Disease doesn’t define you: Young mum runs, jumps, pushes her way through pain for Hyrox glory

If you’re in pain, let exercise be your escape, says young mum determined not to be defined by a medical condition.

Drew Adams is living proof that being diagnosed with a debilitating disease doesn’t have to define you.

The 26-year-old mum who was recently hospitalised when she suffered a ruptured ovarian cyst and is just weeks away from her next bout of surgery to tackle endometriosis, has this weekend completed one of the world’s most gruelling indoor fitness courses.

And she came out smiling.

“That was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, but the most rewarding. I left it all on the floor. I’ve got nothing left in me,” Drew told news.com.au after an hour and half of jumping, pulling sleds, carrying weights, squatting, rowing, and running around in circles.

“The whole time I was thinking about my little boy and I hope I made him proud.”

Calm before the storm. Drew sucks in the big breaths as she prepares for the start of her race after three months of preparation. Picture: Kerrie Lawrence

Drew Adams off and running in the solo Hyrox race. Picture: Kerrie Lawrence

Adams said she hoped she showed other endometriosis sufferers that the debilitating disease “doesn’t have to control you or define you ”.

“Find an outlet, find something that you can escape to no matter how much pain you are in, find that little bit of time that you don’t think about the pain. This is a debilitating disease but exercise is the best medicine for me. Find that something for you.”

Drew joined 20,000 athletes from Australian and around the world who completed the tough Hyrox course.

While most opt to complete the course in pars or relays, Drew took on the course at Sydney Olympic Park’s Dome solo. On Sunday she’s going again in the pairs race.

“I knew I had this surgery coming up when I heard about this thing called Hyrox but each time I have this surgery, and I’ve had a few now, I guess I get a little bit more ballsy and I want to push myself to the absolute max and see what I’m capable of,” Drew said on the eve of her solo race.

Drew Adams looking strong in her 100 wall ball squats. Picture: Kerrie Lawrence

Drew Adams looking strong in the run lap of the Hyrox race. Picture: Kerrie Lawrence

“What do they say? ‘You only live once’?”

Since its debut in Australia in 2023, Hyrox has grown dramatically. In 2024, over 30,000 people took part in five races in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne and this year already, 10,000 people raced at Brisbane in March.

It’s not for the faint hearted but people of all shapes, sizes and fitness levels are increasingly jumping on the bandwagon and giving it a go, sharing their journeys with the world thanks to social media and the Hyrox hashtag.

Drew has been training for this weekend’s event - the biggest Hyrox gathering in the world - for the past three months at The Yard Gym in Shellharbour, on the NSW South Coast and has her three-year-old son Leo and husband Ryan in her corner.

Her trainer Kerrie Lawrence said the pocket rocket had shown “unwavering strength” in her training and dedication to competing while being a dedicated mum.

Leo gives his mum the biggest hug after a tough workout. Picture: Supplied

Biggest fans in everything she does, Drew with Leo and husband Ryan. Picture: Supplied

Drew Adams emotional with her coach Kerrie Lawrence after the gruelling solo race. Picture: Supplied.

“Her passion, drive and never-give-up attitude make her not only a joy to coach but an inspiration to many and I am honoured to know her.”

“It’s about regaining control,” she said.

“I’ve been in and out of hospital since I was 17 and I struggled to get a diagnosis so when I finally did it was so good to know I wasn’t imaging it,” she said.

“And I want people to know that it doesn’t define you. For me, pushing my body to the limits, exercising makes me feel better. It’s my relief from the hustle and bustle of life. Being a mother, just graduating from uni, working four days a week, this is my Zen.”

Originally published as Disease doesn’t define you: Young mum runs, jumps, pushes her way through pain for Hyrox glory