Most people travel to Nice, France, on the French Riviera to visit the Vieux Nice or the Promenade de Anglaise, or to experience the food, the beaches or the nightlife.
Cathy Adduci of River Forest went there last month for a workout – not just any workout, but to participate in the Hyrox World Championships, which organizers call “the world series of fitness racing.”
Athletes in all categories complete one kilometer runs interspersed with eight functional workout stations – SkiErg, sled push, sled pull, burpee board jump, rowing, farmers carry, sandbag lunges, and wall balls. Participants compete in age categories as single men, single women, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.
Adduci, who serves as River Forest village president, and her fitness partner Ed Barth of Chicago, finished sixth in their category, mixed doubles for 60-to-69 year olds.
“It was really interesting and fun,” Adduci said, calling it “a different experience” and “tons of fun.”
She compared the competition to the Olympics, all the way down to marching in by country during the opening ceremony.
“There were 150 in the U.S. contingent from all over the country,” Adduci said. “We were the only ones from Chicago.”
She said the competition, held June 9 at Nice’s Palais des Expositions, drew 4,000 participants from around the world with “many” from England and Germany. The competition was viewed by 10,000 paying spectators.
The Nice competition was the sixth world championship in the sport’s eight-year history and the conclusion of the 2023-24 season. Adduci and Barth qualified for the world championships at a Hyrox competition on Navy Pier in Chicago in November.
In doubles, participants have to run together, but split the functional workout stations and take it in turns.
“We kind of mixed it up,” Adduci said. “We knew our own strengths.”
She said she was introduced to Hyrox fitness by John Hayley at Unbreakable Fitness in Forest Park, which is designated a Hyrox training center, one of 2,500 worldwide.
“I really got into it,” Adduci said., describing it as a combination of cardio-, strength- and fitness-training. “Hyrox gave me a workout goal to work toward.
“It’s a good way to stay in shape. It’s a good program for those who are goal-oriented.”
Adduci said she met Barth at Unbreakable Fitness, describing him a “very athletic.”
She said “loved sports” growing up, noting that with four brothers, she had to be athletic.
Adduci said she would compete in a Hyrox event again, noting there are local competitions “all around the U.S.”
“It was a very fun event,” she said. “It keeps you in shape.”
Hyrox was started in 2017 in Hamburg, Germany. The competition has since expanded worldwide with 175,000 participants taking part in 65 competitions in 11 different countries around the world in 2023.
“I’ve got to give a shout-out to John Hayley for doing this,” Adduci said.