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Hyrox is an intense challenge — this 80-year-old cancer survivor conquered it

After recovering from a stroke and cancer diagnosis, Davenport figured sitting on the couch wasn’t the answer.

By Steph Green Published February 28, 2025

running shoes people exercising jumping group class outdoors — Runffwpu / Pexels

Hyrox is an intense challenge for anyone, especially for those in their 80s who have just battled cancer. The fitness race consists of alternating 1km runs with eight different workout stations. Every time you complete the 1km run, you end up at one of the eight functional workout stations:

1km ski-erg
50m sled push
50m sled pull
80m burpee broad jump
1km row
200m farmer’s carry
100m sandbag lunge
100 wall balls

Running all 8km and finishing all eight workout stations certainly isn’t a walk in the park, and while there’s no finishing time or entry qualification requirements, this race isn’t for the faint of heart.

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Conquering cancer and Hyrox

man with red shirt doing SkiErg machine skiing exercise equipment — Juan 1023 / Shutterstock

Two months after getting the all-clear, cancer survivor 80-year-old Roger Davenport conquered the Manchester Hyrox Doubles race on January 25th. Alongside his partner and coach, Matt Scarff, Roger finished the race and was nicknamed ‘Roger the Resilient’ for his efforts.

After recovering from a stroke and cancer diagnosis, Davenport figured sitting on the couch wasn’t the answer. He decided to work with Scarff and enrolled in the doubles division of the Hyrox fitness event to raise funds for cancer.

Reasons to give Hyrox a try

Man sitting in gym doing seated cable row on cable machine — MAD Production / Shutterstock

No matter your age, there are plenty of reasons to give Hyrox a try, and Roger is an inspiration to us all. Hyrox incorporates cardio along with a full-body workout that fine-tunes your overall functional fitness. You’ll feel accomplished and can work at your own pace without worrying about finishing ‘last.’ You’ll improve your strength, endurance, metabolism, and cardiovascular fitness while torching calories.

Steph Green (Steph Zee) is a singer-songwriter and professional writer with over 12 years of experience in healthcare and…

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