‘It’s almost like a nightclub’: Hyrox takes off in China amid fitness frenzy

{"text":[[{"start":8.92,"text":"Hyrox will hold its next event in one of China’s biggest cities later this month as organisers seek to move on from the negative publicity triggered by a recent race in Beijing."}],[{"start":18.36,"text":"Professional athlete Joanna Wietrzyk soiled herself mid-event but was allowed to keep competing and went on to win the race, prompting a backlash. An event scheduled for Shanghai last weekend was postponed."}],[{"start":31.16,"text":"Yet the scale of the reaction in part mirrors the sudden jump in popularity of Hyrox in China amid rising enthusiasm for health and fitness."}],[{"start":39.56,"text":"That wave has sparked a flurry of rival race competitions, including Vork in Beijing and Adidas-sponsored ATHX, as well as soaring demand for a host of foreign activewear brands such as On Running."}],[{"start":51.76,"text":"Hyrox, which began in Germany in 2017 and forecasts 2.5mn participants globally next year, is one of the clearest beneficiaries of the fitness boom in China."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":62.2,"text":"“There’s a gym on every corner now,” said Nick Brown, co-owner of Shanghai’s recently opened Hassa House gym, of the shift over the past decade. “Fitness is becoming a huge thing.”"}],[{"start":72.96,"text":"His gym also offers Hyrox classes. “People describe it as adult PE [physical education],” Brown said. “Anyone can train for it and there is a very low skill barrier to entry, so that’s why it’s really kicked off.”"}],[{"start":86.48,"text":"The next Hyrox event in China is being held in Guangzhou. Races involve eight 1km runs as well as eight individual exercises, including 1,000 metres on a rowing machine and flinging a medicine ball on to a wall from a squatting position 100 times in a row."}],[{"start":103,"text":"Competitors typically take between one and two hours to complete a race, which takes place against a backdrop of thumping music and an array of photographers, with images flooding on to social media."}],[{"start":113.12,"text":"“It’s almost like a nightclub — that kind of vibe,” said Jin Cao, from Guangzhou, who first came across Hyrox while living in London and has since participated in several events in Hong Kong and Shanghai. It’s a “global” trend, he added, that appeals in particular to Gen Z and Gen Alpha, who in his view are less interested in alcohol."}],[{"start":133.84,"text":"Hyrox is also facing the prospect of mounting competition. In June, events company BetterWe attracted about 2,000 participants to its first BTWE competition in Changsha and held another in Nanjing last month."}],[{"start":148.6,"text":"BTWE races involve four, rather than eight, runs along with six of the same eight exercises as Hyrox events."}],[{"start":156.2,"text":"BetterWe vice-president Zhou Chengyu acknowledged “certain similarities” with Hyrox, given its decision to hire the rival company’s former head China coach, Sam Hui. “At the same time, there actually aren’t that many unique exercises available in the general fitness market,” Zhou added."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":173,"text":"Hyrox charges about Rmb800 ($120) for a singles event, while BTWE tickets cost less slightly less."}],[{"start":181,"text":"A fitness trainer in Nanjing, who declined to be named, said BTWE’s prize pot of up to Rmb300,000 ($44,850) per event is also a draw: “Whatever the competition, as it gets promoted and more people hear about it, that’s definitely good for gyms like ours.”"}],[{"start":199.24,"text":"Mounting competition to host races reflects intense competition in China’s gym market, where concepts can be rapidly replicated."}],[{"start":207.02,"text":"Brown said Hyrox classes on Saturdays are always the busiest. “It’s kind of taking over the gym culture,” he said, adding: “To get good at Hyrox you don’t need to do Hyrox every day.”"}],[{"start":218.32,"text":"It follows earlier enthusiasm for Spartan races and Crossfit, which also combines multiple workout activities."}],[{"start":224.8,"text":"“The last fitness wave was CrossFit,” said Ted Hopkins, founder of Shanghai-based consultancy KulturShift. But China had also experienced a significant rise in health-related consumption since the pandemic, he added."}],[{"start":237.98,"text":"Hyrox is also hoping to make its Olympic Games debut in 2032, which would likely provide an even bigger boost in China."}],[{"start":247.2,"text":"In September L Catterton, the LVMH-backed private equity group, led a consortium to buy a controlling stake in the group from Infront Sports & Media, a subsidiary of Chinese property group Wanda."}],[{"start":257.46,"text":"For BetterWe the Wietrzyk incident has served as a “reference” point, said Zhou. “The way we look at it is: how can we take what they’ve established and optimise our own approach even further?”"}],[{"start":268.52,"text":"Hyrox declined to comment."}],[{"start":274.28,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1794020132_7480.mp3"}