The Rox-Coach here—Thomas Stell, let’s break down Vienna 2026, pull out the gold, and lay a plan to crush Berlin and Rimini this season. You showed solid running capability, strong overall endurance, and some concrete exposure points where a focused plan will translate into faster finish times. Let’s get into it.

Overall Performance

Thomas Stell, HYROX Men 35-39, finished 573rd overall (top 43% of 1309) and 102nd in his age group (top 43% of 237). Time: 01:24:03. Your Total running time was 39:40, which is 1:14 faster than the average for your finish time and division. That’s a clear indicator you’re a runner-at-heart who can lean into the running segments with efficiency and endurance; you’re not merely surviving the work capacity events, you’re effectively leveraging your cardio base.

Best running lap clocked at 04:17 shows you can push when the legs are fresh and the brain is locked in. Your early segment (Running 1: 5:44) was slower than average, suggesting a cautious/opening pace rather than a sprint out of the gates. Your overall Roxzone (transitions) at 6:55 is near average, but there’s room to trim the moment between stations to drop a few seconds here and there. Your Sled Pull and Wall Balls were notable friction points, but nothing that can’t be shaved with targeted technique and strength work.

Profile takeaway: you’re a hybrid with a lean toward running. Your data says: you can outrun the majority on the run, but the obstacle circuit (BBJ, Wall Balls, Sled Pull) is currently where time leaks accumulate. The goal: tilt the balance toward more consistent run speed while lifting your obstacle work efficiency to stay within striking distance on the tougher stations. As the greats say: stay hard, stay patient, and let the data drive the plan. 💪

Segments & Race Analysis

Running 1 5:44 (+1:12 vs average; 84th percentile). Opening pace slower than average. This often cues either a cautious start or a strategy to “feel out” the first run before letting the legs click. You finished the first segment with a respectable pace later on, but this early drift set a higher cumulative running load on the system early in the race.
Ski Erg 4:29 (+0:01; 48th percentile). Essentially on pace; you didn’t lose or gain much here. This is a stable anchor within the mid-pack. Solid, not spectacular—good base, not where the race is decided.
Running 2 4:17 (-0:29; 22nd percentile). A strong rebound after the opening, showing you can surge with efficient breathing and leg drive when fresh. This is a positive signal that your conditioning supports higher-intensity running when you’re in a groove.
Sled Push 2:31 (-0:24; 26th percentile). This is a clear area where you’re slower than average compared to peers with the same finish time. Requires more leg drive and hip extension, plus better transfer from hip to knee to drive the sled efficiently.
Running 3 5:19 (+0:11; 54th percentile). A steadier middle-lap; not a deficit, but not a spike either. Shows you can hold a solid tempo through a longer run but there’s room to tighten.
Sled Pull 5:19 (+0:28; 61st percentile). Similar story to the Push: the pull is a relative weak point—hips and lats can tire the grip and torso, impacting pull mechanics and speed.
Running 4 5:00 (-0:07; 39th percentile). A slight improvement over the mid-run, indicating you can reset mid-race and hold a steady pace when you’re warmed up and in rhythm.
Burpees Broad Jump (BBJ) 6:36 (+1:18; 73rd percentile). This is your most time-costly segment. The station is brutal for many athletes; your time indicates inefficiency in transition, technique, or both. Improvement potential here is substantial.
Running 5 4:50 (-0:28; 26th percentile). A strong return to form on the second lap of running, showing your endurance is robust—good sign for the later miles of the event.
Rowing 4:54 (+0:06; 55th percentile). Slightly above average but not a glaring bottleneck. You’re in the mix here; improvement is possible with more efficient stroke technique under fatigue.
Running 6 4:55 (-0:14; 34th percentile). More evidence you can push when the body is warmed; this lap shows you’re capable of hitting a mid-to-late race pace.
Farmers Carry 1:44 (-0:25; 16th percentile). Very solid under fatigue. This is a strong station for you; grip, core, and total body stability appear to be decent—turn this into a longer carry or heavier load progression in training to pull the entire race as a unit.
Running 7 4:26 (-0:43; 15th percentile). An exceptional late-run lap; you’re showing a strong finish capability when energy and mental state align. This supports a runner-forward strategy with finishing kick potential.
Sandbag Lunges 4:52 (-0:13; 40th percentile). A bit slower, but not catastrophic; could be improved with better hip/quad conditioning and lunging mechanics under fatigue.
Running 8 5:14 (-0:29; 30th percentile). Slower than ideal late in the race; suggests fatigue onset or a need for more deload/active recovery strategies in the final run stage.
Wall Balls 7:08 (+0:30; 58th percentile). A weaker wall-ball segment relative to peers; technique plus breathing control and ball path efficiency need work. This is a clear target for time improvement.
Roxzone 6:55 (-0:04; 46th percentile). Transition efficiency is roughly average but with room for improvement. A faster Roxzone can shave seconds off the final time and keep momentum through the course.

Bottom line on segments: your strongest area is running, especially in the second half of the race (Running 2 and Running 7 show you can push when you’re warmed). Your high-impact obstacle work (BBJ, Wall Balls) is where you’re losing the most time, followed closely by Sled Push/Pull under fatigue. The transitions are not the main bottleneck, but shaving a few seconds here and there will compounding benefits across the course. The data tells a clean story: you’re a runner with strong endurance, but the obstacle work needs targeted, explosive training to turn time costs into gains.

Segments to Improve

Focus for Improvement Plan (prioritized by impact and feasibility):

BBJ — Potential Improvement: 1:35 (From 06:36 to 05:01). Focus during training: 44%

Why it matters: This is the largest single time sink on the course. Improving BBJ will reduce Roxzone time and improve momentum across the upper body–lower body transfer in other stations that rely on explosive hip drive.
Training strategies:
Explosive lower-body power: box jumps, depth jumps, broad jumps (progressions from 4–6 sets of 6–8 reps, 0.5–1.0 m box height based on ability).
Hip hinge strength: Romanian deadlifts, hip thrusts, Kettlebell swings (3–4x per week; 6–10 sets total across microcycles).
Burpee technique refinement: practice efficient transitions from the floor to the stand, with emphasis on minimizing wasted hip and knee flexion; integrate "two-phase" burpee (floor to stand) drills at a controlled tempo.
BBJ-specific conditioning: Metabolic conditioning that mimics the station (EMOM or AMRAP): 6–8 rounds of 6 burpees + 3 broad jumps with short rest, building to 8–10 rounds with minimal rest.
Form cues to implement during race pace: chest up, hips low, minimal ground contact time, foot landing under hips to prevent excessive deceleration. Drill: execute 10 sets of 4 quick burpees with a broad jump in between, maintaining a fast contact-to-takeoff rhythm.
Compromised running scenario post-BBJ: Practice a smooth transition into Running 5 with 15–20 seconds faster cadence after BBJ; include short tempo runs after BBJ blocks to train rhythm recovery.

Wall Balls — Potential Improvement: 0:58 (From 07:08 to 06:10). Focus during training: 27%

Why it matters: Wall Balls contribute a meaningful chunk of fatigue if technique or breathing is off; improving this station will directly flatten the late-race drop you show in Running 8 and overall Roxzone time.
Training strategies:
Wall-ball mechanics: refine the squat-to-throw path, ensuring hips push with the ball driving to target while maintaining upright posture. Use tempo reps to optimize breathing technique during the set (exhale on the throw).
Breathing rhythm work: 2-in, 2-out cadence or 3-in, 2-out to maintain steady oxygenation as the reps accumulate.
Ball handling and rebound control: practice with progressive weights (6–8 lb, 9–12 lb) to master energy transfer; from there, ramp to competition weight.
Wall Ball sprint sets: 4 sets x 12 reps at 75% effort with 30–45 seconds rest; progress to 5 sets x 15 reps with higher intensity over 6–8 weeks.
Post-Wall Ball transition drill: 20-second active recovery jog into a 60-second run, focusing on recovering breathing while maintaining cadence for Running 5.

Sled Pull — Potential Improvement: 0:43 (From 05:19 to 04:36). Focus during training: 20%

Why it matters: The sled pull is a genuine limiter here, likely due to grip and posterior chain fatigue. Improving this will help the overall transfer under load and reduce drag across the mid-race exchanges.
Training strategies:
Posterior chain strength: Romanian deadlifts, trap-bar deadlifts, and glute-ham raises to improve hip extension and knee drive under load.
Grip and forearm endurance: farmer carries, towel pull-ups, plate pinches to build grip endurance that lasts through the sled phases.
Sled technique drills: practice speed-driven pulls with short, explosive drives; work on synchronization of leg drive and arm pull to maximize momentum transfer. 6–8 sets of 20–30 second pulls with 60 seconds rest, focus on quick transition to the next move after pull.
RPE-managed tempo: two rounds of sled pull at alternating loads to teach the body to maintain form as fatigue rises.

