8x8 Podcast

This week on the 8x8 Podcast we sit down with Julien Coquillaud Salomon. By day he is a working dad. By night he trains and competes at the highest level in HYROX Pro. His best time so far is 54:13, but what stood out to us is not just the performance. It is the way he fits serious training into a normal, busy life. In this episode we talk about what it really looks like behind the scenes. Managin...

This season of the 8x8 is powered and supported by our partners In8te. In8te brings you performance-driven, race-enhancing kits engineered for that crucial 1% edge. 90% of athletes race faster in In8te. Check them out: 📸 IG: @RaceIn8te 🌐 Web: RaceIn8te.com Now… let’s get into it 👇 BEYOND THE TEARS: FIND OUT WHO IS SASKIA MILLARD In this episode, we sit down with rising HYROX athlete Saskia Mill...

Liam McCroary is a former professional footballer who now works full time as a prison officer and competes among the Elite 15 in HYROX. In this episode, Liam shares his journey from professional football into HYROX while balancing a demanding career in the prison service. We talk about confidence, growth, and learning to perform at a high level while competing alongside some of the best athletes i...

Josh van Zeeland joins the 8x8 Podcast to talk about what happens when you suddenly find yourself racing at the front of HYROX. We get into the pressure of the Elite field, blocking out outside noise, mental battles at the top, and the moment you stop chasing and start believing you belong. We also talk future race times, the idea of a perfect HYROX relay, and what this sport could look like in th...

This week’s episode breaks the usual format, no structure, no script, just a real conversation with Luke Greer, the newcomer who’s already rewritten what’s possible in the UK HYROX scene. Luke has only been in the sport for a year and somehow he already holds the UK record. He walks into the studio looking like the most normal, down-to-earth guy… and then you remember he’s running times that don’t...

In this episode, we sit down with Ida Mathilde Steensgaard, the athlete, yes, but more importantly, the person behind for a very real conversation about pressure, expectations, and the strange way imposter syndrome can creep in, even when you’re performing at a high level. We also get into the deeper question of why some people chase bigger and bigger goals. Is it because we genuinely love the cha...

Tomas Tvrdik doesn’t exactly live life in the slow lane.  His friends call him T1000. He’s a husband, a dad, a soldier, and a guy who loves anything with an engine, but he’s also someone who decided that “average” wasn’t an option. He talks about what it’s like to live at a constant high heart rate, both in HYROX and in life. He went from 109 kilos to one of the athletes in the Elite 15, while jug...

Inside the Mind of Kate Davey: Crazy Energy, Real Friends & a Bloody Nose   In this episode of the 8x8 Podcast, Kate Davey brings her crazy energy, honesty, and humor to the table. She talks about the side of herself most people never get to see: from the random things she's obsessed with, to coming out of the water with a bloody nose. Kate opens up about what truly makes her happiest, ho...

Tom Rodgers is a HYROX Elite athlete with the engine, focus, and discipline to compete at the top level. As a full-time police officer, he balances demanding shifts with intense training, building strength, speed, and strategy that make him stand out in the HYROX community. Currently sidelined by injury, Tom shares what it takes to stay disciplined, maintain his mindset, and prepare for the day he...

In this special 8x8 Pod episode, the HYROX Elite 15 share their best advice on how to cut 10 minutes off your HYROX time. Featuring Alexander Roncevic, Lauren Weeks, James Kelly, Dylan Scott, Tim Wenisch, Sean Noble, Jon Wynn, Hidde Weersma, Vivian Tafuto, Pelayo Menendez, Beau Willis, Jess Pettrow, Amy Bavilacqua, and Harry Thompson, this episode is packed with elite-level insights to help you ra...

We finally made it happen!  After last week’s chaos, we’re back and this time we actually got to sit down with the amazing Vivian Tafuto. A former D1 swimmer turned hybrid fitness athlete, Vivian brings the perfect mix of insight, energy, and humor. The banter is top-tier. We laughed, we overshared, and somehow managed a proper conversation in between it all. From training talk to total behind-the...

We finally got to sit down with Hidde Weersma, one of the best HYROX athletes in the world — and honestly, this one hit different. What started as a chat about training and performance quickly became something deeper. We talked about balance, mindset, life, and what it really takes to stay grounded when you’re at the top. There’s also a really personal side to this story — a part of his life that...

