What keeps Katie Duke moving
Katie Duke is a mother, physical therapist and elite hybrid athlete. At the 2024 Deka World Championships in December, Katie competed in six races, earning three podiums, and setting one world record. She also works with many hybrid athletes in her physical therapy practice, helping them stay healthy and ready to race.
The Hybrid Letter chatted with Katie about running eight-and-a-half miles straight uphill, living "wild and free," and the most common ways hybrid atheltes get injured.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Hybrid Letter: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do now?
Katie Duke: I’m a physical therapist in Boise, Idaho, and I run my own orthopedic outpatient clinic. I worked for a therapeutic association for about 11 years as a PT, and two years ago, I opened my own branch of the clinic. My goal was to focus on endurance athletes and CrossFitters. My clinic has an awesome gym setup, which I love. If you follow our clinic, you’ll see that my gym is pretty sick—patients love it.
I have two kids. My daughter is almost 10, and my son is 8. A lot of my free time is spent being present with them, doing whatever they want.
THL: What is your athletic background?
KD: I started playing soccer when I was four. My older brother was really athletic—he was only a year ahead of me, so I played on his soccer team until they made me switch to girls' teams. I’ve always been competitive in soccer. I also played baseball and basketball when I was young and later played soccer in college. I spent a few years at the University of South Carolina before moving back to Boise and playing another year at Boise State.
After soccer, I transitioned into long-distance running. As a midfielder, I was always running, so it was a natural shift. I focused on half marathons and trail racing—Boise has incredible trails just ten minutes away, where you can run for miles. I also did general weightlifting and HIIT workouts at home.
In 2022, I signed up for my first Spartan race in Utah. Initially, I registered for the open division, not knowing much about Spartan races. As the race got closer, I realized the open division was more for fun—and I rarely do races just for fun. So, I switched to the age group category and ended up winning my division. My time would have placed me third in the Elite division at that event. That was a turning point—I was hooked. Training for it was a blast. I’d run along the greenbelt by the river, stopping for burpees, hitting monkey bars, and doing sprint repeats. After that, I did a few more races and placed in the Elite field every time.
THL: What enticed you to start racing in Deka and Hyrox?
KD: After running my first Spartan, I was done with road racing. Spartan races felt fun, wild, and free—exactly how I want to live. Ironically, I love Deka even though it's so structured. What intrigued me was the variety in training: skiing, rowing, running, pushing sleds, lifting weights—it’s all in the mix. I enjoy both for different reasons. Deka is great for tracking fitness progress, while Hyrox is a whole new challenge, requiring a different level of intensity and strategy.
THL: How did you adapt your training for these formats?
KD: With my background, I’ve always included speed work, intervals, and hill repeats, especially when training for a race. I used to run the Race to Robie Creek every year—it’s known as the toughest half marathon. The first eight and a half miles are straight uphill, then you bomb downhill for the last four and a half. That kind of training built a strong foundation. You can’t run hills and not be strong.
As I’ve transitioned to races like Deka Fit, there’s less emphasis on long runs. I don’t need a 10-mile long run anymore—seven or eight miles is enough. That’s actually helped, since I have some chronic injuries. I had a severe ankle sprain, so I can't comfortably run more than 10 miles on a trail. Adjusting my training has helped me stay strong while accommodating my body’s needs.
THL: What led you to physical therapy as a career?
KD: When I was 14, I had some hip issues and worked with an amazing PT. I loved how he treated athletes. That experience probably planted the seed. In college, I was mostly healthy but had some stress fractures my sophomore year. I spent a lot of time in the training room and realized I wanted to help athletes stay in the game.
The industry has changed—years ago, the approach was often to tell athletes to stop running or take time off. My philosophy is different. I believe in modifying rather than eliminating movement. If squatting hurts, let’s figure out why and adjust, rather than stopping altogether.
THL: What are the most common injuries you see in endurance and hybrid athletes?
KD: Low back and hip pain are common, especially from heavy lifting and high reps. Chronic tendinopathies and overuse injuries are frequent too, especially in runners. A big part of my job is helping athletes understand proper training progression and connecting them with coaches who can tailor their programs.
The key is addressing the root cause of the issue so athletes aren’t stuck in a cycle of recurring injuries.
THL: What injury prevention advice do you give athletes?
KD: For Hyrox athletes, mobility is huge—ankle, hip, and thoracic spine mobility in particular. Many people think they need to stretch their lower back, but often, the issue stems from a lack of mobility in the mid-back. I emphasize dynamic warm-ups and mobility work.
Recovery is also critical. When you're training at a high level, even if you’re not on the podium, you have to recover as hard as you train. That means foam rolling, compression therapy, and taking recovery seriously. As athletes get older, the percentage of time spent on mobility, warm-ups, and recovery increases—it’s essential for longevity.
THL: What mistakes do you see athletes making as they start competing?
KD: A lot of people go straight for the flashy Instagram workouts—wall balls for days, crazy squat variations. My coach always reminds me: stick to the basics. You don’t need to do every variation out there—just do squats.
The other big mistake is ramping up too fast. I see it every spring and summer when runners suddenly increase mileage, and then their IT band flares up. Progress needs to be gradual. That’s also when we start looking at cadence and running mechanics.
THL: How has having a coach impacted your training?
KD: I wanted to see what I could achieve at the next level. I had done well in Spartan races, and Greyson had been on the Pro Spartan team. I figured I had taken myself as far as I could on my own—it was time to invest in a coach.
Ironically, as a PT, I was dealing with chronic hamstring issues. I had pain all day, but I kept training through it. The biggest lesson I learned was to go slow on easy days and push hard on hard days. At first, I struggled with the slow days, but then on interval days, I hit paces I didn’t think were possible. That trust in the process made a huge difference.
Another common pitfall—especially for parents—is cramming workouts into whatever time is available. If you only have 30 minutes, you might be tempted to go all-out every time. That approach can lead to burnout or injury.
THL: What’s your plan for the next year?
KD: I’ve signed up for another solo Hyrox, and Greyson and I are planning to do a doubles event in March. I’ll also be at DekaFit SoCal.
We have something exciting in the works—Kevin Gregory, Greyson, and I are collaborating with Yancy to host DekaFit training clinics the night before races. It won’t just be a walkthrough—we’ll cover strategy, mindset, nutrition, and more. It’s going to be a big year for us.
THL: Any final advice for someone looking to change or start training?
KD: Meet yourself where you are. Every stage of life is different. When my kids were little, my workouts looked completely different—stroller runs, park workouts while they played. Comparing yourself to others isn’t helpful. Train in a way that works for your current season of life.
You can follow Katie Duke on Instagram.
Workout of the Week: "Race Feel"
Setting up a full Hyrox simulation is a time consuming process. Many athletes also do not have access to all the equipment they need. But Hyrox North American Champion Dylan Scott shared a very simple workout that will provide a similar feeling as a Hyrox race:
1K Run (at race pace)
30 Wall Balls
1K Run
30 Kettle Bell Lunges
1K Run
30 BurpeesRepeat the sequence above four times.
This workout will get you 12K of running, 120 wall balls, 120 lunges, and 120 burpees. If you can maintain a consistent effort throughout, you can feel confident you are prepared for a Hyrox.
Race of the Week: Hyrox Las Vegas
The first US-based Hyrox major of the season is Friday night in Las Vegas. Three more men and women will punch their ticket to the elite race at the Hyrox World Championships, which will be held in June in Chicago.
You can watch the action live starting at 6 PM Pacific Time on Friday, Janaury 31. Or, if you the live broadcast, the recording will be available on YouTube.
Hybrid Athlete of the Week: Dixie Bonner
Name: Dixie Bonner
Age: 33
Hometown: Stevens, PA
Why did you start hybrid racing? I started hybrid as a switch from OCR [obstical course racing] into a new realm. I love the idea and challenge of it. I love to run and workout so pairing the two together seemed like a no-brainer. No more racing in the rain or doing a gross dunk wall! First official race was Hyrox NYC in Dec 2019. Returned more serious to the sport in 2023 with Hyrox NYC and some local DEKA events. I still love trail running but functional fitness is really cool too.
Favorite race to date? Toronto Hyrox! I loved the travel, the city, the venue, my performance, and the outcome. My first Hyrox podium and my strongest running to date!
Do you have a race goal? have a time goal of sub 1:10 in the Hyrox women’s open division. I’m very close and I believe I can do it.
Favorite station? Lunges! I love the movement and the flow of stringing lunges together. Plus, when you’re able to pass people on a station, it gives you an extra boost mentally.
Least favorite station? Burpee broad jumps are the worst. I like burpees but for some reason the broad jump makes them feel like death. This is one of the slowest stations for me. It feels never-ending.
Things you wish you knew when you racing? I wish I knew how to pace myself. I understand the importance of it and the benefits it offers, I just can’t seem to obey any type of pacing strategy when I race. Maybe I’ll figure it out eventually.