Hyrox races are a spectator sport with the audience following athletes from start to finish
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement

They travel the world to pant and sweat through floodlit stadiums, lugging kettle bells and pounding race tracks. What is this new-age race that has men and women lace up their shoes to alternate between running and lunging, burpees and rowing?

Launched in 2017 in Germany by Christian Toetzke, an international race organiser, and Moritz Furste, a field hockey player and Olympian who has also played for the Hockey India League, Hyrox is a series of fitness races that addresses the primal essence of an athlete. Designed to address all fitness and age levels and with different divisions — singles, doubles and relay — Hyrox has 84 events in 25 countries drawing 2,50,000 participants.

Deepak Raj with Christian Toetzke
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

On October 17, India became the seventh country in the Asia-Pacific region to launch Hyrox. Bringing the global partnership to the country is Yoska that offers structured programmes and guidance for general fitness and triathlon training. The first event will be held on May 3, 2025 in Mumbai.

Deepak Raj, CEO and chief coach, Yoska, and country head, Hyrox India, says, “While Yoska hosted our region’s first Ironman in 2019, it wasn’t until September last year that we got aware of Hyrox races. My friend Saurabh was training for it and I reached out to the Hyrox founders asking whether they had considered coming to India. Pitches, meetings and proposals followed, and here we are.”

Deepak Raj at a Hyrox race
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

But Deepak’s own journey to being a triathlete and marathoner was not an easy run. The 47-year-old Bangalorean is an old boy of St Joseph’s who pursued the well-trodden path of studying Mechanical Engineering at Ambedkar College and working for a software giant. “Times were good — the salary, the food, the parties,” laughs Deepak.  “When I worked in Germany with Adidas, I found the ecosystem was sports oriented. Colleagues, often twice my age, cycled, ran, and swam during lunch hour. In comparison I wasn’t happy where I was. That was the trigger.”

Deepak moved the scale back from 95 kilograms — becoming a marathoner and triathlete. When he signed up for the Hyrox race at Vienna this February he was hooked. “It was in the midst of our meetings when I registered for the doubles race alongside Carl Schumacher of Hyrox. The running was the easy part for me, it was Carl who took the lead at the work stations. Later, I trained again and did a singles event,” says Deepak explaining how the race works. 

A participant at a Hyrox race
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

A video on Hyrox is a portrait of athletes in various stages of exhaustion and elation. With spectators cheering them on, it is obvious that the reasons go beyond weight loss and fitness. The race is a series that involves eight functional workouts, including the farmer’s carry, rowing, burpees, ball throws and sled pull. These are followed by eight one-kilometre sprints, with a focus on beating a personal best.

“If you have a running background you can build on the strength part of it. Gym-goers don’t have a race. This fills the gap. Hyrox’s USP is that it’s accessible, is not an obstacle course, and can be held any time of the year, because it is an indoor event. Hyrox is for every body; for all forms, and builds endurance and strength. You can do the doubles or a relay that has four participants,” says Deepak.

Hyrox run at Tempelhof, Germany
| Photo Credit:
FABIAN DOMINGUEZ

This year’s Hyrox in London was held at Olympia stadium and drew nearly 15,000 participants. For the Mumbai event, Deepak is looking at a 12,000 sq m stadium. “It is one of those mass participant and rare spectator sports where the audience can follow you end-to-end and cheer you on. As of now, in India it is still a one-day event where the race will begin with people running in waves of 30-40,” says Deepak.

Another feature in the offing is the soon-to-be launched Hyrox-affiliated gyms with certified trainers and group classes.

The cost for race registrations ranges between $100 and $200 and there is no prize money for amateurs, although in some cities elite athletes comprising 15 men and women compete in the professional category for prize money. The reason to do so may just be what Holden Caulfield says in The Catcher In The Rye — ‘I guess I just felt like it’.

For details, look up hyrox.co.in or @hyroxindia on Instagram