Last year, Alexander Rončević said he wanted to dominate HYROX. This year he has started like he will, with a world record performance major 1. But behind the wins and records, there’s always a story people don’t see — the grind, the pressure, the moments that never make it to social media. Season 2 starts with Alex — the World Champion, the teacher turned athlete, the guy who somehow makes pain l...

When it comes to dominance in the sport, Lauren Weeks might just have the most significant wins and the best winning average. But the real question is—are we ready to officially crown her the GOAT of HYROX ? This conversation felt more like a fireside chat between two passionate individuals navigating the ups and downs of life, sports, and parenting. We quickly learn that, above all, Lauren is a m...

In Episode 10 of the 8x8 podcast Ryan & Lillie chat to Jess Pettrow from NOT BYRON BAY, as she prepared for the HYROX Las Vegas Elite 15 Major. In this episode we walked through her transition from being an Elite runner to Hyrox, the impact of her family on her performance, her fathers amazing transformation, views on modern day Hyrox coaches & how puma manage their athlete sponsorships. J...

In Episode 9 of the 8x8 podcast Ryan & Lillie chat to Harry Thompson from England, as he prepares for the HYROX Las Vegas Elite 15 Major this Friday. In this episode Harry share with us how to perform while having a demanding career, his passion for wildlife and tortoises, philanthropy, how to succeed across many sports, some fun celebrities stories from his hometown and his challenges overcom...

In Episode 8 of the 8x8 podcast Ryan & Lillie chat to Pelayo Menendez Fernandez from Oviedo, Spain as he prepares for the HYROX Las Vegas Elite 15 Major this Friday. In this episode Pelayo share with us his philosophy on life and training, what it means to him to be the worlds leading hispanic athlete in the sport, how he balances three careers and the differences of living in Spain and the US...

In Episode 7 of the 8x8 podcast Ryan & Lillie chat to Tim Wenisch (Soft w) as he prepares for the HYROX Las Vegas Elite 15 Major this Friday. If you enjoyed this episode or any others - we would appreciate if you could SUBSCRIBE, LIKE and COMMENT. Without your support we wouldn't be able to grow and develop the channel to bring you these incredible athletes stories. Tim shares with us an...

In Episode 6 of the 8x8 podcast Ryan & Lillie chat to Sean Noble, recent qualifier to the HYROX Elite 15 for 2025. Sean shares his wild rise to the top of the sport, the tough conditions under which he developed as an athlete, his own training philosophies and announces a huge new sponsor to the HYROX world - a real first. As always we do our best to get under the hood with the athletes and te...

In this episode of the 8x8 podcast Ryan & Lillie chat to James Kelly, recent winner of Hyrox Hong Kong Elite 15, 2024. Get to know the man behind the athlete status, play Maroon or Blue a game about Aussie classics and learn things about JK you will have never known before! 8x8 Instagram:   / 8x8pod  JK's Instagram:   / jk.jameskelly  Lillie's Instagram:   / lilliebailey__   Support...

Jon Wynn is not only an incredible Elite 15 Hyrox Athlete but also an ex-special forces soldier, a sober advocate and a dad to his 2 young daughters.. We were lucky enough to have him on the 8x8 podcast where we dug beneath the surface and had an inspiring conversation 🎙️ We covered choosing the right partner in life, solider mentally transferring to HROX, how he’s looking to improve his running,...

In this podcast episode learn how Beau Wills has got to the top of Hyrox, securing an 8th place in the World Championships 2024 and being a huge contender in the Elite 15. If you enjoyed this episode, go on and give us like, comment or a subscribe to allow us keep interviewing these athletes and learning from the best! We have a bunch of incredible ones to follow! Instagram:   / 8x8pod   Support t...

In this episode of the 8x8 podcast Ryan chats to the Hybrid Racoon, Dylan Scott. Recent winner of Hyrox Dallas 2024, Dylan has been involved in Hyrox since 2020 and has competed in multiple world championships. He won the 2024 North American Hyrox Championship and was crowned a world champion in the doubles competition at the 2024 Hyrox World Championships in Nice, France. Dylan credits his succes...

If you enjoyed this episode, go on and give us like, comment or a subscribe to allow us keep interviewing these athletes and learning from the best! We have a bunch of incredible ones to follow! We were very fortunate to get some time with HYROX elite 15 athlete Amy Bevilacqua during the build up for the Toronto HYROX event on the 5th of October, 2024.We talked about how she likes to celebrate, he...