Hyrox will hold its next event in one of China's biggest cities later this month as organisers seek to move on from the negative publicity triggered by a recent race in Beijing. Professional athlete Joanna Wietrzyk soiled herself mid-event but was allowed to keep competing and went on to win the race, prompting a backlash. An event scheduled for Shanghai last weekend was postponed.
Yet the scale of the reaction partly mirrors the sudden jump in popularity of Hyrox in China amid rising enthusiasm for health and fitness. That wave has sparked a flurry of rival race competitions, including Vork in Beijing and Adidas-sponsored ATHX, as well as soaring demand for foreign activewear brands such as On Running. Hyrox, which began in Germany in 2017 and forecasts 2.5mn participants globally next year, is one of the clearest beneficiaries of the fitness boom.
"There's a gym on every corner now," said Nick Brown, co-owner of Shanghai's recently opened Hassa House gym. "Fitness is becoming a huge thing." His gym also offers Hyrox classes. "People describe it as adult PE," Brown said. "Anyone can train for it and there is a very low skill barrier to entry, so that's why it's really kicked off."
Races involve eight 1km runs as well as eight individual exercises and typically take between one and two hours to complete. "It's almost like a nightclub," said Jin Cao, from Guangzhou, who first came across Hyrox while living in London. Hyrox also faces mounting competition from events company Better We, whose BTWE races feature four runs and six of the same exercises. Hyrox charges about Rmb800 ($120) for a singles event, while BTWE tickets cost slightly less.
Source: Financial Times Companies · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing