This CEO used to weigh 320 pounds. Now he's winning Hyrox races.
Matt Halfhill is the founder and CEO of Nice Kicks, a media and marketing company dedicated to sneaker culture that reaches 40 million people monthly. Focused on growing his business, which he started in 2006, Matt did not make time for fitness and eventually tipped the scales at 320 pounds. After dropping some weight, Matt found Hyrox and has translated his drive and ambition in the business to hybrid racing. He and his doubles partner recently won their age group in Hyrox Cape Town.
The Hybrid Letter talked with Matt about how he got started as an entrepreneur, how he figured out how to incorporate fitness into his daily life, and what got him hooked on Hyrox.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
THL: What got you started as an entrepreneur?
MH: My father was an entrepreneur, though on paper, he was a professor. He had a car and RV business, so I was exposed to that entrepreneurial spirit early on. I got really into building things, and it’s always been fun for me—it’s very much part of my identity, though I have a better balance today. Back then, I didn’t have fitness or anything outside of work. It was everything; my whole life revolved around my business.
THL: How would you describe Nice Kicks today?
MH: We’re a media brand in the footwear space, and one of the core things we do is help brands with advertising and marketing services. Whether it’s creating assets for their socials or running ads on Nice Kicks, we act as a hybrid publisher and media agency.
THL: How has Hyrox influenced your business?
MH: In the sneaker market, especially on the casual side, brands that used to be power players have lost touch with the importance of sport. They’ve leaned too much into athleisure and casual wear, forgetting the roots of their business—sports. Running has always been the core of good training, and Hyrox shows there’s an alternative to just marathon running. It introduces hybrid sports, which is something brands are starting to recognize. I’m having more conversations now with brands that are already in this space or want to get into it.
We’re about to launch an agency side of Nice Kicks focused on running and fitness. This is a new chapter for us as a company, and we’re excited to elevate sports and fitness in the lifestyle space.
The Hybrid Letter: What is your background in sports?
Matt Halfhill: The only competitive sports I played were in high school—soccer and water polo. My water polo story is pretty funny because I didn’t even know how to swim when I started the season. In soccer, I was good for someone who wasn’t regularly training. After high school, there wasn’t much sport or fitness for me. I started my company while still in high school and kept putting off fitness, telling myself, "I’ll do it later." A few years ago, I was in a really bad place health-wise, weighing over 320 pounds.
THL: How were you able to incorporate fitness into your life as a CEO?
MH: My day now starts with fitness, and my bedtime is influenced by that. Fitness has put me on a strict schedule and lifestyle that doesn’t allow for much slack. Every time I travel, I plan: "Where am I running? Where’s the gym?"
THL: How did you find Hyrox?
MH: Someone I followed on Instagram posted a response to a question about who they’d want as a doubles partner for Hyrox. It was the first time I’d ever seen the word "Hyrox," and I was curious. I googled it and thought it looked amazing. I had just had elective skin removal surgery from all the weight I’d lost and wasn’t allowed in the pool for six months, which sidelined my plans to get back into masters water polo. But I was able to train for Hyrox, and I haven’t played water polo since. It’s like I forgot it existed—Hyrox has taken over.
What’s great about Hyrox is that it forces you to be balanced. You can’t over-index in just one area, and that balance makes you a better athlete. And being a better athlete makes you more intentional in many areas of life.
I signed up for the challenge but got hooked by the community. It’s not a cliché—everyone cheers for each other, and I saw that firsthand. In Dallas, after the mixed doubles and women’s pro races, people came back to cheer on their fellow racers at the wall balls. You don’t see that in a lot of sports.
THL: You won your age group in Hyrox Doubles in South Africa. Did you and your partner have a race plan?
MH: Funny story—I met him three days before the race. We connected on Instagram a few months ago. He wanted to do a relay team, but two weeks before the race, he pivoted to doubles. It was going to be my first as a 40-year-old. He had a good build on him, but I didn't know about his running. I was a little worried about it. He said he just wanted somebody to pull him around the run course. He knew he wouldn't quit if he had somebody. So I pulled him as hard as I could.
THL: What made this race special for you?
MH: It was my first race after my father passed away. Part of me didn’t want to take the trip, but Hyrox has become such an important part of my life, and he saw that. I know how much it meant to him to see me involved in this.
THL: What has been the key to your improvement in Hyrox?
MH: Developing a cardio base and endurance was key. Getting a structured run program made a big difference—knowing how much zone 2 work I needed and being intentional about going to the track. Training at the RMR camp this summer also helped me improve my rowing and SkiErg form, which was huge.
THL: What are your personal goals for Hyrox this year?
