Aug 19 (Reuters) - From around 650 competitors at its first event to more than a million participants worldwide today, Hyrox has gone from niche fitness challenge to global phenomenon with its sights set on the Olympics in less than a decade.
A structured indoor activity divided into eight segments, each involving a one-kilometre run followed by a fitness exercise, Hyrox attracts tens of thousands of participants to its biggest events.
Its mix of stop-start runs, easy-to-learn exercises, competition
and community has proved popular with everyone from elite athletes to everyday exercisers, and organisers believe the sky is the limit in terms of growth.
"We have close to 1.5 million people at some stage this year participating in our events," Hyrox's India head Deepak Raj told Reuters.
"We're in 35-plus countries, 100-plus cities, and each of the events are getting bigger in participation levels.
"It's hard to put a ceiling (on it) when we know that there are gyms where some people haven't even done a Hyrox, or haven't maybe even heard of it in some countries."
Hyrox was developed in 2017 by Christian Toetzke and Moritz Fuerste, who won hockey gold medals for Germany in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.
The prospect of it being included in the Olympics is not just wishful thinking, after World Triathlon approved the format under the name 'Hyathlon' this year.
While Raj said it was too soon to make a case for the sport's inclusion in 2028, they are aiming for a spot on the programme of the 2032 and 2036 Games.
"In the world championships earlier this year in Stockholm, we had 101 countries represented. It has become a global sport. Standards have been established," Raj said.
"The 2028 Olympics was obviously a little too soon, given the sport had not yet caught on to several regions and countries. But 2032 and 2036, that is the pathway or the goal."
For 2026 world champion Alyssa McElheny, competing at the Olympics would be a dream come true.
"I know that it's still a few years off. There's some more standardization of the sport that has to happen before that dream can be possible," the American distance runner told Reuters.
"But I do think it would be a sport that fits really well in the Olympics. It's something that doesn't really exist out there currently."
ELITE ATHLETES ATTRACTING SPONSORS
Hyrox has been life-changing for McElheny, allowing her to leave the wedding photography business and pursue the sport full-time.
A runner who clocked 2:34:28 in Indianapolis to also qualify for U.S. Olympic marathon trials, her success in the emerging sport has brought with it an Adidas sponsorship.
"If you had told me this time last year that I'd be sponsored by Adidas for a sport that wasn't marathoning, I would have been like, 'What are you talking about?'," the 35-year-old said.
"I have just two weddings left to photograph now and then after that, I'm a full-time athlete... We're going to see more of that (full sponsorships) in the near future, the sport is growing."
GROWTH IN ASIA
Asian markets comprise a significant portion of Hyrox's growth, with India hosting five events this season and expecting around 50,000 participants as organisers look to increase both the size and duration of races.
"For us, the venue infrastructure and size is going to be a limiting factor about where we can host it, so our goal is to make existing events larger," Raj added.
"Bangalore was a two-day event this year, next year it's going to be a five-day event.
"We believe we could have anywhere between maybe eight to 10 cities (in India) hosting Hyrox, and each of the races being at least three to four days."
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in BengaluruEditing by Christian Radnedge)