Past Races — Context and Progress

To contextualize your Vienna performance, here are comparative snapshots from recent HYROX events:

2024 Manchester (HYROX PRO) — 01:12:28 (11:35 faster than Vienna 2026). Noteworthy splits show you had a strong early run (Running 1: 3:01, 12th percentile) but the overall course demanded more on the mix of ski, sled, and wall stations. Your rowing and wall ball performance in Manchester were well above average in various contexts, indicating high-end capability in those stations with improved consistency.
2024 Milan (HYROX PRO DOUBLES) — 01:10:13 (13:50 faster than Vienna 2026). You and your partner posted strong times across the board, including very favorable Wall Balls and Wall transitions (4:49 for Wall Balls in a different context). The key takeaway is that with partner synergy or heavier combined loads, your strengths show up even more; you have proven you can sustain a high pace for longer across events.
2025 Birmingham (HYROX DOUBLES) — 56:35 (27:28 faster than Vienna 2026). This performance demonstrates your potential when combining with a strong partner and executing at high power across the course. Across stations, you were near top in many segments, especially early on. The takeaway is: if you maintain the early running drive and improve obstacle efficiency, you can push into the top quartile of your age group in big fields.

Insight: you’ve shown a trajectory that leans toward improved performance when you’re in a high-intensity, running-forward mode. The obstacle work is a lever you can pull with specific, targeted training, turning the current 1:18 BBJ deficit and 0:58 wall-ball improvement window into a more balanced, faster overall time. The data from Manchester, Milan, and Birmingham supports the idea that with consistent, focused hypertrophy/strength work and obstacle drill rehabilitation, you can translate those gains into the Vienna-to-Berlin pipeline.

Race Strategies

Pacing: Start steadier on Running 1, aiming for a pace closer to your 2nd lap level rather than the first. Don’t fear the early minutes; instead, set a rhythm you can hold through the ski erg and start to exploit your strong second run (Running 2) as your anchor. Your strongest laps tend to occur when you’re warmed and in a rhythm, not when you’re sprinting out of the gates.
Technique-driven transitions: Your Roxzone is solid, but every few seconds saved at transition compounds into a faster overall time. Practice “two-step” transitions between stations: quick breath, quick stance, and immediate drive into the next segment without overthinking. Small percentage gains here compound across the course.
Obstacle order and energy management: BBJ and Wall Balls are the main levers. Prioritize a shorter, sharper transition between burpees and broad jumps, and maintain a controlled but aggressive Wall Ball rhythm. Build a mental cue to maintain form as fatigue rises—“hips under, ball up, breath out.”
Roxzone optimization: Since your Roxzone is close to average, you’re already maintaining a solid transition profile. Small improvements—like more efficient clothing changes, quicker grip resets on the sled, and minimal time to rack the weight—will shave seconds here and there during the run’s critical later segments.

Conclusion

Thomas, you’ve got a robust running engine and a clear path to becoming a top-tier HYROX competitor in your age group. The Vienna data highlights a few crack points—BBJ, Wall Balls, and Sled Pull—that are well within your reach to convert into improvements with disciplined, targeted training. You’re not a one-hit wonder on the run; you’re a runner with a solid obstacle game that can catch fire with the right plan.

Next up, you’ll line up at major events in 2026, including Berlin and Rimini, plus HYROX Youngstars Berlin. Your objective is to execute a race-pace strategy that preserves your running aptitude while systematically increasing your efficiency on obstacle work. The plan is to be efficient, not reckless—pressure builds performance, not panic. “Discipline equals freedom.” “Stay hard.” And if you need a quick morale boost: Hyrox isn’t about being the loudest in the gym; it’s about being the strongest across the entire course when the clock stops ticking.

💥

Next Relevant Races for this Athlete

Race: GilletteLabs HYROX Berlin, Date: 2026-05-22 • Location: Berlin, Germany
Race: HYROX YOUNGSTARS Berlin, Date: 2026-05-30 • Location: Berlin, Germany
Race: HYROX Rimini, Date: 2026-05-28 • Location: Rimini, Italy

Coach’s note: your next block should be a blended program—two blocks of dedicated obstacle work (BBJ, Wall Balls, Sled Push/Pull) and a running-focused maintenance block that preserves and enhances your running tempo. The Berlin circuit will test the same muscles under fatigue, so the plan should bank on technique, volume in the right places, and targeted strength work. You’ve proven you can rebound from a rough opening to push strong later in the race; let’s sharpen those edges to convert the late-race surge into an early, relentless push. “Pain is temporary. Immense is the reward on the other side.”

End-of-session joke to keep it real: Hyrox is basically a test of who can suffer most gracefully—like surviving a treadmill-induced sauna while a 20-kg sandbag tries to tell you jokes. Spoiler: the jokes are always better when you’re winning the station, not when you’re stuck on BBJ for a full minute. Smile under the mask, breathe, and execute. You’ve got this. 🏆

Final reminder: The plan is to win the small battles first—BBJ and Wall Balls—so your big sprint to the finish is a true victory lap rather than a hail mary. You’re closer than you think, Thomas. Stay consistent, stay hungry, and stay hard.

—The Rox-Coach