Founded in 2017 primarily as an internal system, Athletes participate in eight legs, each one kilometer long, followed by a fitness workout.
The exercises performed by the competitors are 1 km on a standing rink, 50 m sled push, 50 m sled pull, 80 m burpee, 1 km indoor rowing, 200 m kettlebell carry, 200 m sandbag carry 100 metres, and finally 100 throws and catches of a ski. Medicine ball off the wall.
The World Championships are held every year, in which competitors participate in singles and doubles races. The 2024 Worlds in France featured a new relay event by nationality.
This sport is closely related to CrossFit, but has different, simpler exercises and prioritizes endurance over raw strength.
Hyrox’s popularity is primarily due to two things: accessibility and visibility. It’s designed to go viral, whether by giving runners patches instead of medals to wear on their gym bags, or by hitting “Training Club Tuesdays,” which gets people to tag gyms that offer classes.
“It’s tough and will never be easy, but it’s accessible at the same time,” three-time world champion Lauren Weeks told BBC Sport. “There’s a sense of pride that you can bring someone in off the street and train them for a few months until you can complete it.
“They treat every athlete like they’re a professional. If you go to an amateur event, they have a hype person, and they have a tunnel. There’s always a DJ playing upbeat music.”
“You have a timing chip and you know your exact splits for everything you do. They do a lot of things right.”