Get, set, race: Hyrox is all the rage for fitness freaks

 SIKANDAR CHINDHU TADAKHE has been interested in athletics for as long as he can remember. Growing up in a village in Nashik, Maharashtra, he participated in local wrestling matches but found few opportunities to develop his skills. An Armyman since 2014, serving around India and overseas, Tadakhe finally found his platform a few years earlier when a senior official and coach facilitated a three-month training programme for him. “I ran my first marathon after the training, in 2023,” he says. “I completed it in 2 hours 30 minutes to come first. My journey started there.”

His early background in wrestling, coupled with recent training, served well when Tadakhe signed up for his first HYROX race in Mumbai earlier this year. The fitness race hosted its first India event in May this year, followed by two more races in Delhi in July and Mumbai again in September.“In May, I participated in the pro category. It was mainly for experience, and without setting any targets,” he says. “It took me an hour and eight minutes to complete the race. For the next match, I targeted breaking the one-hour limit.” In September’s edition of the race in Mum­bai, Tadakhe completed it in 59 minutes and 14 seconds—the only Indian partici­pant to clock under an hour—and took first place in the podium.

HYROX’s popularity is India is grow­ing in tandem with the breathtaking speed at which athletes like Tadakhe compete. A fitness competition launched by Moritz Fürste and Christian Toetzke, HYROX combines eight kilometres of running with eight functional exercises. Since its first event in 2017, in Hamburg (Germany) which drew 650 participants, the competition has been hosted in 30 countries including India, engaging around 550,000 participants across the globe. Following the three HYROX India races this year, the next edition will take place in Bengaluru in April 2026.

AS FITNESS BECOMES increas­ingly aspirational in India, endurance tournaments and competitions have found dedicated followers. Marathons have mushroomed around the country, from Mumbai to Ladakh, with runners seeking out clubs and coaches to prepare for races. Hype around long-distance triath­lon such as Ironman and Ultraman, which combine swim, bicycle ride and marathon, gained traction over the past decade, partly thanks to celebrity participants like Milind Soman. Now, India hosts its own editions of such races even as homegrown competi­tive events such as The Yoddha Race gain in popularity. Unlike triathlons, which in­corporate endurance disciplines, HYROX is a hybrid fitness event in which running is punctuated by functional modules that bring a workout session to mind. Call it competitive gymming.

Deepak Raj, founder and CEO of Yoska, who initiated the arrival of HYROX to India, observes that the race fills a major market gap. Having brought Ironman to India in the past and serving as country head for the triathlon as well, Raj has an astute understanding of fitness aspirations among Indians. As a competitive event, HYROX gives them an opportunity to chase fitness goals that go beyond counting the number of bench-presses they can ace in one round or running a 5k race or doing fun fitness challenges and bootcamps. “Gym-goers don’t have quantifiable milestones,” he says. “With HYROX, we have a race to showcase their skills, see where they stand and beat their targets.”

HYROX competitors can enter the open or pro categories and the race makes itself more accessible for its audience with singles, doubles, mixed doubles and relay divisions. In the three India events hosted so far, the race has drawn over 7,500 par­ticipants ranging from 16 to 78 years in age. Every kilometre of run is followed by a different functional workout in a dedi­cated station, which include SkiErg, sled push and pull, burpee broad jumps, row­ing, kettlebell, and wall balls, among oth­ers, culminating in an eight-round race for every category.

For Vineet Singh, who has partici­pated in all three HYROX India races, it is akin to an exam that he looks forward to. The 39-year-old Bengaluru resident, who works at Pocket FM, turned his

 attention to health and fitness four years ago in a bid to lose weight and lower his blood pressure. Starting with walks, he graduated to running and weight train­ing and marathons.

“When I started my fitness journey, it was about losing weight and getting healthier,” he says. “But once I got there, I wanted more motivation to push harder and get to another level. I wanted to see if I could do something like this.” Singh ran his first Mumbai HYROX race in the dou­bles category with a friend from college, finishing in an hour and 41 minutes. In the next race, in Delhi, the duo improved its timing to an hour and 39 minutes. By the third race, Singh had signed up in the singles category, adding that the races have changed his fitness regimen towards greater endurance.

