By IPL standards, this was a small crowd — around 2,000 people — but they knew how to make noise. There was no shortage of adrenaline or atmospherics when the event billed as India’s ‘largest fitness race’ began at an exhibition centre in Mumbai. Participants ran, pulled and pushed sleds, did burpees and lunges, got on rowing machines and lifted weights, while family and friends in the stands cheered lustily.
“My friends also made posters. It was like being at a party, but with a workout,” says Nayanika Chatterjee, a Pune-based animator who is among the growing breed of Indians to get hooked to Hyrox.
Fitness is a mass addiction, but it has rarely coalesced as a competitive mass sport, except for the marathon. Hyrox is showing early signs of being another.
Hyrox: The Race Format and Its Arrival in India
Launched in Germany in 2017, the Hyrox race is an 8km indoor race, but it’s not a continuous sprint. Each kilometre is punctuated by a different challenge, such as lunges and burpees. The Mumbai event in September 2025 marked its debut in India.
According to Hyrox India, the number of participants at its Delhi race that followed Mumbai’s went up to 2,300. A second event in Mumbai saw 3,350 people show up. Around 8,200 lined up for a Hyrox race in Bengaluru this year. Among those to take up the challenge in India’s Silicon City was badminton star P V Sindhu, who ran as a Puma ambassador and was cheered on by Indian cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur. A Delhi event is scheduled for July, with initial registration numbers indicating over 8,000 participants.
Why Hyrox Appeals to Fitness Enthusiasts
Chatterjee, a crossfit enthusiast, trained for a month and took time off work to run her second Hyrox race in Bengaluru because she “wanted that experience again.” Anmol Gupta, a Delhi-based crossfit trainer, says the number of people he coaches for these races has increased threefold since last year.
“I feel like one of the reasons Hyrox got popular is because the entry barrier is so low. One does not need a former event participation certificate, or any specific skill, unlike, say, in football, where you need to know the rules of the game,” Gupta says.
There is also no time limit to finishing the race. Professionals can complete it in under an hour and a half; first-timers can take up to three hours. “It definitely requires a lot of endurance because of the format,” Gupta adds, “So people need special preparation.”
Growth of Hyrox Training Facilities
Gupta notes that the number of fitness studios providing Hyrox training facilities has grown across India. These studios do not have traditional gym equipment but emulate a Hyrox circuit, allowing participants to simulate an actual race.
In Delhi-NCR, there are 11 gyms with these facilities, Mumbai has 13, and Bengaluru 16. Goa, Hyderabad, and Chennai also have a few that are recognised by Hyrox India.
Hyrox as a Measure of All-Round Fitness
Hyrox tests not just cardiovascular strength but also endurance and muscular strength. Gupta says for many who regularly go to the gym and do other forms of workout, this is a way to assess their all-round fitness levels.
For Sahil Sawhney (41) from Gurgaon, Hyrox is the ultimate test of fitness. He was struggling with his weight until two years ago and became serious about his health in 2025. “From 110kg, I am now at 80kg, which is perfect for my height and BMI. But I want to see how far I’ve come,” says the corporate executive, who has registered for the July event in Delhi.
Sawhney goes to a Hyrox-certified studio two days a week and works on his strength and stamina at his regular gym for the remaining five days. “It is expensive to train at these specialised gyms, so I go there only twice a week,” he says. Training costs Rs 500 for an individual session.
Celebrity Endorsement and Personal Experience
In a statement released through a representative, Sindhu said, “Badminton has always been my world but Hyrox is completely different. There is no opponent across the net, just you, the clock and eight stations.... I won’t pretend it was easy, but that is exactly what drew me to it.”
