Runners show off their speed in races, marathons and on Strava. Powerlifters head to comps to display their prowess. Pole dancers, gymnasts and surfers, too. But what about the people who hit the gym every day? Most of the time, we’re either working out for aesthetics or just for ourselves. But to create an element of competition, Hyrox aims to fill that gap – and its first competition has officially landed in South Africa. Here’s everything to know about Hyrox, the new sport elevating your gym experience.
So, what exactly is Hyrox?
The realm of fitness competitions is ever-growing: tough mudders, triathlons, CrossFit Games, obstacle courses and more. Now, there’s a new race that’s as tough as tackling any of these but dare we say… easier to train for? Hyrox prides itself on being accessible: the sport, which culminates in a competition series worldwide, consists of eight functional fitness stations, each broken up by a 1km run.
Since its launch in Germany in 2017, the sport has exploded the world over. It’s now 41 on the list of The World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2024, per Fast Company. PUMA is now their official gear partner and projections say there will be 81 races from 2024 through 2025, with over 300 000 participants. In the UK alone, four events sold out.
The competition remains the same every time: the same eight stations, the same running distance. It might seem boring, but there’s a very simple draw: each race you enter gives you the opportunity to improve on your performance in the last.
Added to that, each station won’t see you scaling high walls, crawling through mud or even doing a single push-up. Instead, you’ll do wall ball throws, weighted lunges – simple, functional movements you likely already do at the gym. Only this time, you do it for time, completing the entire circuit as quickly as you can.
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What’s the Hyrox format?
The race has no entry requirements, meaning anyone, even someone with bare-bones fitness, can reasonably enter. You can do it solo, as a pro (heavier weights up the ante), as a team or as a duo. Hyrox also positions the race as a great team-building activity for businesses.
Each station has one functional movement, following the basic principles of fitness: pushing, pulling, loaded carry, etc. During the race, you will complete a SkiErg challenge, a sled push, weighted lunges, sled pulls, wall ball throws and more. In between each station, you will run 1km before moving on to the next station. The faster you complete the entire challenge, the higher your ranking.
If you’re taking things seriously, aim to do well in the singles pro race – the fastest athletes score a spot among the Elite 15. It’s a pro series with 15 Hyrox athletes competing throughout the season and culminates in the Hyrox World Championship.
Wanna try Hyrox?

If you’re looking to get involved, you can enter and train by yourself. But Hyrox thrives as a community, so you could join a Hyrox gym in South Africa and use the sessions to train for the race.
The fitness test
Before you enter, there’s a brief questionnaire you can take to gauge your fitness levels. If you’re keen to enter the pro or singles division, a good benchmark is their fitness test. Follow the workout on the site and time yourself. Depending on how long it takes you to complete the circuit, the site suggests a division to sign up for – but you decide for yourself.
The schedule
Right now, the first and only race in South Africa was the Cape Town event in September 2024. But there may be plans to add the race to more cities come 2025.
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Meet SA’s Hyrox athlete: Vicky MacIntosh
Hyrox athlete and PUMA ambassador Vicky MacIntosh discovered the new sport during a sabbatical from CrossFit at the height of the Covid pandemic. “During my time taking a break from CrossFit, someone said to me, ‘There’s this race in Europe. It’s like getting a bit busy and popular’,” Vicky recalls. “She told me about Hyrox. And she was like, ‘You’ll do well in it because you love running and you’ve got a bit of CrossFit background’.”
A year later, after having booked a trip to Europe, she decided to look up any Hyrox comps in the area. “I’m just an athlete at heart. I love competing,” she says. After completing her first event in Sweden, the bug bit and she wanted to keep going. Now, she’s South Africa’s first professional Hyrox athlete to qualify for the 2024 World Championships. Going forward, her goal is to earn her spot in the Elite 15.
Vicky is also keen to grow the sport in South Africa and encourage more women to take part. “I think it’s such a cool balance between the endurance side of running and strength training,” she says. “For women, I think just to compare it to CrossFit: a lot of women were put off because it’s very weights-orientated, lots of lifting, gymnastics. A lot of it is very skill-based and that’s hard,” she shares. “But running… there are so many running communities and the strength training for [Hyrox] is easy and doable for everyone.”

Vicky MacIntosh’s Hyrox Training Tips
Build your base
Since the race is endurance-based, finding a solid base for aerobic capacity is a great idea. To get this going, Vicky recommends going for regular runs. “Build an endurance base slowly over time,” she says. “So many people start to run and go too quickly, so they get injured. Be smart with how you introduce the volume of running.”
Get strong
Here, you’ll want to build the basics – nothing fancy, just old-fashioned functional strength training. “Focus on compound movements, like your deadlifts, pull-ups, squats; pulling pushing movements,” says Vicky.
READ MORE: Try This Tough-ish Workout To Really Build Your Strength
Get specific
“As a race gets closer, do Hyrox-specific movements,” Vicky expands. Do sled work, working on the SkiErg, your machines, then introduce farmer carries, burpees and broad jumps.”
Speed up
Now that you’re strong, focus on gaining more speed for your runs, suggests Vicky. there are different types of running that you can do. “You should do long runs, easy runs and tempo runs.”