Waipu residents Gilbert Costello and Michael Treend have qualified for the Hyrox World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden in June.
Waipu residents Gilbert Costello and Michael Treend have qualified for the Hyrox World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden in June.
Four super-fit Northlanders have tested their mettle against top Hyrox athletes from New Zealand and overseas, qualifying them for the world championships in Sweden.
Kerikeri’s Chris Warren, Whangārei’s Mikael Munday, and Waipu residents Gilbert (Gilly) Costello and Michael (Mick) Treend smashed their divisions in the Hyrox Auckland event atthe Auckland Showgrounds from January 29 to February 1.
While Warren and Munday can’t attend because of other commitments, Costello and Treend are now training for the Puma Hyrox World Championships at the Strawberry Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, from June 18–21.
Costello and Treend came second in the men’s pro doubles 50-54 age group race in Auckland.
Treend also qualified for a solo race in his 65-69 age group which will be the second time he’s attended a Hyrox world championship after competing in Chicago last year.
Costello, who owns The Shred Waipu Gym where Treend is a member, said it was a “fantastic opportunity”.
“I’m looking forward to racing with Mick and being part of the atmosphere.
“There’ll be thousands of people going, the best in the world will be competing.
“The community is right behind it, which is awesome.”
Hyrox is a relatively new fitness racing event which combines 8km of running with eight functional workout stations for professional athletes to everyday gym-goers.
It involves eight 1km runs interspersed with eight functional workout stations, including a 1000m stint on the SkiErg, the sled push and pull, burpee broad jumps and a 1000m row.
There are also 100m lunges with a sandbag on your back, the “farmer’s carry” with kettlebells, and wall balls, which involve full squats and throwing a medicine ball at a wall.
Each race is hosted indoors, so spectators can encourage participants, who start at varying times and finish at their own pace.
Kerikeri’s Chris Warren (left) won the pro doubles men 40-44 division with Mikael Munday from Whangarei at the Auckland Hyrox event.
Warren won the pro doubles men 40-44 age group division with Mikael Munday from Whangārei at the Auckland Hyrox event.
Warren, who trains at The Fitness Lab in Kerikeri, also won the men’s open doubles with another partner, Andrew Hope from Kerikeri.
He said he was “stoked” to qualify.
“We put in a lot of training and it’s quite intense so it’s cool to have the training come to fruition and get that result.
“A few Aussies had flown over to get the spot, so it was cool to beat them as well.”
Warren has previously encouraged his parents to get into the sport.
As a result, Bob and Sophia Warren entered competitions in Auckland and Brisbane, which qualified them for the Hyrox World Championships in the United States.
The Waipu community is now rallying behind Costello and Treend with a community fundraiser workout on May 9 at The Shred gym.
A Givealittle page has been created to help get the pair to the world champs.
Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with finance, roading, and social issues.
