# Who started HYROX, how big is it, and is it worth it? HYROX was started in Hamburg, Germany, in 2017 by event organizer Christian Toetzke and Olympic field hockey champion Moritz Fürste. It has grown from a first race of roughly 600 to 700 people to more than 1.4 million participants in the 2025/26 season, and HYROX is targeting over 2 million in 2026/27. This guide covers the founding story, a dated growth timeline, who owns and backs the business, and an honest answer to whether a HYROX race is worth your money. ## Who started HYROX? Two Germans founded HYROX: **Christian Toetzke** and **Moritz Fürste**. HYROX's own history page also credits marketing expert **Michael Trautmann** as part of the founding team. - **Christian Toetzke** is the co-founder and CEO. Before HYROX he spent years building mass-participation endurance events, including cycling and marathon races, according to European Business Magazine. - **Moritz Fürste** is a former German field hockey star. He won Olympic gold twice, and HYROX describes him as a three-time Olympic medallist and world champion. The idea was simple: take the mass-participation model of a city marathon and apply it to gym fitness. Toetzke told Forbes in 2024 that most functional fitness formats start from strength, while HYROX starts from running, the biggest participation sport in the world. He calls the result "fitness racing." The first race took place in Hamburg in 2017. Reports of its size differ: Fortune says 618 participants, BarBend says 650, and European Business Magazine says fewer than 700. Either way, it was tiny compared with today. PUMA, now the headline partner, was involved from that first Hamburg race. ## How did HYROX grow? A dated timeline The format never changed: eight 1 km runs, each followed by one of eight stations (see [what is HYROX](/guides/what-is-hyrox) for the full race). What changed was the scale. Here are the milestones, each with its date and source. | When | Milestone | Source | |---|---|---| | 2017 | First race in Hamburg, about 600 to 700 athletes | Fortune, BarBend | | Dec 2019 | Infront Sports & Media first invests | Infront | | 2020 to 2021 | COVID cancels races; HYROX runs a COVID-tested race in Hamburg | Fortune | | Oct 2022 | Infront becomes majority owner | Infront | | 2022/23 | Over 90,000 athletes | HYROX | | 2023 to mid-2024 | 65 races, 175,000 participants | Forbes | | 2023/24 | Over 210,000 participants across 30 cities | Fortune | | 2024/25 | 74 events, more than 650,000 participants | PUMA | | 2025/26 | More than 100 events, more than 1.4 million participants | Infront | | 2026/27 | 107 race weekends on six continents, target over 2 million | HYROX | | June 2027 | World Championships in Hong Kong | HYROX | A few things stand out. **Growth roughly doubled every year from 2023.** Participation went from about 210,000 in 2023/24 to more than 650,000 in 2024/25 and more than 1.4 million in 2025/26. HYROX's own forecasts kept falling short: in October 2024 it expected 550,000 for 2024/25, and in late 2025 it expected about 1.2 to 1.3 million for 2025/26. Both seasons came in higher. **The 2025/26 numbers vary by source.** Infront's September 2026 release says more than 1.4 million participants and more than 1.5 million spectators. HYROX's July 2026 calendar announcement says more than 1.5 million athletes over 200-plus days of racing. Count methods differ (for example, whether each Doubles or Relay racer counts separately), so treat the gap as rounding, not a contradiction. **Race weekends got longer.** Instead of adding more cities, HYROX now runs big cities for several days in a row. For 2026/27 it announced "residencies" of up to 10 days in some major cities. New host cities include San Diego, Portland, Bari and Nagoya. **The World Championships went global.** Recent editions were held in Chicago (2025) and Stockholm (2026). The **2027 PUMA HYROX World Championships** run **10 to 13 June 2027** at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong, the first time the event has been held in the Asia-Pacific region. Hong Kong also hosts a regular AIA HYROX race at the same venue on 7 to 10 January 2027. See [how to qualify for the World Championships](/guides/hyrox-world-championships-qualification) and the [Hong Kong 2027 race page](/races/hyrox-puma-world-championships-hong-kong-2027). ## How big is HYROX today? As of October 2026, HYROX is one of the largest mass-participation fitness events in the world. The most recent dated figures are: - **Participants:** more than 1.4 million in the 2025/26 season (Infront, September 2026), with a target of over 2 million for 2026/27 (HYROX, July 2026). - **Events:** more than 100 events in 2025/26 and 107 race weekends planned for 2026/27. - **Countries:** races in over 30 countries (Infront), across six continents (HYROX). - **Gyms:** about 13,000 affiliated HYROX gyms worldwide (Morning Chalk Up, September 2026). For scale: in 2024, Fortune noted that HYROX's season already drew more participants than the roughly 50,000 runners in the New York or London Marathon. Single HYROX weekends now host tens of thousands of athletes. Forbes Australia reported more than 24,000 expected at Melbourne in December 2025. ## Who owns HYROX, and who backs it? Since September 2026, the founders are back in control. On 8 September 2026, Infront Sports & Media announced it had sold its majority stake to a consortium led by private equity firm **L Catterton**, together with Toetzke and Fürste. **WndrCo**, the investment firm of Jeffrey Katzenberg and Sujay Jaswa, also took part. Financial terms weren't disclosed. Morning Chalk Up reported that the deal leaves the co-founders with majority control, and it cited a Bloomberg report valuing HYROX at nearly US$700 million. Neither party has confirmed that figure. Infront's role before that was big. It first invested in December 2019 and became majority owner in October 2022, which funded much of the international expansion. ### How HYROX makes money European Business Magazine and Forbes Australia describe three main revenue streams: - **Race entries:** tickets are the core business. See [how much HYROX costs](/guides/hyrox-tickets-cost) for current prices. - **Gym licensing:** gyms pay an annual fee to become official HYROX training clubs. That gives them branded classes and early ticket access, and it feeds members into races. - **Partnerships:** brands pay to be part of the race. Revenue is private. Fürste told Forbes Australia in December 2025 that HYROX expected roughly $130 million in 2025, and European Business Magazine cited a similar figure. Treat these as company estimates, not audited numbers. ### Partner brands - **PUMA** has been involved since the first Hamburg race in 2017. It became a global partner in 2023, and in October 2025 it renewed early through 2030. It's the official sportswear supplier and title partner of the World Championships. - **Other partners** shown on HYROX's site in October 2026 include Myprotein, Concept2 (which supplies the SkiErg and rower), Centr, Amazfit, BLACKROLL and Amazon. Morning Chalk Up also lists Red Bull among HYROX's partners. ## Why is everyone doing HYROX? There's no single reason, but a few features explain most of the boom. - **Anyone can enter.