Grace and Talia Race a Hyrox for Parkinsons!
Brighton, England, United Kingdom
Aim
We are doing an intense fitness race to raise funds and awareness for Parkinsons UK to help empower and inspire people with Parkinsons
Parkinsons is the fastest-growing neurological disease in the world - and many of its debilitating symptoms are totally invisible.
Grace was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinsons at just 38 years old! Yep. Because parkinsons can happen to anyone!
Talia is Grace’s personal trainer and coach. She has been helping Grace manage her Parkies symptoms through exercise - because SUPER exercise is the best way to delay the progression of this life altering disease (Parkinsons hates burpees. So does Grace).
The Big Idea
August 2025: Grace saw a video on instagram of a woman with Parkinsons doing a HYROX. At her next PT session she turned to Talia and said...
Grace: " Do you think I could do a Hyrox?"
Talia: "Hell yeah, you can do anything! BUT it'd take a lot of work. It might take a year or so of serious training before you're ready."
Grace: "I'm up for it if you are..."
6 months of "am I ready yet?" later, and it's official.
We’ve got until December 5th to dial up the training and get into the best shape of our lives so we can take on a HYROX.
What is a HYROX?
Its a global fitness competition that combines running with functional fitness exercises. The competition is designed to test strength, endurance, and overall fitness.
We're doing a 'Doubles Hyrox Race'. That means we work as a team to complete the grueling race:
That means:
8 x 1km runs 🏃♀️
8 brutal functional fitness stations 💪
A whole lot of sweat, grit, and determination
as fast as possible
It's a bit like doing a handful of the most intense workouts you've ever done, back to back as fast as you possibly can...
Why This Challenge Is Different
A HYROX is tough for anyone. It mixes long runs, heavy lifts, sled pushes, lunges, rowing, wall balls, and more.
Now imagine doing all that... but with Parkinson’s. That’s next-level.
Movements are slower and stiffer
Balance and coordination take laser focus
Muscles tire faster, recovery takes longer
Even gripping weights or rower handles is a battle
On top of that, muscles tire out quicker, recovery takes longer, and even gripping weights or rower handles can be tricky.
It's going to be tough.
Neither of us have ever done a Hyrox before or anything quite like this!
Grace shows up for training every week despite her symptoms and has gained huge amounts of strength and skill over the last year.
We have been training 3x per week together for a year to build the strength and resillience it's going to take to complete this challenge.
We're ramping it up to 4-5x per week from now until December 5th. That's a lot of sweat. (And a lot of laundry).
Grace contends with her symptoms daily which makes showing up for the training all the more impressive. It’s actually hard to fully communicate the amount of power, determination, and resilience it takes to do what Grace is doing.
Talia's fit, but shes not HYROX fit yet. There's going to be some serious training for both of us!
This challenge is not going to be a walk in the park. We have a lot of laughs but behind the scenes it’s messy. It's hard work. There are tears and fears and moments of low self esteem.
Why We’re Doing This
Because we can.
Because we want to inspire people to do hard things even when the odds are stacked against you.
Because Parkinson’s doesn’t get the final say.
Because intense exercise is the best way to delay the progression of Parkinsons. So the process is JUST as rewarding as the outcome.
And most importantly… because we want to raise vital funds for Parkinson’s UK, the charity that supports everyone affected by this condition.
Why Parkinson’s UK
Parkinson’s UK is driving change:
Campaigning for better health and care
Funding groundbreaking research
Providing life-changing support services
They’ve been a lifeline for Grace, especially in the early days of her diagnosis. Now it’s our turn to give back.
💙 Help us prove what’s possible. Support our HYROX challenge and help raise funds for Parkinson’s UK by donating and sharing this page.
A Note From Us
We can’t thank you enough for being part of this journey. Every donation, every message of encouragement, and every bit of support means the world to us.
Taking on this challenge is scary, exciting, exhausting and 100% worth it. Knowing that we’ve got people cheering us on gives us the fire to keep going on the days when it feels hardest.
Together, we’re showing that Parkinson’s doesn’t get the final say..
Thank you for helping us turn sweat, grit, and determination into hope and empowerment!
With love and gratitude,
Grace & Talia 💙
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made