HYROX Launches in SA: Here’s Everything You Need to Know About the Fitness Event for Everybody

HYROX has officially launched in South Africa. Combining running and functional fitness into one epic race, HYROX continues to live up to its description as the biggest indoor fitness event in the world. The sport is growing rapidly with events taking place across Europe, the USA, Canada, and Australia. Now South Africa has been included in the mix with the first HYROX South Africa event set to take place in Cape Town on the 21st of September, 2024.

The sport of HYROX has indeed become a global phenomenon — after launching in the UK in 2021, this year saw 25,000 people participate in four sold-out events in the country. Getting a UK event entry now is almost on par with bagging a Glastonbury Festival ticket with the most recent UK race boasting a waitlist of 2,000 people.

HYROX Comes to South Africa

Speaking on the decision to bring HYROX to South Africa, Simon Goldsbrough, Head of Sports HYROX SA, said the decision was an easy one:

“Fitness is the largest sport in the world by number of participants and South Africa contributes significantly to the global fitness culture, so it was a natural fit. Additionally, we love the fact that HYROX is accessible to people across different fitness levels and demographics. You can see this in the various competition categories we offer and the 98% completion rate of our races.”

(Even better news? WomenStuff readers get 10% off HYROX Cape Town entries when using the code “STUFF-10” upon registering online. Click here to enter now.)

A fitness event for everybody

So, what’s all the fuss about? The event’s growing popularity can no doubt be attributed to its inclusive attitude to fitness, with HYROX being labelled as a fitness event for everybody. Whether you’re a newbie who wants to participate with like-minded friends, an athlete looking for a new challenge, or a serious competitor going after the win.

You may have heard that HYROX is like CrossFit, but in reality, the event is less technical than Crossfit, and not too dissimilar from the type of functional training one would find at F45. In HYROX there are no compound lifts or complicated movements usually associated with CrossFit workouts. This lowers the risk of injury in participants and makes the event more accessible to a wide range of people.

Unlike other competitions such as Ironman, Crossfit Games, or Turf Games, HYROX doesn’t care what your athletic background is. In their words: ‘The world was missing a premium fitness competition designed for Everybody, not only elite athletes.” With over 90,000 people taking part in 40-plus global races last year, HYROX is clearly filling the gap.

What is HYROX?

HYROX is a global fitness race hosted in different cities around the world. The event combines both running and functional workout stations with participants at each event competing in the same format each time. Participants run 1km, followed by 1 functional workout station, repeated eight times. Essentially a participant runs for 1km before completing a functional movement station, before running another kilometre and completing another station. This continues until an individual or team has run all 8km and completed all eight functional movement stations.

Participants at each event compete in the same format each time, enabling global leaderboards and a cumulative World Championships at the end of each race season. The event offers categories for Individual, Doubles, and Relay (teams of 4) entries, making it accessible to a wide range of fitness levels.

So, whether you are looking to take on HYROX Cape Town by yourself in the Open or Pro category, share the experience with a teammate in the Doubles categories, or split HYROX four ways in the Team Relay category, they have a race for everyone.

The race movements consist of 1km ski erg, 50m sled push (4 x 12.5m), 50m sled pull (4 x 12.5m), 80m burpee broad jump, 1km row, 200m farmer’s carry, 100m sandbag lunges, and 100 wall balls. Competing in a relay or doubles team format, it’s up to participants to strategise which functional movements to assign to certain team members to cater to different strengths and abilities.

The events take place in large indoor venues, creating a unique stadium-like atmosphere for all participants. The demands of the race require good cardiovascular endurance as well as strength and mobility, making HYROX an effective sport for building well-rounded fitness without high-risk or high-skill movements.

How long does a HYROX race take?

The average elite HYROX athlete completes an event in around an hour, with everyday athletes completing the event in around 120 mins, but the race has no time limits and no qualification is required to participate.

Who can participate in HYROX?

Anyone can register and buy an entry to participate in HYROX South Africa, no matter your age. The oldest participant to date is 77 years old! The Individual category offers 13 age groups starting from U24 (16-24) up to 85 – 89. Doubles offers 6 age groups starting from U29 (16-29) up to 70+, while the Relay offers 2 age groups from U40 to 40+.

“We would like to encourage everyone to try a HYROX experience by visiting our affiliate gyms, we offer introductory classes open to everyone on the first Saturday of every month, all you need to do is sign up on our website prior to the gym visit. Our affiliate gyms offer great classes positioned for participants at every level. We shall be launching HYROX runs in the major South African metros later in the month and we look forward to meeting people new to HYROX during those events as well,” explains Simon Goldsbrough.

For those new to HYROX, the Relay categories offer a great opportunity to get involved in the event as each team member is required to run only 2km of the 8km running distance and complete 2 of the 8 functional movement stations. Splitting up the workload between 4 team members makes taking on the HYROX challenge far less daunting.

For those wanting more of a challenge, the Doubles categories allow you to find a partner and take on the challenge as a pair, running the 8km track distance together but splitting the workload of the exercises.

How do I sign up for a HYROX event in South Africa?

Entering to participate in HYROX South Africa is easy! Visit the HYROX website for more information on HYROX Cape Town and to register your entry for the event taking place at the CTICC on the 21st of September, 2024.

Entries for HYROX Cape Town start at R550 per person for a Relay entry, R1,100 per person for a Doubles entry, and R1,200 per person for an Individual entry. Don’t forget to USE THE CODE “STUFF-10” for a 10% discount on your HYROX Cape Town entry! Click here to enter now.

Keep an eye on the HYROX South Africa Instagram page for announcements on introductory classes and upcoming HYROX events in Johannesburg and Durban soon.