Ex-footballer Shannon Stephen reignites his competitive spirit in fitness competition Hyrox

SINGAPORE - Having torn his right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) twice, former footballer Shannon Stephen had not done much running since hanging up his boots three years ago.

But he was stirred into action after watching 3,500 athletes slug it out when the Hyrox fitness competition made its Singapore debut before 2,000 spectators at the National Stadium in October 2023.

Egged on by his friends, he decided to try the competition, which incorporates a 1km run between eight stations such as the 50m sled pull, 80m burpee broad jumps and 1,000m rowing. It reignited his competitive spirit from his professional football days with Singapore Premier League clubs Young Lions and Tampines Rovers.

While he was impressed by Hyrox’s functionality and simplicity, he initially had doubts about the running. But he decided to challenge himself.

Stephen, who works as a fitness trainer, will go from spectator to participant for the upcoming Hyrox Singapore event at the National Stadium on June 29, with a target of finishing the race in less than an hour.

The 30-year-old said: “When I used to play football, what I really loved was being in front of a huge crowd. For me, it was a chance to showcase my abilities.

“What’s more, my friends, my family who’s there, they expect a lot from me. That pressure allows me to do a lot better than I would be able to by myself.”

It helps that he has mental fortitude, which was sorely needed when he had to undergo physical rehabilitation after tearing the same ACL twice.

His injury woes started in 2013, when he hurt his knee during a Prime League game. Unable to straighten his leg for two days afterwards, he went for a magnetic resonance imaging scan which confirmed that the ACL had snapped.

After surgery and physiotherapy, he made a comeback 8½ months later, but tore the ACL again during his first full training session back with the team.

He said: “Luckily, I’m pretty mentally strong. I was willing to do rehab very aggressively to recover.”

Stephen, who has to inject his knee with fluid every year in order to secure his cartilage, continued to play football until 2020 and retired from the sport the following year.

He said: “When I stopped playing football, I was just going to the gym for the sake of going to the gym. At least when I train for Hyrox, I’ve got something to train for.”

Stephen, who was introduced to Hyrox by his colleague, found the transition relatively easy, as training required skills that he already possessed.

He said: “It was tough at the start, when my muscles were all aching because I had not trained like that in a long time. But otherwise I found it very easy to adapt.

“Hyrox also does not require me to run in multiple directions like football, which is more difficult because of all my knee injuries. In Hyrox, I just need to run in one direction.

“At the end of the day, Hyrox on average lasts 90 minutes, football on average lasts 90 minutes. It’s not that much different.”

Stephen has eight to 10 training sessions over six days every week, with a rest day on Wednesdays. He emphasises the importance of strength training in addition to running and Hyrox-specific training sessions.

His passion for the competition has taken him to events around the world, beginning with one in Incheon in February earlier in the year, which he attended with one of his clients. He estimated spending about $2,000 per trip.

He travelled alone to his most recent event in April in Berlin, where temperatures dropped to as low as seven deg C in the outdoor race.

Although he was initially able to manage a decent time, the cold wind and atmosphere made the race much tougher than he had expected. By the time Stephen got to the fifth station, he felt his toes freeze up and was unable to stand up after his lunges.

But he persevered and completed the race, with his sights set on another European event in the future.

When asked about his goals, he said: “I want to do something, achieve something, to bring the name of Hyrox Singapore up.”