German HYROX Champion Corinna: Two Children, a Full-Time Job, Two Side Jobs — and World-Class Ambitions
Reza Mehman meets Corinna, a German HYROX champion, mother of two, full-time teacher and fitness coach with two additional jobs. They discuss the mindset that helped her become German champion despite a busy life, and prepare for the World Championships in Chicago.
HYROX champion Corinna on sport and everyday life
Corinna is a German HYROX champion, mother of two, full-time teacher and fitness coach. Reza met her at his gym and was immediately fascinated. How does someone with so much going on also become German champion and compete at the World Championships in Chicago? In this conversation, Corinna explains her mindset, her time management and why sport gives her energy as well as demanding it.
This conversation was recorded ahead of Corinna’s trip to the World Championships in Chicago. References to her next competition and other relative dates reflect the original interview, published here on 29 July 2025.
Summary
In one sentence: Corinna explains how she became German HYROX champion while raising two children, teaching full-time and coaching fitness, and discusses her upcoming World Championships in Chicago.
In three sentences: Corinna has always pursued sport with ambition, from trail marathons to HYROX. As a mother of two, full-time teacher and fitness coach, she manages to train for several hours each week. Her mindset: “Sport costs me energy, but it also gives me so much.”
In five sentences: Corinna discovered HYROX in January 2024 and quickly became German champion. As a mother of two with a full-time teaching job and two fitness coaching jobs, she trains for several hours each week. Her approach is to listen to her body and stay flexible: when a hard session is not possible, she chooses an easier one. Sport gives her so much in everyday life, making her calmer and more relaxed: that is her mindset. Her next goal at the time of the conversation was the World Championships in Chicago.
Context: who, what and why
Who is speaking: Reza Mehman, the host, and Corinna, German HYROX champion, full-time teacher, fitness coach and mother of two.
What it is about: How Corinna became German champion despite a busy life and prepared for the World Championships in Chicago.
Why it matters: Corinna’s story illustrates the belief that people who really want something can find a way. Her mindset offers inspiration for anyone trying to combine sport with everyday responsibilities.
Three central themes:
- How Corinna moved from trail marathons to HYROX and quickly became German champion.
- How she combines a full-time job, side jobs, family and training.
- Her mindset: flexibility, listening to her body and finding energy through sport.
Contents
- Introduction
- Summary
- Context
- Themes and perspective
- Key takeaways
- Frequently asked questions
- Highlights in quotes
- Full published conversation
- Keywords
- Names and terms
- Quotable passage
Themes and perspective
1. From trail marathons to HYROX
Corinna has always pursued sport ambitiously. She spent a long time running trail marathons, marathons and half marathons. She discovered HYROX in January 2024 and quickly became German champion. Her verdict: “HYROX is something completely different mentally — varied and incredibly fun.”
Keywords: HYROX, trail marathon, German champion, endurance, strength
2. Making everyday life work
Corinna is a full-time teacher, has two fitness coaching jobs and is a mother of two. She still trains for several hours a week. Her approach is flexibility: when a hard session is not possible, she chooses an easier one. “Rather than doing nothing, do something.”
Keywords: full-time job, motherhood, time management, flexibility, training
3. Sport gives her energy
Corinna says: “Sport costs me energy, but it also gives me so much. It makes me much calmer in everyday life, and I respond to things in a more relaxed way.” She compares an hour scrolling on her phone with an hour of activity. For her, sport is the better choice.
Keywords: energy, calm, everyday life, motherhood, sport
Key takeaways
- Corinna discovered HYROX in January 2024 and quickly became German champion.
- She is a mother of two, a full-time teacher and a fitness coach with two additional jobs.
- She describes HYROX as “something completely different mentally — varied and incredibly fun”.
- Her time-management approach is flexibility: if a hard session is not possible, she chooses an easier one.
- Her advice: “Rather than doing nothing, do something.”
- Sport gives her energy: “It makes me much calmer in everyday life.”
- For her, spending time being active is better than spending an hour scrolling on her phone.
- Her next goal at the time of the interview was the World Championships in Chicago.
Frequently asked questions
What is HYROX?
