AGGIEROX rocks Utah State University in cardio, strength training event
A 3-mile run. Six full-body muscle endurance exercises. One heart-pumping event. For some, it seems to be a challenge not for the faint of heart. For the Utah State University students who competed in the inaugural AGGIEROX event, however, it was simply “game on.”
Organized by USU Campus Recreation, AGGIEROX took place on March 21 at the Aggie Legacy Fields. The fitness event began at 10 a.m. and saw participants competing in a unique cardio and strength training regime that mixed a 3-mile race with six different muscle endurance tests. Registration for the event was open to all and, according to campus recreation, filled up well before the event, seeing 25 duo teams participating in men’s, women’s and co-ed races.
Although the event is new to the USU campus, the style and setup of AGGIEROX may be familiar to some athletes. It takes inspiration from the global fitness phenomenon HYROX, which describes itself as “the sport for everybody” on its official website.
According to campus recreation marketing assistant Julia Smith, AGGIEROX was designed to be a shorter “demo version” of HYROX, the latter of which features an 8-kilometer run and eight muscle workout stations. However, despite its shorter runtime and fewer exercises, campus recreation coordinator of fitness Nathan Phillips said he believes AGGIEROX perfectly captured the spirit of HYROX.
“There’s usually a variety of different exercises with cardio in between to really get that full body workout and just overall pushing yourself to the limit,” Phillips said. “I think things went really, really well.”
For AGGIEROX, teams started by running two laps around the Aggie Legacy Fields, which is a half mile, according to Smith. Next, they completed a set on the rower and ran an additional two laps. Before taking a third set of laps, they competed in sled pulls, which were followed by burpees, the farmer’s carry, lunges and weighted ball throws, each with another set of laps in between.
The fastest-finishing individual, as released in an email from campus recreation, was Sophia Benson with a completion time of 29 minutes and 29 seconds. The fastest team was Jacob Moore and Ana Weaver with 29 minutes and 21 seconds.
One-half of the winning team, Moore, holds the title of Mr. USU for the 2025-26 school year. After his initial teammate dropped out due to a last-minute injury, he paired up with Weaver and, in his words, ended up “just barely taking first.”
“The staff did a really good job,” Moore said afterward. “I had a great time. I almost died out there, but we made it.”
While the competitive nature of recreational sporting events is exciting to many, Smith said campus recreation believes an equally important aspect of events like AGGIEROX is the positive, fun community fostered on the field.
“I think events like these are just fun. If you want to take it seriously, you can, but mostly it’s just to come out, get active and have fun,” Smith said.
Moore also commented on the feeling of community and support at the event, claiming that every participant was “cheering each other on” throughout the race.
When asked if students should expect AGGIEROX to become an annual event, Phillips’ answer was a resounding yes.
“This is just a great way for the community to just kind of get together — try different things,” Phillips said. “This is something that’s brand new to USU. We’re hoping to bring it back next year, and it’s just a great way to get a bunch of different people to try new things and just to interact with people that have the same hobbies.”