48. Holly Archer on Why Hyrox Needs FIXING & Future of Content Creator ATHLETES
Motional IntelligenceShow Notes
Holly Archer — European Silver Medalist and one of the most exciting voices in endurance sport — joins the podcast for an honest conversation about what it really takes to compete at the highest level. Holly opens up about her unlikely origin story: getting a double detention at age 12 for "cheating" in a school cross country race — an accusation lighting a fire that never went out. From a scholarship at an American university to training at altitude with Under Armour, missing Tokyo 2021 by 0.04 of a second, burning out as a pro, and rebuilding from scratch — Holly holds nothing back. She also gets into why Hyrox has a consistency problem, the controversial gel wrapper penalty that cost her a World Championship spot, why she ran a 2:33 marathon with zero long runs in the build-up, and why she believes brands and content creators need to take more responsibility for the running advice they're putting out. In this episode: The school cross country story that started it all Life on a D1 athletic scholarship in Texas Coming 4th at Tokyo Olympic trials by 0.04 seconds Transitioning from track to Hyrox — and why it's working Why Hyrox's rulebook is broken Running a 2:33 marathon off a Hyrox block Content creators, stress fractures & the responsibility gap
(00:00:00) Introduction (00:00:48) Who Is Holly Archer? (00:01:05) The School Race That Started Her Career (00:12:36) D1 Athletic Scholarship in America (00:16:14) Life in Dallas, Texas & College Stories (00:27:47) Pitching Her CEO for an Altitude Camp (00:30:52) Winning European Silver Medal (00:31:54) Signing With Under Armour (00:32:37) Missing Tokyo 2021 by 0.04 Seconds (00:37:39) Transitioning to Hyrox (00:39:18) First Marathon: London 2024 (00:44:00) What's Wrong With Hyrox? (00:54:54) Creator Athletes vs Pros – The Money Gap (00:56:58) The Fueling Science Behind the London Marathon (01:03:06) Running 2:33 Off a Hyrox Block (01:05:40) Content Creators & Responsibility in Running
More from Motional Intelligence
This week I’m joined by the co-founders of SAP; James Warnock & Conor McNamee - The running nutrition brand built on a chance meeting in Cape Town. We talk about why they believe sports nutrition should taste good, the science behind using maple syrup as a race fuel, and how two runners turned a wild idea on a safari into one of the most exciting brands in endurance sport right now. Plus they give me their exact fuelling advice for Valencia Marathon!Follow SAP: https://www.instagram.com/sapgoodenergy/?hl=en
Jake Smith is one of Britain's most talented marathon runners but his journey to the top nearly cost him everything. In this episode, Jake opens up about his battle with an eating disorder, the doctor who warned him he'd be in a wheelchair by 30, and how he fought his way back to run 2:09 this September at Berlin Marathon. What a seriously inspiring bloke, a story that carries so much weight. Pleasure chatting to him! Follow Jake: https://www.instagram.com/jakeliamsmith98?exln=MTVraHR3aWRheXlwcQ== Watch on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3WGIXQz6Pa0V9WIa4gIxOV?si=e19d4acb7b964eeb Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@motionalintelligencepod Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motionalintelligencepod Calum's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calumgoddard/ Calum's TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@calumgoddard YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@UC4g2mhwrlRBzXhAsyXVWz4A Contact: [email protected]
This week I'm joined by Adam Clark (Clarky), elite marathon runner, Manchester Marathon champion, and co-founder of URUNN alongside Sir Mo Farah. We get into his running journey from the kid who loved cross country to winning marathons, his PBs across every distance, and why most people rush the process. We also chat about life with Charlotte Purdy, pacing London Marathon and never finishing it, the firemen moment with Hugo, pacing Sweets at Berlin, and how URUNN came about with Mo. I also share my own running journey, my naivest mistake at Chicago, and what I've learned chasing sub-3.
This week I'm joined by the one and only Oli aka El Burrito Monster. The food content creator who accidentally became an absolute running machine. We talk losing six stone by running 10K every day, going from a 30-minute 5K to 20min in five days, running a 2:52 London Marathon at 102 kilos, and his latest Berlin Marathon where he tried to go sub-three on basically no training (really unhinged bloke).
I'm joined by Cole Gibbens to break down his London Marathon debut, where he ran 2:16 as a first-timer! We get into the training mistakes that led to a stress responses, the reality of disordered eating and under fueling in the men's running scene, and a hands-on look at the newly released Adidas Pro 5 - how it compares to the Pro 4 and what it means for race day. Raw, honest conversation about the parts of running nobody talking about enough.