HYROX is a fitness competition series combining running with demanding strength exercises. Participants move between different stations. Corinna describes it as “something completely different mentally — varied and incredibly fun”.
How does Corinna train despite her busy life?
Corinna’s approach is flexibility. If she cannot manage a hard session, she chooses an easier one: “Rather than doing nothing, do something.” She has learned to listen to her body and change plans when needed. Sport also gives her energy and helps her feel calmer in everyday life.
What is Corinna’s mindset?
Corinna values flexibility, listening to her body and the energy she gets from exercise. She asks how often people spend an hour scrolling through Instagram. In her view, using that time for a brisk walk and then some yoga is more rewarding.
Highlights in quotes
“Sport costs me energy, but it also gives me so much. It makes me much calmer in everyday life.”
— Corinna
“Rather than doing nothing, do something that relaxes you or gives you a sense of purpose.”
— Corinna
“How often do people sit on their phones and scroll through Instagram for an hour? If I use that hour for a brisk walk, I have used it more effectively.”
— Corinna
“HYROX is something completely different mentally — varied and incredibly fun.”
— Corinna
Full published conversation
Introduction: the German HYROX champion
Reza Mehman: Today we are talking about a completely different sporting topic. I have personally decided to start a new sporting challenge. As luck would have it, I recently met someone at my gym who is extremely successful in this sport. I am talking about HYROX, which I recently discovered as a fitness sport. My guest is Corinna, who will be joining the podcast in a moment. I want to find out how she manages, as a mother of two, a full-time teacher and someone with two side jobs, both in fitness, to become German HYROX champion and compete in the World Championships in Chicago a week from Saturday.
From trail marathons to HYROX
Corinna: I have always done a lot of sport. It has always been a big part of my life, even as a child and teenager. For a long time, I mainly ran: trail marathons, marathons and half marathons. When I do something, I am always quite ambitious about it. That brought me some good results in running. Then, in January last year, I discovered HYROX and suddenly realised how boring running more than 40 kilometres outside can be. It can be lovely as a way to unwind, but a HYROX workout is something completely different mentally. Your body faces something completely different too, because you have to switch quickly between endurance work and high-intensity strength exercises. It is incredibly fun and varied.
Flexibility is the key
Corinna: I definitely do something, but I switch to something I know my body is more capable of that day. I always call it the spin cycle of everyday life. When you are caught up in it, and you are not already in that performance mindset, I think it is very hard not to give in. To someone in that situation, I would probably say: find something in sport that gives you something. Rather than doing nothing, do something that relaxes you or gives you a sense of purpose.
Sport gives her energy
Corinna: Especially for us mothers, of course sport costs me energy. Obviously, it costs everyone energy, whatever sport you do. But it also gives me so much. I notice that it makes me much calmer in everyday life. My response to certain things is more relaxed. I feel more able to take a breath when a huge outburst starts at home or something like that. For me personally, sport gives me so much more. Let us be honest: how often do people sit on their phones and scroll through Instagram for an hour? If I use that hour to go for a brisk walk and then do another half-hour of yoga, I have used the hour more effectively. There is no more or less time left in the day.
Reza Mehman: Absolutely. Brilliant, Corinna. I wish you the very best of luck at the HYROX World Championships in Chicago. Along with the audience, I will be following it from afar and keeping my fingers crossed for you. I am also really happy that I can support you a little through Project Nutrition, with sponsorship and supplements. Thank you for that.
Keywords
Tags: HYROX, German champion, Corinna, motherhood, full-time job, mindset, sport, energy, Reza Mehman, Project Mindset
Names and terms
Corinna, Reza Mehman, HYROX, German champion, World Championships Chicago, trail marathon, full-time teacher, fitness coach, Project Nutrition, Project Mindset
Quotable passage
Corinna: “Sport costs me energy, but it also gives me so much.”
“Rather than doing nothing, do something.”
“How often do people sit on their phones and scroll through Instagram for an hour? If I use that hour for a brisk walk, I have used it more effectively.”
Her next goal at the time of the interview: the World Championships in Chicago.
Read about my own racing experience in HYROX Doubles 2026.