Though India is still behind countries such as the US, Germany or the UK when it comes to fitness membership, it is a mar­ket primed for expansion. According to Deloitte’s India Fitness Market Report 2025, fitness services in India stood at `16,200 crore ($2 billion) in 2024 and has the potential to grow up to `37,700 crore ($4.5 billion) by 2030. As affluent Indians seek out premium services and experienc­es, hybrid fitness models are driving the market forward. In such a market, events such as HYROX amplify reach with a com­munity-first strategy. As people from all walks of life gather to participate in the races, they also post and create content about it. Raj notes that user-generated con­tent has sparked a compounding effect on marketing. Every post, be it from the social media handle of a celebrity or an average participant, adds to awareness levels and piques curiosity levels.

Nisha Kumari first heard about HY­ROX from friends in Europe who were participating in the races. The Guru­gram-based UI/UX designer has an active lifestyle, including a strength routine six days a week, swimming and badminton; she has also trained in Muay Thai and dabbles in boxing. When a friend, Delhi-based Aditi Mahajan who works with JSW Sports, asked if she would like to participate in the HYROX race in Delhi, Kumari was quick to agree. “We trained for almost two-and-a-half months before the event, and that entire phase was one of the most intense and fun periods of my fitness journey,” she says. “Our workouts included strength training, functional movements and running 5-7km twice a week. I think consistent running played a huge role in building our stamina and helping us perform better.”

Entering in the doubles category, the duo finished in third place in the race. “Our podium finish gave us a sense of accomplishment. A lot of fellow ath­letes also recognised us,” Mahajan adds. “HYROX is much more than just fitness. It’s also about belonging to a commu­nity; it’s about self-love and boosting your confidence.”

 Conceptualising the race as a spectator sport makes it more appealing. Besides the participants, the public can also purchase tickets to watch and cheer the participants. In India, the races have drawn over 10,000 audience members. Kavita Nair, 44, a Ben­galuru-based corporate professional and marathoner, describes the event as elec­tric. “I’ve been running for the past nine years, and it’s part of my routine. I also trip on strength workouts—skipping a train­ing session gives me real FOMO [Fear of Missing Out],” she says. “HYROX is a sweet combination of the two.” Nair participated in the second Mumbai race in the doubles category with a friend who lives in the city. Her experience in long-distance running and strength training gave her endurance, and Nair and her partner worked to supple­ment each other’s forte during the race, fin­ishing in 82 minutes. “I imagined I would enjoy the race, but it was magnetic—the ambience, the lighting, the energy, the music, the combination of strength and running,” Nair adds, calling it one of her most memorable competitive events.

With an accessible format and en­gaging presentation, HYROX has trans­formed into a viral sensation across India in a matter of months. Social media testify to the staggering variety of people training for the races—from veteran marathon­ers to corporate professionals and fitness enthusiasts spread across the country. Apart from athletes and fitness fanat­ics (members from 850 gyms across the country have participated in the races), the events have also attracted a fair share of celebrities, including the likes of Ze­rodha founder and CEO Nithin Kamath. Its popularity has also created marketing opportunities for brands, from global names such as Harley-Davidson, Puma (which has created sportswear capsules in collaboration with HYROX), and Red Bull to homegrown companies like Blue Tokai, PolicyBazaar, and d’you.

WE HAVE HIGHLIGHTED three cities so far, and our goal is to reach out to more cities depend­ing on market demand and venue avail­ability,” says Raj. HYROX races are typi­cally hosted indoors, in large convention halls, which can accommodate the large number of participants and audience as well as the expansive setup. This year’s HYROX venues included the NESCO Hall in Mumbai and Yashobhoomi (In­dia International Convention and Expo Centre) in Dwarka, Delhi-NCR. Before each race, Raj and his team of volunteers, race crews, and event producers spend days working out logistics that span ev­erything from transporting and storing equipment to the audio-visual setup.

There is, seemingly, no shortfall in participation—the races so far have drawn not only locals but many who travelled to take part in them. Raj notes that besides competitors from 200 cities, towns, and villages across the country, they have also seen about 10-20 per cent overseas participation. In keeping with the rising number of HYROX enthusiasts, the race in Bengaluru next year will be a two-day event.

Even as the race finds new followers, future races are also likely to see many returning participants. Singh aims to participate in all HYROX India matches, while Nair hopes that she will take on a solo challenge in the future. Tadakhe anticipates that HYROX becoming one of the most popular events of its kind among Indians over the next few years. Presently aiming to break the 55-minute mark in the next edition of the race, he has his eyes set on the long goal. “My target for the coming years,” he says, “is to become a HYROX world champion.”