** There's no qualification and no finishing time limit. HYROX says over 98% of starters finish. - **It's the same everywhere.** Same stations, same order, same loads per division, so your time means something wherever you race. That makes it easy to set goals and track progress. - **The movements are simple.** You run, push, pull, carry, lunge, row and throw. There are no Olympic lifts or gymnastics skills, so a regular gym-goer can train for it. See our [station guides](/stations). - **You don't have to race alone.** Doubles and Relay let you share the work with friends. See [HYROX divisions explained](/guides/hyrox-divisions-explained). - **Gyms recruit for it.** Thousands of affiliated gyms run HYROX classes, which turns everyday training into race prep. - **It feels like an event.** Big expo halls, music, crowds and finish-line photos make it feel closer to a marathon than a gym session. ## Is HYROX worth it? For most people who enjoy training, yes, as long as you go in knowing what you're paying for. A Singles ticket usually costs the equivalent of roughly US$130 to US$200 (see [HYROX ticket prices](/guides/hyrox-tickets-cost)). Add travel, a hotel and food, and a race abroad can easily cost several hundred to over a thousand in your currency. That's a lot for a race that takes a typical Open finisher about an hour and a half (see [what is a good HYROX time](/guides/what-is-a-good-hyrox-time)). **What you get for that money:** - A goal date that keeps you training for months. That consistency is where most of the [benefits of HYROX](/guides/hyrox-benefits) come from. - A standardized, timed race with official results you can compare across cities and seasons. - A big, well-run event with a crowd, and a format that most healthy adults can finish with a few months of training. - A community. Many people come back for the people as much as the race. **When it may not be worth it:** - **You just want to get fit.** You can do HYROX-style training at your gym for the cost of membership, without ever buying a ticket. - **Budget is tight.** Choose a local race, race Doubles or Relay (cheaper per person), or skip the trip abroad. - **You hate crowds or indoor racing.** Some people find the noise and busy start waves stressful. - **You're injured or unprepared.** Racing undertrained is how people get hurt. Follow a plan like our [beginner training plan](/guides/hyrox-training-plan-beginner) first. To see what your own weekend will cost, plug your race into the [HYROX race cost calculator](/tools/hyrox-race-cost-calculator). It also shows how much a sponsor could cover. ## Why HYROX's growth matters if you want a sponsor Brands follow audiences, and HYROX's audience has grown fast: more than 1.4 million participants and 1.5 million spectators in 2025/26, according to Infront. Big partners such as PUMA have already signed long deals. That growth creates room for smaller brands too, like local gyms, nutrition companies, physios and apparel startups that want to reach this crowd through everyday athletes. You don't need to be elite to benefit. A consistent, engaged following and a race on the calendar are often enough to start a conversation. Read [how to get sponsored for HYROX](/guides/how-to-get-sponsored-hyrox) for the practical steps. ## FAQ ### Who started HYROX? HYROX was founded in 2017 in Hamburg, Germany, by Christian Toetzke, a mass-participation event organizer who is now CEO, and Moritz Fürste, a German field hockey player with two Olympic gold medals. HYROX also credits marketing expert Michael Trautmann as part of the founding team. ### When and where was the first HYROX race? The first race was held in Hamburg in 2017. Reports put attendance at about 600 to 700 athletes: Fortune says 618, and BarBend says 650. PUMA was involved from that first race. ### How many people do HYROX? More than 1.4 million people took part in the 2025/26 season, according to Infront's September 2026 announcement. HYROX's own July 2026 figure was more than 1.5 million athletes. For 2026/27, HYROX is targeting over 2 million across 107 race weekends. ### How big is HYROX? As of October 2026, HYROX runs more than 100 events a season in over 30 countries on six continents, and it has about 13,000 affiliated gyms. That makes it one of the biggest mass-participation fitness events in the world. ### Who owns HYROX? Since September 2026, a consortium led by private equity firm L Catterton, together with co-founders Christian Toetzke and Moritz Fürste and with WndrCo taking part, owns the majority stake previously held by Infront Sports & Media. Financial terms weren't disclosed. ### Is HYROX worth it? For most people who like training, yes. The race date keeps you consistent, results are comparable worldwide, and the events are big and well run. Tickets cost about US$130 to US$200, plus travel, so pick a local race or race Doubles if budget matters. ### Why is everyone doing HYROX? It's open to anyone with no qualification or time limit, the format is identical everywhere, the movements are simple, and you can race with friends in Doubles or Relay. Thousands of affiliated gyms also run HYROX classes, which pull members toward races. ## Next steps Learn the race format in [what is HYROX](/guides/what-is-hyrox), price your weekend with the [race cost calculator](/tools/hyrox-race-cost-calculator), and find an event on the [race calendar](/races). If you'd like a brand to help with the bill, start with [how to get sponsored for HYROX](/guides/how-to-get-sponsored-hyrox). Source: https://roxskin.io/guides/hyrox-history-and-growth