Rich Ryan ·September 21, 2026 · 3 min read
After competing in both singles and doubles at HYROX Salt Lake City, Rich Ryan came away with some valuable lessons about what it actually takes to perform on back-to-back race days. From post-race carbohydrates to managing expectations when your legs are already cooked, the biggest lesson is simple: you probably won’t feel perfect—and you don’t need to. Rich Solo 9-21
If there’s one priority after race one, it’s carbohydrates.
The problem is that HYROX race days are busy. You finish, talk with other athletes, take photos, find friends and family, and suddenly 45 minutes have passed without eating.
Rich recommends planning ahead and having easy-to-consume carbohydrates ready immediately after finishing. Gels, carbohydrate drinks and fruit juice can make it easier to start replenishing energy before sitting down for a larger meal. Protein still matters for rebuilding muscle, but when another race is coming quickly, restoring energy becomes a major priority. Rich Solo 9-21
Recovery doesn’t have to mean doing absolutely nothing.
A short, easy cooldown can promote blood flow without adding much additional stress. Rich prefers something low impact, such as 10–20 minutes on a C2 Bike, rather than adding more running to already fatigued legs.
Back-to-back racing can also be one of the situations where recovery tools such as compression or cold-water immersion make sense. The goal isn’t necessarily creating another training adaptation—it’s getting yourself as ready as possible to race again. Rich Solo 9-21
And then there’s the obvious one that athletes sometimes make unnecessarily complicated:
Sleep.
Fuel well, calm down after the race and give yourself the opportunity to get a quality night of rest.
The second race probably won’t feel like the first.
That’s okay.
Rich’s approach is to focus entirely on the race in front of him. Once the second race begins, thinking about how tired you are from yesterday doesn’t help.
As Ryan Kent’s coach used to say:
“You don't have to feel good to run fast.” Rich Solo 9-21
Back-to-back racing gives athletes a chance to prove exactly that.
Your legs might be sore. You might feel flat. Your warm-up might not feel amazing.
The question becomes whether you can still execute when everything isn’t perfect.
Salt Lake City added another variable: altitude.
Rich estimated the course was roughly two minutes slower than recent racing at lower elevation. But his biggest takeaway from the singles race wasn’t the altitude—it was his approach.
He went into the race intentionally conservative and ultimately felt he stayed conservative for too long.
Instead of finding the edge of what he could handle, he spent too much of the race protecting himself from blowing up.
The result was a fifth-place finish in the high 57-minute range and a valuable reminder: an early-season race doesn’t always need to produce your best result, but it should still teach you something. Rich Solo 9-21
The next day brought another opportunity.
Rich partnered with Jack Driscoll for their first doubles race together. Instead of worrying about how the race should feel, the objective became much simpler:
Go race. Be uncomfortable. Make it happen.
Rich and Jack battled Ryan Kent and Colin Stiert throughout the race, trading ground between the runs and stations before creating enough separation at the wall balls to take the win.
More importantly, the performance answered one of Rich’s biggest questions from the previous day.
His fitness was there.
The singles result appeared to be much more about strategy and mentality than a lack of physical preparation. Rich Solo 9-21
With athletes chasing singles and doubles qualification, racing multiple times during the same weekend may become increasingly common.
That makes recovery and mindset part of race strategy—not something you figure out afterward.
Plan your post-race nutrition before you start. Get carbohydrates in quickly. Use low-impact recovery. Prioritize sleep. Accept that race two might hurt more.
And when the race starts?
Stop thinking about yesterday.
Race the race you're in.
Whether you're preparing for your first HYROX or trying to improve your next performance, your training should match your experience, goals and race schedule.
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