These people are my kind of crazy
Don’t let Vivian Tafuto’s goofball humor fool you. She is a fiercely competitive athlete who trains hard and races harder. Vivian is making big waves in the Hyrox Elite field. At the 2024 Hyrox World Championships in Nice, Vivan finished third, sharing the podium with fellow Americans Lauren Weeks and Meg Jacoby.
The Hybrid Letter chatted with Vivian about training alone, staying chill, and the changes to her training that helped her reach the top of the sport.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Hybrid Letter: What got you into competitive sports?
Vivian Tafuto: My siblings and I were always bouncing off the walls. I’ve been told that we would flip over shopping carts in the grocery store. As an outlet, we got put in a lot of sports growing up: soccer, swimming, gymnastics. As we got older, swimming stuck around. The individual aspect of the sport was nice. My mom had done it, which, was another reason that we continued. As we got older, it was a big family thing. Our life revolved around swimming. I started to look forward to practices. I loved the grind of it. That carried through into what I’m doing now.
THL: What got you interested in hybrid racing?
VT: I heard about it through Hunter McIntyre’s Instagram. My family watched Broken Skull, and we loved that show. We were curious about what he was up to, and that’s how I found out about Hyrox. On paper, it looked like something I would be good at. It’s very engine-y and doesn’t have a lot of technical components. My dad and I immediately thought it sounded like our kind of sport.
THL: What are the biggest differences between competitive swimming and elite hybrid competitions?
VT: In swimming, I was always surrounded by a team. That aspect of it was very different. But I really like the individual component of it now, being on my own. When you’re feeling down, there are no excuses. You just show up, and you have to want it. One of our [swim] coaches used to call it reckless abandonment, and now one of my sayings is “fucking ball.” It’s definitely taught me that no matter how crappy you’re feeling, no matter what circumstances, you can still go and do really well. Being able to train by myself and listen to my body is really cool.
The other thing about swimming is that we were always training 20 hours a week. Now, my training is more concentrated and deliberate, which I like a lot.
With swimming, there is a definitive start and end point. I knew that I wasn’t going to swim past college. I wasn’t at that level. I enjoyed the process. I feel like a lot of Hyrox people have the same mentality. There’s starting to be prize money, which is really cool, but it’s all self-driven. I always think that these are my kind of people. These people are my kind of crazy.
THL: Since you train primarily alone, how do you stay motivated and continue to push yourself?
VT: I work full time, and it actually makes it really easy for me to get out of bed because I have a timetable. Doing hard workouts in the morning, I don’t think about it. I don’t dread it. I just get up and do it. It’s muscle memory. It’s like brushing your teeth — that’s how working out is for me. I have always liked pushing myself and seeing what I can get out of each session. What can I do today? What personal best can I achieve today? I still think about that a lot in training. When you enjoy your training and when you get to push yourself every day, it puts less pressure on the races. If you are enjoying the training and getting personal fulfillment, you feel achievement from those everyday efforts.
THL: You've spoken about how don't view each race as a "life or death situation." Have you always had such a chill mentality?
VT: It has been a total 180 for me. I used to be so intense about everything. Every race was make or break. How I felt after the race was how I was going to feel the rest of the week in training and practice sessions.
I think part of it is, as chill as I look, in terms of performance and results, I’m almost never happy. There’s always something I can do better. So I force myself to have fun and not make it about the race result. If it was all about the race, I would be over it. I’m just trying my best out there. It’s a very big change for me.
I have several things I repeat all the time. Don’t let short-term frustration impede long-term improvement. As I’ve gotten older as an athlete, I’ve gotten better at seeing the big picture and having more perspective on the progress I'm making over the long term.
THL: How do you move past a race when you are disappointed with the results?
VT: I mostly look at what can be better. A big part of my mindset is that I can always get better. I have a lot of confidence in that way. And I know hard work pays off.
So I look at things that I could have done better and make an immediate plan. The disappointment doesn’t linger. What usually happens is I finish the race, and for about 10 minutes to an hour, I’m just happy I’m done. Thank god it’s over. And then I’m like darn, I slipped on X, Y, or Z. That phase lasts a day or two. But I can reset pretty fast. I can go to bed and wake up and say it’s a new day, everythings better.
