SINGAPORE – Even as thousands of athletes made their way through the AIA Hyrox Singapore course at the National Stadium on April 5, Carolyn Soemarjono was hard to miss.
Dressed in a blue singlet with polka dots and a name tag that read “Hyrox Grandma”, the 57-year-old cancer survivor stood out with a hairband featuring pink wool-wrapped hair curlers and a fake pearl necklace – all in the spirit of her nickname.
Competing in her second Hyrox Singapore event, the Australian grandmother of two tackled each station with a smile even when fatigue set in, eventually completing her women’s open race in 2hr 56sec to place third in the 55-59 age group.
“When you’re racing, it’s nice to have some feedback from the crowd and they’re not going to give feedback if you’ve got your head down,” said the Singapore permanent resident of her set-up and upbeat manner during the gruelling race.
“They’re only going to give feedback if you’re doing something silly or smiling, so for me, it’s a positive energy thing.”
But the professional photographer’s exuberance stood in stark contrast to a year ago, when she struggled with her mental health during a stressful period in her life.
She was unhappy with her appearance and how she felt after gaining weight, and medical checks also revealed high levels of visceral fat – dangerous, metabolically active fat stored deep within the abdominal cavity, surrounding internal organs like the liver and intestines – and showed she was pre-diabetic.
The turning point came when the Body Fit Training (BFT) Tanglin gym opened near her home.
Initially, Soemarjono attended classes two to three times a week, but began going to the gym six days a week as she enjoyed the sessions.
Over time, she lost 10kg. But apart from becoming fitter, she also found a community.
She said: “Initially, it was just going and doing exercise. Then it was building on the social aspect – people at the gym, inspiring each other was another positive thing.
“Then going to Hyrox was just another level again, it was a community goal and interest, and all of those things built on providing a positive mental-health feeling.”
Soemarjono then took part in her first Hyrox event in Singapore last November.
While she had previously run marathons and half-marathons, she took a break after the 2011 Tokyo Marathon.
Months after that, the then 42-year-old went for extensive medical checks after experiencing persistent fatigue, bloating and unusual changes in appetite.
That was when the tests revealed a cancerous ovarian cyst and she underwent a hysterectomy, followed by six months of chemotherapy.
She eventually started participating in running events again, but fitness took a back seat after a while due to other commitments, before she resumed exercising a year ago.
With three Hyrox events under her belt – she also took part in the Bangkok event a fortnight ago – Soemarjono hopes to challenge stereotypes about ageing.
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She herself has drawn inspiration from athletes in their 60s and 70s who have competed in American Ninja Warrior, a sports entertainment and reality game show.
She said: “There’s that mental image that people have of people in their 50s and I’m happy to try and redefine that, like I can be a grandmother and super fit, I can develop muscles, I can be strong, I’m lifting heavier weights now than I’ve ever lifted in my whole life.”
Also hoping to make a positive impact on others through her fitness journey is Yvonne Chee, who was among the 14,500 participants at the three-day event. The turnout exceeded the 10,395 who took part in the November event.
A marathoner of 20 years who has represented Singapore, the 46-year-old was forced to take a break from running for two months after sustaining a bone stress injury in her left calf in January 2025.
She started strength training at BFT and, out of curiosity, decided to sign up for Hyrox and compete in the women’s doubles event with a friend.
She said: “I was very focused on marathons but since I couldn’t run, I thought, why not try something new?”
“I always tell people, ‘Don’t try, don’t know’, don’t diss something until you’ve tried it. Given that I was training for strength, I thought I could put it to good use.”
But when her friend pulled out due to injury, Chee competed individually in the women’s open event at Hyrox Taipei in April 2025 and topped the 45-49 age group.
Since then, the government affairs professional at Standard Chartered has competed in Hyrox events in India, Hong Kong, China, South Korea and Australia.
At Hyrox Singapore, she participated in four events: women’s doubles (35-39), mixed doubles (40-44 and 45-49), as well as the team relay (40+).
She said: “The beauty of Hyrox is that it’s not just like running where you train to run faster but here you have to balance it with the strength endurance aspects of each station. So training for it, wanting to improve in the various areas, that’s quite addictive.”
Chee, who has two daughters aged eight and 11, wants to show that it is possible for mothers to pursue their passion with the necessary discipline and prioritisation.
She trains early in the morning before work, while her evenings are reserved for family, training and work meetings at night sometimes.
She said: “Especially as a mum with a career, sometimes you may think you’re getting old, you may think you don’t have time, but if you start, you’ll make time for what’s important to you.”
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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
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