Ten-year-old Max is channelled his love of sport into something deeply personal, taking on a Hyrox fitness challenge to raise money for Community Hospice.
Max has always been full of energy. His passion for sport began at a young age, encouraged by his family.
“I started at four when my dad bought me a football. I started kicking it against the wall and then he got me a little goal.”
From there, football quickly became a big part of his life. He joined local teams, made friends and hasn’t looked back since.
“I’ve just loved football ever since… and then when I was about seven or eight I tried different sports, and I just think it’s such good fun.”
Max’s love of fitness is closely linked to his grandad, who played a big role in shaping his interests.
“Well, grandad, he used to be a bodybuilder… he taught me some weightlifting.”
They also shared a love of judo.
“I told him I’d done judo and he told me he used to do it as well, so he used to come around, and we used to do it together.”
These memories have stayed with Max and continue to inspire him.
His nan was equally supportive, always cheering him on from the sidelines.
Max“My nan always told me that I was going to be a really good sportsman because she loved watching me play sports.”
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Max and his nan
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When she became unwell and was cared for at Community Hospice, those moments together became even more important.
“It’s nice really because she could enjoy stuff… she could see the people she wanted to see, and we could bring in her dog.”
Max found comfort in seeing his nan cared for with kindness.
“I felt happy because seeing her happy made me feel very happy… I already know she was okay over here because it’s a really good environment.”
Before she died, Max’s nan asked him to do something special. That stayed with him.
Max“She said to me, ‘I want you to do something special for me’… and I remembered what nan said to me and I said yeah I want to do it.”
At the same time, his grandad’s encouragement to follow in his footsteps gave him another reason to take on a challenge.
“So I thought of nanny and granddad straight away because they wanted me to do something for them.”
Hyrox, a fast-paced indoor fitness competition, felt like the perfect fit.
“Most of all, I enjoyed that I took part, and I knew that nan and grandad would be happy up there.”
Max pushed himself during the event, combining running with strength-based challenges.
“My favourite was probably doing the running because I know I’m capable of running really fast… and also I liked the farmers carry.”
His hard work paid off with an impressive result.
“My overall time was 11 minutes and 33 seconds, and I came 32nd out of 277 people.”
“I’m really happy.”
Max managed to raise £1500 for Community Hospice, and he isn’t stopping there. He is already planning his next challenge and wants to keep raising more funds for the hospice.
“I’d love to do it again… I want to do more stuff and raise more money.”
He is preparing by joining a children’s Hyrox gym to build his strength and fitness.
“It’s basically like all of the stuff that you do in Hyrox… so that would be cool.”
With his natural energy and determination, his family know this is just the beginning.
“He’s a very, very fast runner… he’s channelling his fundraising into sports because he knows he’s really good at it,” his mum explained.
For Max and his family, fundraising is about saying thank you.
“Community Hospice is the best… I don’t think my nan would have wished for any better.”
By taking on challenges like Hyrox, Max is helping more people get the same care and support his family experienced.
Max“I wanted the hospice to have some more money… for people who come here to get helped.”