Part of it is just getting older and realizing it is not a life-or-death situation, and I’m still relatively new to the sport. Progress is my main driver.
THL: What were some of the biggest differences between racing in the Hyrox Elite field versus a regular race?
VT: I think the biggest thing is getting caught up racing the other women. Meg [Jacoby] and Lauren [Weeks] are a particular challenge because of how fast they start. I knew immediately at Worlds that the fast pace of the front runners was not going to work for just me or most of the field. It was not going to end well. You have to know your capabilities, your strengths, and your weaknesses.
One of the cool things about the Elite 15 is everyone is a great athlete. It takes pressure off how I’m doing relative to the field because I know everybody else could beat me, and it doesn’t mean I’m a bad athlete. The field has definitely leveled up, and you’re not going to win every station.
THL: What have you had to work on in training since you joined the Elite field?
VT: One of the biggest things is increasing my running volume. When I first started Hyrox, I couldn’t run a lot. I think I had stress fractures in my shins, I just wasn’t able to build up my running volume at a high level. I focused more on always doing Hyrox-specific workouts. Now I have a designated strength program, and I don't just do Hyrox-specific work all the time. I don’t think that is the path to performing your best in Hyrox.
I’m still working on my burpees, and I will forever and ever be working on burpees and wall balls. I don’t have the best mobility, so the wall balls are difficult.
THL: How much time do you spend on recovery?
VT: I actually have tendinitis, so I do a lot of rehab work. It's important. Hard workouts are glamorous and the rehab stuff doesn’t feel as rewarding. Doing those little things takes time, especially when my tendinitis flares up. I have to go to the gym extra early. I soak my calves in the hot tub. I do all my warm-up exercises, which adds an extra 20-30 minutes.
Ian Hosek, my coach, is also great, He incrementally increases mileage. He knows what he is doing. Whenever I feel something weird, he sends me a nerve-gliding move, and most of the time, it works. He's a wizard.
And then eating. I eat like you wouldn’t believe. I eat a lot.
THL: Is there a race that stands out in your brain?
VT: My first Hyrox I ever did was so bad. I actually thought about faking an injury. No one knew who I was; it was just my own ego.
DC was a really good race for me. I wasn't supposed to race the Elite race. And then someone dropped out. I told them if someone dropped out that, I would hop in. So I flew in an hour before the briefing. I just had fun, and there was no pressure. I decided to try to take it out really easy. At one point, I was right behind Meg [Jacoby]. I don’t know what was going on but that was a really good race for me. I also had such a good time that weekend. A bunch of my friends went to UVA, so there were a lot of people in the DC area.
THL: What do you do right before a race?
VT: I try not to get too superstitious. I am always pumping electrolytes. I drink so much water before I race that I’m peeing five or six times from the time I start warming up to the time of the race. I’ve had to start budgeting time for bathroom breaks because I’m always so hydrated.
You can follow Vivian on Instagram.
Question of the Week: There can only be one
The Hybrid Letter has assembled a panel of some of the top hybrid athletes in the world. Throughout the season, we'll pose questions to this group and publish the responses. If you have a question you would like to ask this group, send your suggestions to alex@hybridletter.com.
This week's question: If you could only use one piece of equipment to train for a Hyrox, what would it be?
Alex Roncovic (2024 Hyrox World Champion): I would go with the SkiErg. It's a full-body workout. You can work both strength and endurance on it. Core is a massive part of the movement which is a big benefit for a lot of other Hyrox workouts like sleds and farmers. As Hyrox is a sport where your legs do most of the work, it's also the perfect machine. Your legs are moving the whole time, that's what you need for a good race.
Terra Jackson (2023 Hyrox Elite 15; 2023 Deka Mile World Champion): I would pick an adjustable set of dumbbells. Typically they go from 7.5-55 pounds, so you would be able to do a wide range of movements with them. In my experience, they aren’t the most durable, and you need to be careful not to throw them around like rubber dumbbells, but the versatility they provide is worth it.
