Visually impaired masseurs turn their hands to Hyrox

For Beijing-based massage therapists Jiang Qi and Zhao Zhe, who are visually impaired, the world of athletics has always reached them through sound and touch. From their treatment table, they've listened to clients recount finishes at marathons, personal bests in triathlons and new benchmarks in Cross-Fit. Then one day, a new word entered their vocabulary — Hyrox.

The fitness competition Hyrox blends running with functional exercises, a one-kilometer run followed by a workout station, repeated eight times.

Since its inception in Germany in 2017, Hyrox has evolved into a global phenomenon. It wasn't until November 2024 that the event made its Chinese mainland debut at the National Agricultural Exhibition Center in Beijing.

Notably, the competition allows adaptive athletes with partial or complete loss of vision to participate with the assistance of guide runners.

Han Yue, a triathlon enthusiast from a local club named Longyuan, recalled that the club's members often chatted on Zhao and Jiang's massage tables after training.

"Zhao and Jiang would curiously ask what we trained that day and whether we were tired. You could tell it wasn't just professional habit — there was a sense of yearning in their voice."

That yearning was quietly noted and remembered by their attentive clients.

When they learned that Hyrox — which includes singles, doubles and relay divisions — would return to Beijing on Aug 23, Han thought perhaps the club could bring Jiang and Zhao into the mixed relay.

"All the time we hear clients talk about the excitement of crossing the finish line, the joy of breaking personal records and all the ups and downs of training. If I said I didn't envy them, that would be a lie," said Zhao.

"We also crave challenges and that feeling of working together toward a goal," added Jiang, who once played blind soccer.

"Since we work in sports rehabilitation, we want to better understand under what circumstances people are more prone to injuries. And we also wanted to try it ourselves," said Jiang.

On Saturday, the fitness competition drew 4,700 participants and nearly 3,000 enthusiastic spectators to the capital city, energizing the China National Convention Center.

Zhao and Jiang teamed up with members from Longyuan triathlon club, forming two four-person teams in the mixed relay division. Zhao, guided by Han, completed a two-kilometer run, alongside a 50-meter sled push and rowing one kilometer, while Jiang, under the guidance of Cui Cui, performed a 50-meter sled pull alongside the rowing and running.

Zhao had to push a 152 kg sled for 50 meters, and he struggled to keep it moving in a straight line, at one point appearing utterly exhausted. Han, standing next to him, and spectators and fellow athletes cheered him on loudly from the sidelines — shouting encouragement and advice.

"I heard everyone cheering for me," recalled Zhao.

"The race was more exhausting than I imagined, and I wasn't fully prepared, but I'm very grateful for my teammates' help and the inclusive and friendly atmosphere for us visually impaired people," he added.

Cui, whose wrist was joined to that of Jiang by a green tether, said that Jiang was particularly excited at the start of the race and ran very fast.

"I could feel Jiang was really excited and happy, running so fast that I almost couldn't keep up. The track was very wide, making it perfect for him to run freely," she recalled.

Cui reminded Jiang to maintain a steady pace. During the one kilometer rowing segment, she continuously called out the remaining distance to encourage him and boost his confidence.

Both teams successfully completed the race and they hugged, high-fived and proudly held up their medals for photos.

"I feel more confident and more curious than before," said Zhao. "I used to think many things were impossible, but now I feel, maybe, I can give them a try."