Forging Unbreakable Family Bonds through HYROX: Shane Yeap and Yeap Soon Leong
- Hana Basir
- Jul 4
- 5 min read
This father and son duo saw HYROX as the perfect father-son bonding opportunity
This is a feature article written by SportPlus.sg for Kallang Alive Sports Management. For more sports events, programmes and human stories of Singapore Sports Hub, visit the Singapore Sports Hub's 'Here to Play' website.
Last weekend saw the Singapore National Stadium hold a record-breaking AIA HYROX Open Asian Championships, with over 12,000 athletes taking part over the two days—and it’s not the first time HYROX Singapore has broken a competition record. Last year’s edition at the Singapore Sports Hub was the largest single-day HYROX in the world.
With eight physically demanding functional fitness stations—each preceded by a 1km run—HYROX is a sport that demands grit, determination, and unwavering self-belief.
But it’s not all about competition. For some, it’s all part of building a connection with a loved one.
Part of the history-making event was father and son duo, Shane Yeap and Yeap Soon Leong, who competed in the men’s doubles on Sunday. The pair powered through the eight stations, finishing with a time of 01:52:31.
“This was entirely Shane’s idea! He wanted it to be a bonding experience which I gladly accepted,” said Soon Leong with a sheepish grin, pointing toward his son when asked who had come up with the idea.
“At first, dad said no!” laughed Shane.
“He was very hesitant to do it. He was worried about holding me back but I said ‘Don’t worry, just take it as a bonding experience’ and he said ‘Okay, let’s do it!’”
“Now, I’m so glad that I did it with him. It was more than bonding, I depended on him and leaned on him for support. He was basically encouraging me and pulling me along, reassuring me that my pace was okay and telling me to take it easy. I’m very thankful we did that together as a doubles pair,” added Soon Leong as the two pulled each other close.
Now in his 60s, Soon Leong had previously taken part in a marathon with his son. They ran the 42.195km race separately though—making HYROX their first ever event together.
The duo got off to a strong start, with Soon Leong powering through much of the first station, the SkiErg, much to his son’s admiration.
With music blaring through the speakers, family, friends and supporters all cheering you on, it’s impossible not to feel the energy surge through you. For Soon Leong, it was also the rare opportunity to compete in the National Stadium that willed him on.
"There's the thrill of being in the National Stadium. Usually we’re here as spectators but this time we’re here as competitors. That adds to the novelty and makes it a more special experience,” he shared.
“This is my first sporting event at the Singapore Sports Hub. My impression is that the event was really well organised. Everything from registration, check in, everything has been really smooth. There hasn't been any point of friction. Our family is here and I think it’s been really spectator-friendly. It’s all been a positive experience,” added Shane.
As their loved ones watched them power from station to station, the pair’s legs began to tire, and they found themselves having to change up the gameplan. This however, only strengthened the camaraderie between the Yeaps.
“We adjusted on the fly according to how my dad was feeling but he did really well, and did as much as he could. Like you saw on the burpees, he went really fast,” gushed the 31-year-old, beaming with pride for his dad.
While the original idea was for Shane to start the sleds and wall balls, Soon Leong admitted that he needed Shane to be the first to take on most of the stations, and to take it easy on the laps around the stadium.
“For me, the standout moment of us depending on each other was when I asked him, ‘Can we walk from here to there first, then run after that?’ He graciously agreed to it,” laughed Soon Leong, prompting his son to admit that he was secretly more than happy to walk.
For Soon Leong, his son’s way of pushing him was his proudest moment of the race, so much so that the pride he felt for Shane—who spent 12 years in the Singapore Army and who is now a fitness coach—was unmistakable to anyone watching the duo compete.
“I’m most proud of the way Shane helped me along, encouraged me and made it possible for me to finish. The way we cooperated and worked as a team, and most of all, the way he was able to bear most of the load at the stations and did it willingly and graciously. Doing it with Shane made it more pleasurable, satisfying and meaningful to me,” shared a proud Soon Leong.
And the pride went both ways.
It was in the final lap of the run towards the wall balls, where Soon Leong’s legs began to seize up, but there was no stopping him. The two pressed on with a brisk walk, and with grit and determination thick in the air at the National Stadium, Soon Leong was set on getting a few wall ball reps in—and he did just that.
“My dad’s perseverance really stood out. He could’ve stopped but he kept going. Even when we got to the wall balls, he was still cramping but he tried his best to get a few reps in. I’m proud of my dad for finishing and pushing through his cramps!"
"Not just today, but leading up to the event, he trained diligently week after week by himself. I’m really proud of the way he prepared really hard for this. Not all went to how we planned but despite that, he pushed through and got the job done,” said Shane.
Now, HYROX Singapore has easily become one of their most treasured memories, something Shane hopes more families can experience.
“It’s not just for father-sons, mother-daughters, mother-son, father-daughters, whatever! Get the whole family in for the relay! Hopefully we can get my mum in for the relay next year,” joked Shane, shooting a cheeky grin at his mother, who laughed at his son’s mischief.
Soon Leong was on board with the idea but had one crucial piece of advice for anyone thinking of taking part.
“I fully agree, with the additional caveat that you must do proper physical conditioning before so it’s more fun rather than torture!”
Comments