Vivian Tufuto (2024 Hyrox World Championship, 3rd Place): For training Hyrox, I would go for a Concept 2 BikeErg or an assault bike. They are both great for long, low-impact sessions but you can also do some seriously hard training sessions on them.
Lauren Rentala (2022 Hyrox Mixed Doubles World Champion): A pair of dumbbells! I've actually written an entire Hyrox training plan with dumbbells only.
Rich Ryan (2024 Hyrox Elite 15; 2022 Deka Fit World Champion): From a practical standpoint, the skier is the answer. The skier just seems to be the thing that most people don't have. That was the first piece that I went after for my own gym. It is just such a great fitness builder, with no impact, and also some upper body training.
Hybrid Athlete of the Week: Greta Martin
Name: Greta Martin
Age: 33
Hometown: Boxford, MA
Why did you start hybrid training? In January of 2023, I signed up for a 100K trail ultramarathon. At the time, the farthest I’d ever run was a very flat 50K. Over the next six months, I trained more than I ever had. Four days before the race, on a Tuesday in July, heavy rainfall hit Vermont and left much of the course impassable, canceling the race.
I joined the Hybrid Athlete program at Elevate [in Washington, DC] the following year, when I finally decided to go after my 100K goal again. I knew there would always be factors outside of my control, but I wanted to do everything I could to make sure that my fitness would not be what held me back from finishing the race. My friend Katy, who is one of the fittest people I know, had been doing this program for a while, so I was sure it would be good cross-training.
Favorite race to date?: Marine Corps Marathon. I never intended to run the Marine Corps, but when a free bib presented itself not long after the 100K was canceled, I decided to register. I had pretty much stopped running with District Running Collective while I prepped for the ultra, opting instead for longer, hillier, solo runs to prepare. When I pivoted to training for the Marine Corps, I started running with the District Running Collective again, doing weekly runs with another run group, Saturday Long Run, and began early morning track workouts with my friend Brittany. Training for the Marine Corps reminded me why I love running — the people I’ve met along the way and working together towards tough goals.
Do you have a race goal? I am running the Chicago marathon next October and aiming for a PR!
Favorite and least favorite station? Honestly, I don’t really have a favorite or a least favorite. My favorite part of racing Hyrox was the support. A few of my friends surprised me and showed up to cheer. Katy was waiting for me at the finish with so much joy and encouragement. My least favorite thing about Hyrox is the lack of water! I can't believe they had Red Bull but no electrolytes.
Things you wish you knew when you started racing? The ups and downs of the last few years of racing have taught me that the finish line, and even the start line, is never promised. If the only thing carrying meaning is the final outcome, then it’s probably not worth it. For me, this has meant prioritizing workouts with friends, being flexible with my training plan to allow for spontaneity, and allowing myself to push when I feel good and rest when I don’t feel good. It is important to take the time to reflect on and celebrate the growth along the way.
Look Ahead: How to become the next Hyrox World Champion
15 men and 15 women will qualify for the elite field at the next Hyrox World Championship, which will take place in 2025. The process for qualifying is a bit different this season. Three men and three women in the elite field will qualify for the championship in each of four major races:
Amsterdam (October 10, 2024)
Hong Kong (November 22, 2024)
Las Vegas (January 31, 2025)
Glasgow (March 11, 2025)
The top three finishers in the elite field will earn a trip to the World Championships in each race. If anyone in the top three has already qualified, that spot will roll down.
How do you qualify for the elite field in one of those four major races? Five women and seven men have already qualified for all four major races by either by winning one of last season's major races or finishing in the top five at last season's World Championships.
The rest of the field for each major race is filled out based on time, determined by the average of an athlete's two best races in the last 12 months. Right now, it takes an average time of 1:04:19 for women and 57:53 for men to qualify based on time.
The last three spots for the elite field at the next Hyrox World Championships will be determined through a Last Chance Qualifier at a date to be determined in Barcelona. Anyone is eligible to enter that race, with the top three men and women earning their ticket to Worlds.
You can learn more about the qualification process — and the thinking behind it — from Hyrox co-founder Mo Fuerste, who appeared on the Roxlyfe podcast.