher. That allows me to push the second half of the race much harder.

There’s not a huge gain in rowing faster—if you go from 1:50 to 1:45 over 1000 meters, you’re saving maybe 10 seconds. But if that extra effort tanks your heart rate, you’ll lose way more on the next few runs and stations. So it’s smarter to conserve there and hit the next segments harder.

THL: Do you have any mental strategies that help you during the tougher parts of the race?

OR: The sleds are always going to feel horrendous, no matter what. Even if you go in conservative, they’re still brutal. Doing more Hyrox races helped me get what I call “match fit.” In rugby, playing more matches helps you understand the game better—how to manage it, how to communicate, how to stay calm.

It’s the same here. Doing more races has helped me accept that the sleds are going to hurt. The key is to clear your mind of that pain and just go. Don’t dwell on it—just move.

THL: What are the key differences between doubles and solo races?

OR: I think doubles are actually more challenging. It’s so fast—you’re in and out of each segment before you know it. And there’s more pressure because you don’t want to let your partner down.

With Charlie, it was great. He ran a 1:10 half marathon before, so I knew I had to get my running sharp just to keep up. That mindset pushed me to train harder and tighten everything up. The idea was: if I could hang onto his pace, he’d start the station, and we’d find a rhythm.

His stations are probably a bit stronger because of his running, but by the end we were well matched. I maybe had a slight edge on the sleds. We trained together a lot, and I think that made a huge difference. A lot of teams don’t do that. We know each other inside out—when one of us is flagging, when we’re surging. It really helps.

Solo races are more strategic. You can pace them out better and settle into a flow. They’re not necessarily easier, just less intense. Doubles don’t allow for that same rhythm—it’s more like, how hard can you go, and can you hang on?

THL: Were there any moments in the London doubles qualifier you wish had gone differently?

OR: Yeah, after the sleds, Charlie started to pull ahead on the run. I told myself, “Just keep going. He’s going to start the burpees.” And that’s what happened. By the time I got there, he’d done five, and I had recovered. You’ve just got to suck it up and stay in it.

THL: How are you approaching the Elite 15 doubles race?

OR: We know Charlie’s the better runner, so my focus has been on dropping a bit of weight and improving my run. In doubles, being lighter actually helps since you’re splitting the stations. You only do half the work, so you can hit it harder. It becomes a running race.

In solo races, you might want more weight, especially for sleds. It’s just physics—weight moves weight. But for doubles, it’s about whether you can hold the pace.

Charlie’s working on his stations. I’m pushing the run. We’re opposites in some ways, and I think that balance works. We’ve also looked at our transitions—especially on the burpees—and realized we were a bit slow. That’s just communication.

Charlie’s got quick reps on wall balls. I might be able to throw a 9kg ball better, but in doubles, it’s not about power—it’s about speed. In solo races, I usually beat him on wall balls, but in doubles, his speed wins out.

We know our strengths: I’m stronger on sleds, lunges, and farmer’s carries. He’s stronger in other stations. Even if the differences are small, they add up. It’s about splitting things up smartly.

In terms of training, I’ve refined the balance. I’m still mixing in biking and erging with running, but I’ve added more focused sessions. It wasn’t one major change—just a more targeted approach.

THL: Any adjustments to your training that made a big difference?

OR: I added more volume at lower and moderate intensities. I took out those sessions where I’d do 400s or 800s all-out and replaced them with longer intervals—1200s up to 5Ks. The idea was to stay consistent and be able to train day after day, rather than smashing myself in one session and being ruined for the next.

You want to build yourself up. There’s no benefit to running your last rep flat out if it means you can’t train tomorrow. I widened the intensity range and increased volume—less maximal effort, more sustainability.

THL: What’s your plan leading up to Worlds?

OR: Charlie has a lot of aerobic base from cycling, so he jumped right back into training. I was beat up for a few days and took some time off. The plan for the next four weeks is high volume while keeping an eye on intensity.

I qualified in four categories: Pro solo, Mixed doubles, Pro doubles, and Open doubles. But Mixed doubles is on the same day as Elite doubles, so I’ll drop that. Charlie and I also qualified for solo, but that’s the day before Elite doubles. We’ve both decided to pull out of solo.

We think we’ve got a great shot at Elite doubles. A lot of teams will be racing the day before. If we go in fresh, we’ll give ourselves the best chance to perform at our peak and walk away proud of the result—hopefully even with a win.

You can follow Ollie on Instagram.

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Video: Meet the 20-year-old college student who just joined the Hyrox Elite 15

Our special correspondent, Lauren Smith, interviewed Emilie Dahmen, a 20-year-old college student from Netherlands who recently won the Hyrox Last Chance Qualifier in Barcelona. Emilie's breakthrough performance earned her a spot in the Elite 15 race at Hyrox Worlds in Chicago in June.

On getting robbed the day before the race: "I got robbed [in Barcelona], so my phone was gone, and I've been at the police station for five hours the night before until 10 pm. I was talking to my friend, and I was like, 'I have to go and sleep now, because tomorrow I gotta perform.'"

On what it felt like to win: "It was literally the best evening of my life…Yeah, I've never felt that happy."

On her expectations for Hyrox Worlds: "I'm just really enjoying the fact that I can even join that race. I know how fast some other women are… I'll just be proud if I try and do my best and do everything I can."

Watch Lauren's full conversation with Emilie:

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Athlete of the Week: Claire Haines

Name: Claire Haines
Age: 32
Hometown: St. Catharines, Ontario

When did you start hybrid racing? I started hybrid racing after taking a break from triathlons about a year ago. I have celiac disease and was struggling to get through long-distance triathlons because of the nutrition side of things. I decided to give Hyrox a try since the races are shorter and don’t depend so heavily on fueling. I’m so glad I did—I’m absolutely obsessed now!

Favorite race to date? Hyrox Houston. It was my first time racing Pro Solo and I qualified for Worlds! I loved the city, and the two-lap course was great. I left the race feeling really inspired to keep pushing forward.

Race goal? I’ll be racing at the Hyrox World Championships this year in both the Solo division and Mixed Doubles with my husband. Since I’ve raced more in doubles, I’m especially excited for that one. Our goal is to perform as well as we possibly can. I believe we’ve posted the fastest Mixed Doubles time by any Canadian pair (though that still needs to be verified), and I definitely want to solidify that. I also hope we can be the fastest Canadians at Worlds.

Favorite station? The lunges! They tap into all the leg strength I’ve built over the years of cycling.

Least favorite station? The farmers’ carry. It’s exposed a big weakness—grip strength. It’s something I’m working on, but it’s definitely challenging to move quickly while holding kettlebells, especially since I’m a natural forefoot striker when I run. It’s a tricky one!

Things you wish you knew when you started racing? I wish I’d done more strength training earlier in life. I was always a bit hesitant to lift heavy, thinking it might hurt my running. But it’s actually done the opposite—it’s made me faster.