Cebu has produced its share of athletes who have made their mark beyond the island. Alessandro Sacris is adding HYROX to that list.
The Cebuano athlete returned to the HYROX Men’s Open Singles division in Bangkok this August after two years away from solo racing, clocking 1:02:52 to set a new Philippine national record and finish third in the 25–29 age group.
For Sacris, who trains primarily in Cebu, the result was more than a personal best. It was a reminder of what can be built from home, even in a sport that is still finding its footing in the Philippines.
A former triathlete who later competed in bodybuilding, Sacris found his lane in HYROX, a sport that combines running and functional strength in one race. What began with friends inviting him to a class eventually became a serious pursuit, taking him from his first race in Hong Kong to podium finishes and national records across international competitions.
Now, with a sub-60 finish in sight, the Cebuano athlete is not quite ready to call the job done.
Q: How did you first get into HYROX, and what made you take it seriously?
Alessandro Sacris: I had a background in running and lifting, so when I saw HYROX, it was like a mixture of both.
I tried it out and started registering for races. My first one was about two years ago in Hong Kong, and at first, it was more for the experience.
I used to be a competitive athlete, so that’s why I started getting serious about HYROX. I started really pushing myself and competing, and I found that it was a good sport for me because I had a background in both disciplines.
Q: Take us back to your background in competitive sports. When did triathlon become serious for you?
Sacris: I started doing triathlon and fun runs when I was around 10 or 11. I got into triathlon when I was 12, around 2012. I joined IronKids and some local races.
A few years later, I became competitive, competing in Ironman and national age-group triathlons and aiming for podium spots. My peak came during the pandemic. Since it was harder to train, that’s when I started getting into bodybuilding.
My brother was also into competitive bodybuilding, so he introduced me to competitions. I joined my first one in 2022 and competed for two consecutive years. After that, I took an offseason, and that’s when I started HYROX.
Q: When did HYROX stop being something you were just trying for fun?
Sacris: The first race was just for fun, but when I realized it was something I wanted to take seriously, I started structuring my program and nutrition around it.
I became competitive last year when my partner, Yoshiaki Yamashita, and I placed first in our age group in Taiwan. From there, I knew this was a sport that would be really good for me.
A few months ago, around May, we also set a sub-60 record in the Pro Doubles division. We’re among the first Filipino athletes to achieve a sub-60 Pro Doubles time.
Q: You’ve mostly competed in doubles. Why did you decide to return to singles in Bangkok?
Sacris: I just wanted to see where I’m at. Doubles is still competitive, but I wanted to take on the next challenge because singles and doubles require a different approach.
My first singles race was two years ago. When I decided to do singles again, I wanted to attempt to beat the national record.
Q: You were also up against what people call the “sub-65 curse.”
Sacris: Yeah. A lot of people were trying to break it but were always stuck around 65 minutes, like 65:20 or 65:30. It’s always 65. I was the first one to beat that record.
Q: What was your approach going into the Bangkok race?
Sacris: I didn’t go all out during the first half because that’s the mistake athletes make. They’re hyped up, the adrenaline kicks in, and they pour everything out in the first sets. They might have good numbers at the first stations, but that’s when they crash toward the end.
I paced myself during the first four stations and four runs. I didn’t really go all out. I was at a level where I could still have a conversation with someone.
When I got to the fifth station, the row, I asked for my estimated finishing time and whether I was on pace for the record. When I was told I was within the record, I knew I still had more energy to push. So after that fifth station, I pushed harder.
Q: And then came the wall balls.
Sacris: I’ve been training with heavier weight, so my goal during the race was to get 100 wall balls unbroken. You don’t stop. You do the 100 reps straight, and you also get an extra patch or reward.
Not many people can do that. It’s challenging, and it’s kind of a badge of honor to receive a Red Bull 100 finisher patch.
Q: Do you have a favorite HYROX station?
Sacris: So far, my favorite is the row and maybe the wall balls. With rowing, it’s one of the exercises where you can also relax a bit during the race. It’s not as taxing on the joints or muscles, and I was able to perform well because I trained a lot with it during the season. I finally got the hang of it and thought, “I like this machine.”
For wall balls, I like them because they’re fun. It’s like playing basketball, although it’s tiring.
Q: And what’s the most challenging station for you?
Sacris: Burpees. Everything is really hard, but with burpees, the first five meters might feel okay, then you realize you still have 80 meters to go. You have to keep doing the burpee and jump, so it feels really long.
Q: You train mostly in Cebu. What is it like preparing here for international races?
Sacris: Training here in Cebu is actually okay. Normally, I train at Arcanys. The limitation is the availability of equipment because some of them isn’t HYROX standard.
But I look at it differently. We settle with what we have and work our way around those limitations.
I always put it in my mindset that if it’s harder here, then it trains me to be better during the race. If the equipment is harder here, I’m expecting that during the actual race, it’s going to feel easier.
For example, the sled push can be really heavy in training, but during the actual race, it will feel lighter. So I look at the training conditions here in Cebu as an advantage.
Q: Where do you think Filipino athletes stand in HYROX right now?
Sacris: For the Philippines, it’s harder to access a HYROX event. From what I know, you have to have a franchise, and if HYROX were to hold an actual event here, it would be really costly.
That’s why local gyms and fitness companies are hosting their own events that are somewhat similar to HYROX. It’s a good way to make the sport more accessible to Filipinos who can’t go abroad.
Q: What does Cebu need to build a stronger HYROX community?
Sacris: Maybe bigger gyms or more run clubs. A running track would also help.
The community is actually there. If gyms could collaborate and host events together, that would help build the HYROX community here. Right now, it’s diversified: there’s a HYROX group in one gym and another group in another gym.
It would be good if they could collaborate and host a small event. Most events are held in Manila, and most of the sponsored athletes are also there. If people here could develop training groups, I think it would be easier to boost the HYROX community.
Q: So what’s next after Bangkok?
Sacris: My next race will be the Sip Plus Games in October, which is another HYROX-inspired race. Two weeks after that will be the Bench Active Games.
Then, at the end of November, I’ll be pairing up with another partner for HYROX Singapore. He’s also Filipino, so we’ll try to set a record, a sub-60 record.
We were already able to go sub-60, but my previous partner was Japanese, so it wasn’t counted as a Philippine record, although he really is a dual citizen. This time, we’ll try to beat it with a new partner who is Filipino.
Q: And for singles?
Sacris: For me, doing singles, I think I would do it over and over again until I go sub-60 before I proceed to the Pro division.
The road to sub-60 continues.
Beyond competing, Sacris has also spent the past two years building experience as a coach, working with both online and personal clients in strength training, bodybuilding and nutrition guidance. He is now moving further into hybrid training, combining strength, conditioning, running and functional movements.
Starting in September, Sacris plans to open his coaching to clients in Cebu and beyond, with programs that can cater to different goals, from HYROX and triathlon preparation to muscle building and bodybuilding.
For Sacris, it is another way of staying in the sport while helping others find their own path in it.