Stepping Into the Arena Before the Sun Comes Up
At 6:30 in the morning in Dallas, Texas, we were walking toward the convention center to compete in HYROX Dallas 2025. Excited. Nervous. Fully aware that preparation does not guarantee certainty. I had trained for roughly four months, navigating illness, missed sessions, and real-life interruptions along the way. Like every meaningful challenge, you never truly know if you are ready until it is time to step forward. The commitment was simple. Give everything I have. There were only two outcomes in my mind. I finish, or I get taken off on a stretcher. Quitting was not an option.
Why the Goal Is Always to Finish
I was not there to impress anyone else. I was not chasing speed, records, or comparison. This was about proving something to myself. Every major challenge I have taken on in my life follows the same principle. Finish what you start. Half marathons. Full marathons. The Goggins Challenge. Now HYROX. Finishing matters because it forces you to experience the full journey. You do not know if something is truly worth pursuing until you go all the way through it. That is where growth lives.
Me Versus Me in a Room Full of Elite Athletes
Walking into the arena was intimidating. Thousands of elite athletes. Massive space. Big energy. But I reminded myself of the truth. This was not Chris versus the field. This was Chris versus Chris. There would be running. There would be walking. There would be emotion. Probably tears. But the objective was clear. Finish strong. Make my family proud. Be proud of myself. Add another chapter to my life’s resume. Because someday, when my body no longer works the way it does now, those receipts matter. They remind you of who you were when things were hard.
Why Fear Is a Signal, Not a Stop Sign
HYROX scared me. And that is exactly why it mattered. I discovered HYROX after watching my friend Logan Aldridge, an adaptive athlete, compete. When I learned there was an adaptive division and no time limit, I knew this was something I needed to experience. HYROX is built for everyone. Anyone willing to show up can compete. There is no cutoff. The environment is built around support, encouragement, and community. That matters. We all want connection. We all want to feel supported when we are vulnerable and pushing our limits.
The Power of Support When the Mind Starts to Break
One of the most powerful aspects of competing in the adaptive division is the support. My wife was allowed to be on the course with me, helping with adaptive equipment and keeping me mentally locked in. Because the biggest enemy in any challenge is not physical breakdown. It is mental breakdown. Having her there, the energy of thousands of people in the arena, and the belief that my son CJ was watching over me gave me strength when it mattered most.
The Reality of the Challenge
HYROX was significantly harder than I anticipated. Broad jump burpees were a shock to the system. Far more demanding than expected. During the sandbag lunges, I fell. Hard. I will break that down further in a dedicated episode. But adversity showed up exactly as it always does. Unexpected. Uncomfortable. Demanding a response. I finished. And that mattered.
First Place Was Not the Point, But It Mattered
At the end of the day, I walked away with first place in the major upper extremity limb difference division. That is something I am proud of. But the banner was not the point. The point was stepping into something difficult and following through. This was the toughest physical challenge I have ever completed. And it reinforced a core belief I live by. We do hard things so we can do harder things later. This is what I call the adversity accelerator. Intentional discomfort that prepares you for whatever life brings next.
The Real Question You Need to Answer
Here is the challenge I want to leave you with. If I can show up at 53 years old, with a limb difference, and complete one of the hardest physical competitions on the planet, then excuses no longer hold weight. I do not want to hear why calls were not made. Why follow-up did not happen. Why preparation was skipped. If you want something badly enough, you will find a way. If not, you will find an excuse. The difference is commitment. So the real question is simple. What are you willing to do to prove to yourself that you can finish what you start?