MH: I’d like to win another race. I’ve been training to compete in a pro race. My original goal in the open division was to break 70 minutes and make a podium, then move up to pro. But times are getting faster, and that’s the challenge now. In Dallas in April 2023, 70 minutes would’ve put you on the podium—now, it’s a lot tougher.
You can follow and learn more about Matt on Instagram.
Why super shoes work
Most elite Hyrox athletes — and many non-elites — race in "super shoes," which feature a curved carbon plate and a lot of foam. This week, The Athletic published a piece explaining why super shoes are so effective. It's complicated:
“You have four joints that are heavily used when you’re running,” says Maxwell Muttai, a gait analyst with an MSc in biomechanics. “That’s your hip, knee, ankle and the metatarsals — the MTP joint. It represents the heads of the toes.” That joint is commonly referred to as the MTPJ (metatarsophalangeal joint).
“Research was able to see that the energy put in on the MTPJ is not returned when pushing off,” explains Muttai.
“The carbon plate was to try and increase the stiffness and keep the MTPJ from bending at all — make the shoe really, really stiff, make sure that there’s no bending and therefore no energy loss.”
It's also not just the carbon plate that does the work. It's the combination of the carbon plate and advanced foam.
Muttai explains the benefits of modern midsoles. They’re “very cushioned, which are very compliant, the way that you go down and they release the loading on your joints, and they’re also resilient.”
Compliance and resilience are keywords. Compliance: how much the shoe’s sole deforms when it hits the floor. Resilience: stored and returned energy.
Individually, the foam and plate have marginal benefits, but collectively are worth more than the sum of their parts… “They work together. If you land on your heel on a foam without a plate, the foam just deforms. If you have a plate under it, the load gets spread out over more foam.”
But there are still aspects of super shoes that are not well understood. For example, some athletes, like marathoner Eliud Kipchoge, have benefited tremendously from super shoes. Others, like elite distance runner Molly Huddle, don't appear to benefit. Subtle differences in running form and body composition have a huge impact on the efficacy of a particular super shoe for a given athlete.
So, just because your favorite Hyrox athlete races well in a particular super shoe doesn't necessarily mean it will also benefit you.
Athlete of the Week: Vivian June
Name: Vivian June
Age: 36
Hometown: Walnut, California
Why did you start hybrid racing?
I didn’t grow up playing sports or running competitively, and I think I’m drawn to hybrid fitness because it’s a great metaphor for life. You learn so much about yourself during these long, grindy workouts. Hybrid training has changed my perspective on everything, from my personal relationships to my career as a lawyer.
My first hybrid race was "Stairway to HYROX" in September 2023, held at my home gym, The Training Lab NYC. It’s a shorter version of HYROX, and I was awful at most of the stations. The 100 wall balls with a 14-pound ball at the end, hitting the 14-foot ceilings at the Lab, crushed my soul. I was also scared of falling off the AssaultRunner. But that event made me realize I’m pretty good at the endurance part of hybrid fitness. I love looking back at the videos and photos to see how far I’ve come in just a year. I’m no longer scared of the AssaultRunner!
Favorite race to date?
My first HYROX race in Washington, D.C., in March 2024. I switched from mixed doubles to the women’s open solo category on race day and ended up placing 7th in my age group with a time of 1:12:48! It made me think for the first time in my life that I might be good at something fitness-related.
I was still new to The Training Lab, but the support from the members and coaches there in D.C. was incredible. Having never played competitive sports before, I felt like I was on a team for the first time, and I was hooked on HYROX after that race.
Do you have a race goal (time, type of race, or location)?
I want to make it to the HYROX World Championships one day! As a bit of a fitness late bloomer, I feel like I’m just getting started and haven’t reached my upper limit yet. This season, I’m chasing that dream at HYROX races in Chicago, Dallas, and D.C., competing solo and with some amazing doubles partners.
Favorite station?
Burpee broad jumps—they’re all about endurance. I’m crying inside during the entire 80 meters, but I’ve made BBJs "my thing," and I refuse to stop until I’m done.
Least favorite station?
The sled pull. Of the trifecta of hybrid fitness—strength, endurance, and cardio—strength is the hardest for me. The sled pull is the station where I haven’t quite figured out how to be efficient yet.
Things you wish you knew when you started racing?
Every aspect of hybrid fitness is completely improvable. A year ago, I was one of the slowest on the SkiErg at my gym, and I felt frustrated, thinking I’d never get better. At 5’3”, I initially wanted to blame my height, but over the past year, I’ve researched technique, analyzed my form, and practiced on my own every week. I’ve gotten exponentially better, holding splits well below 2:00 for half of the SkiErg station during my Toronto mixed doubles race. The same goes for running, rowing, and other stations. Even race technique improves with each race, revealing something new we can carry into the next one.