Fitness racing used to be a niche inside CrossFit boxes. HYROX turned it into a ticketed mass event: run 1 kilometer, complete one workout station, repeat eight times, all inside an exhibition hall. The format launched in Hamburg, Germany, in 2017, and by the 2022/23 season it drew more than 90,000 athletes, according to the company’s own history page.
Growth since then raises a practical question: can you get ready for a race without a gym built around it? That depends on which of the eight stations you mean, and on your floor space.
Trend Signal
88/100 Strong momentum
- Emerging
- Rising
- Mainstream
- Peaking
- Cooling
Participation more than doubled in one season
SportsPro reported HYROX grew from 570,000 competitors in the 2024/25 season to 1.5 million in 2025/26, with races rising from 74 to 105, and the organizer expects more than 2 million athletes in 2026/27.
Our editorial reading of the cited data, not a forecast. How it is scored
By the numbers
- 1.5MHYROX competitors in the 2025/26 season, up from 570,000 in 2024/25SportsPro
- 105HYROX races held in the 2025/26 season, up from 74 the season beforeSportsPro
- $698MValue a deal might give HYROX, per people Bloomberg cited (about €600M)Swissinfo (Bloomberg)
- 23%Rise in Garmin runners logging a run and a strength session in one week, 2025 vs 2024Garmin
How a Hamburg fitness race got this big
SportsPro reported in June 2026 that HYROX participation grew from 570,000 competitors in the 2024/25 season to 1.5 million in 2025/26, while the number of races rose from 74 to 105. HYROX’s chief growth officer told the publication that the New York event can draw 52,000 participants, as many as the New York Marathon.
Money followed the crowds. On September 8, 2026, Infront Sports & Media announced it had completed the sale of its majority stake in HYROX to a consortium led by the investment firm L Catterton, together with HYROX founders Christian Toetzke and Moritz Fürste. The announcement counted more than 100 events and over 1.4 million participants in the 2025/26 season, slightly below the SportsPro figure, and did not disclose financial terms. Before the deal was announced, people familiar with the matter said it might value HYROX at about €600 million, or roughly $698 million, according to a Bloomberg report carried by Swissinfo.
The next season is planned bigger again. Athletech News reported on July 15, 2026 that HYROX expects more than 2 million athletes across 107 race weekends on six continents in 2026/27, with San Diego and Portland, Oregon, joining the calendar and some events stretching into residencies of up to 10 days.
Participation more than doubled in one season, and the organizer is planning for more than 2 million athletes next.
What the race asks of your body
Every race follows the same order, according to the official format page: a 1-kilometer run before each of eight stations, which are a 1,000-meter SkiErg, a 50-meter sled push, a 50-meter sled pull, 80 meters of burpee broad jumps, a 1,000-meter row, a 200-meter farmers carry, 100 meters of sandbag lunges and 100 wall balls. That is 8 kilometers of running, about 5 miles, broken up by strength work that gets harder as the legs tire.
Loads depend on the division. HYROX lists Open, Pro, Doubles and Relay categories; Pro loads are heavier, and Doubles and Relay teams split the stations. The table converts the official kilogram figures for the Open divisions into pounds. Race-day machines are standardized too: Concept2 bills its RowErg and SkiErg as the official ergs of HYROX and describes itself as a global partner of the race, which matters if you want to practice on the equipment you will race on.
| Station | Distance or reps | Men’s Open | Women’s Open |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sled push | 50 meters | 335 lb incl. sled | 225 lb incl. sled |
| Sled pull | 50 meters | 227 lb incl. sled | 172 lb incl. sled |
| Farmers carry | 200 meters | 2 x 53 lb kettlebells | 2 x 35 lb kettlebells |
| Sandbag lunges | 100 meters | 44 lb sandbag | 22 lb sandbag |
| Wall balls | 100 reps | 13 lb ball | 9 lb ball |
What a home setup can and cannot cover
Most stations need little more than weights and floor space. Burpee broad jumps need only a clear strip of floor, and a rower or ski machine, the one big-ticket item, doubles as everyday cardio equipment. Here is how the stations map to home gear:
The sled is the hard part. Pushing and pulling a loaded sled for 50 meters needs a long run of turf, rubber or pavement you do not mind scuffing, and at the Men’s Open load the total weight on the move is about 335 pounds. For most apartments that is not realistic, which makes the sled the station where a gym session earns its cost.
Running is the part people underestimate, since it is most of the race. Wearable data shows more people training that way: Garmin reported in June 2026 that the number of its runners who logged a run and a strength session in the same week rose 23% in 2025 compared with 2024, and indoor running activities rose 12.6% per capita. Strava’s 2025 Year in Sport report found that 54% of its users now track more than one type of activity.
- SkiErg and row: an indoor rower or ski machine
- Sled push and pull: a sled on turf or pavement, or gym sessions
- Farmers carry: two kettlebells at race weight
- Sandbag lunges: an adjustable, fillable sandbag
- Wall balls: a soft medicine ball and a solid wall with ceiling clearance
Why gyms, brands and wearables are piling in
HYROX runs an affiliate program for gyms. SportsPro reported that the network had reached 15,000 gyms worldwide, which get access to branded equipment and coaching resources, and that it was growing 5% to 6% a month toward a projected 24,000 gyms by the end of 2026.
Consumer brands are building products around the race. Amazfit sells its screenless Helio Strap with a HYROX Race Mode, and Athletech News reported that Peloton was expanding its partnership with HYROX when it relaunched its hardware in October 2025. PUMA publishes the official division weights on its own site.
In the deal announcement, co-founder Christian Toetzke named Olympic aspirations and investment in new products among the new owners’ priorities.
Who should buy gear now, and who should wait
If you have a race booked, buy for the stations you cannot practice anywhere else, starting with the ones that hurt most late in the race: sandbag lunges and wall balls come last, after about 7 kilometers of running. Kettlebells, a sandbag and a wall ball are modest purchases that fit in a closet.
If you are curious but not registered, wait on the expensive pieces. A rower is useful whatever you end up doing, but a sled and turf only make sense with space and a long-term plan. An affiliate gym gives you every station before you commit money to any of them.
The counter-signals: participation figures come from the organizer and vary by source, between 1.4 million and 1.5 million for the same season, and new private equity owners may change prices and formats. None of that changes what the stations demand.
What to watch next
- Whether HYROX reaches the more than 2 million athletes it projects for the 2026/27 season, as reported by the organizer and trade press
- How the affiliate gym count tracks against the 24,000 gyms SportsPro reported as the projection for the end of 2026
- What new products the L Catterton-led ownership launches, since the founders named new products as a priority
Where to start
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Home gear for the HYROX stations compared
| Product type | Good fit for | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Push-pull weight sled | Fits a garage or driveway with turf | See listings on AmazonOpens Amazon search results, not one listing: check the model on the product page. |
| Soft medicine ball for wall balls | Fits rooms with a solid wall | See listings on AmazonOpens Amazon search results, not one listing: check the model on the product page. |
| Adjustable workout sandbag | Fits small apartments | See listings on AmazonOpens Amazon search results, not one listing: check the model on the product page. |
Product types that fit the trend described above, not tested models. Check the exact listing before you buy. How we pick them.
Push-pull weight sled
Where to look: Amazon
For people with a garage, driveway or yard. Check what surface the sled is rated for and whether it has handles for pushing and a rope attachment for pulling.
- Trains the sled push and pull
- Loads with weight plates
- Needs a long strip of turf or pavement
- Plates add to the cost
Soft medicine ball for wall balls
Where to look: Amazon
Men’s Open uses a ball of about 13 pounds and Women’s Open about 9 pounds. Match the listing to your division before buying.
- Cheap way to rehearse 100 reps
- Soft shell is easier to catch
- Needs a solid wall and ceiling height
- Wrong weight skews practice
Adjustable workout sandbag
Where to look: Amazon
Covers the lunges at about 44 pounds for Men’s Open and 22 pounds for Women’s Open. Check the maximum fill weight on the listing.
- Adjustable fill weight
- Stores flat when empty
- Filler not always included
- Seams wear with repeated drops
More: Fitness and Training trends and how the Trend Signal is scored.
Sources
- The Fitness Race — HYROX
- The History — HYROX
- How Hyrox is turning fitness into the world’s next mass participation sport — SportsPro
- Consortium led by L Catterton in partnership with HYROX founders acquires Infront’s majority stake in HYROX — SportsPro
- L Catterton-Led Consortium Acquires Majority Stake in Hyrox — Swissinfo (Bloomberg)
- Hyrox Expands Global Race Calendar, Plans More Multi-Week Events — Athletech News
- HYROX Weights, Repetitions and Distance by Division — PUMA
- Trends in running: new data shows how Garmin runners hit their stride — Garmin
- Strava Releases 12th Annual Year in Sport Trend Report — Strava
- Peloton Signals New Era With AI Fitness Coaching, Equipment Overhaul — Athletech News
- Amazfit Helio Strap product page — Amazfit
- HYROX: The Official Ergs of HYROX — Concept2
Questions readers ask
What is HYROX?
HYROX is an indoor fitness race that alternates eight 1-kilometer runs with eight stations: SkiErg, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jumps, rowing, farmers carry, sandbag lunges and wall balls. It launched in Hamburg, Germany, in 2017.
How many people race HYROX?
SportsPro reported 1.5 million competitors in the 2025/26 season, up from 570,000 in 2024/25. The September 2026 ownership announcement cited over 1.4 million participants, and the organizer expects more than 2 million in 2026/27.
What weights are used in HYROX Open?
Men’s Open uses two 24-kilogram kettlebells (about 53 pounds each), a 20-kilogram sandbag (about 44 pounds) and a 6-kilogram wall ball (about 13 pounds). Women’s Open uses 16-kilogram kettlebells, a 10-kilogram sandbag and a 4-kilogram ball.
Can you train for HYROX at home without a sled?
You can cover most stations at home with kettlebells, a sandbag, a wall ball, a rower and floor space for burpee broad jumps. The sled push and pull need a long surface and heavy loads, so a HYROX affiliate gym is the practical option for those two.
