Hyrox boss says event is not a fad, believes it will survive where others failed

‘Hong Kong has been, and will continue to be, a special destination for Hyrox and one in which we want to keep investing,’ executive says

Hyrox executives and coaches believe the indoor fitness competition will not follow in the footsteps of gym trends that have briefly captured the imagination before fading from view, in part because its universal format gives it global appeal.

While competitions such as CrossFit, HIIT and a variety of outdoor obstacle races have largely struggled to build on their initial popularity, Hyrox has become one of the fastest-growing fitness competitions in the world.

Founded in November 2017 by Olympic field hockey champion Moritz Furste and Christian Toetzke, the first Hyrox event was held in Hamburg, Germany five months later.

On its Hong Kong debut, Hyrox attracted around 700 competitors, next year the world championships will bring more than 6,000 athletes to the city.

This week, the sport’s global success resulted in Furste and Toetzke buying back a majority stake in the company in a deal reportedly valued at €600 million (US$698.28 million).

Gary Wan, managing director of Hyrox in Asia-Pacific, said the sport’s success lay in the fact it was easy to understand while also being “closely aligned with the running and strength training millions of people already do to remain active and healthy”.