Hyrox Enters Canada Amid Rapid Global Expansion
Dubbed the “Marathon of Fitness,” Hyrox events bridge the gap between traditional endurance races and functional strength movements
Hyrox, a fast-growing fitness race that incorporates running and functional workout stations, is entering Canada in its latest global expansion move.
The inaugural Canadian race will take place on October 5th, 2024, at the Enercare Centre in Toronto; Hyrox has responded to overwhelming demand for its fitness competition in Canada, which has a burgeoning health and fitness industry that was valued at $4.7 billion in 2023.
“We’re excited to be expanding our footprint to one of the biggest fitness and wellness markets in the world,” said Douglas Gremmen, managing director of Hyrox North America. “This move reflects our growth and commitment to making fitness racing a world-renowned sport, we’ve already welcomed Canadian athletes at races all over the world, so finally enabling participation on home turf has been a priority.”
The ‘Marathon of Fitness’
The Hamburg-based fitness company was launched in 2017 by Christian Toetzke, who serves as CEO, and Moritz Fuerste, an Olympian hockey player. Hyrox offers a unique fitness racing experience dubbed the “Marathon of Fitness” where participants from around the globe compete in the same standardized race format. Hyrox races include a series of one-kilometer runs and functional movements like ski erg, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jump and other exercises. Participants can compare global rankings across all Hyrox events.
All Hyrox races take place in large indoor venues, creating a stadium-like atmosphere, with DJs, food, drink, and brand activations. In 2023, 125,000 participants joined races, and Hyrox leadership anticipates that number will double in 2024.
Growing in Popularity
The brand has seen a significant increase in participation rates, with a 1,081% growth over the past five years, along with a 233% year-on-year increase in Google searches and over 55.6 million views on TikTok under the #hyrox hashtag. The race is also affiliated with over 2,500 gyms worldwide and will host events in 12 countries throughout the 2023/2024 season, culminating in the World Championships.
“We’ve even surprised ourselves because at the moment we are almost doubling our (participation) numbers every year,” Toetzke told Atletech News in late 2023. “This season we will have 175,000 to 180,000 athletes doing our events. Our game plans to grow to 150 to 170 events in the 150 to 170 most attractive cities in the world,”
Toetzke believes that one day, there will be a million people actively participating in Hyrox events every year.
“We want to deliver the gold standard of fitness racing events, similar to what marathons are for running,” he said. “If you think about New York, you have 100 races a year but there’s only one New York City Marathon. Our job is to produce the New York City Marathon of fitness.”
To kick off its Canadian presence, Hyrox is organizing a launch tour across several affiliate gyms in the country. Starting February 10th, this two-week tour will offer prospective athletes a glimpse into the races. Highlights will include a masterclass and a simulation event at One Academy in Toronto.