Hyrox gave India a finish line. What happens after you cross it?

About this episode

The episode explores the emergence of Hyrox in India and its impact on the fitness culture and business landscape.

Eighteen months ago, Hyrox did not exist in India. Last month, 8,200 people paid Rs 9,000 each to do a sled push at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre. Attendees described the event as a “carnival”, and for several weeks, everyone was talking and proudly sharing their Hyrox timings. If you’re wondering what on earth is going on, well, this episode is for you. Fitness as an event isn’t new in India. Every wave of participative fitness in India solved something the previous one couldn’t. Marathons gave the urban professional class a finish line and an identity. Crossfit gave them a tribe and a daily ritual. Both peaked, both retreated, both ended up circling the same thin, affluent cohort in Bengaluru and Mumbai. Now Hyrox has arrived, and in one season blown past anything either of those formats built in India. The question is whether Hyrox is the next iteration of the same product, or something fundamentally different. Then there’s the business side of it. Hyrox is a premium commercial format, with revenue lines through event tickets, a global licensing model, a PUMA deal, and a middleman at every layer between the participant and the finish line. That commercial stack…

People in this episode

Host: Praveen Gopal Krishnan

Guest: Prasanna Akela

Topics covered

• fitness events
• Hyrox
• commercial fitness
• community and participation
• fitness ecosystem
• urban fitness culture

Keywords

• Hyrox
• fitness events
• Bengaluru
• community
• commercial fitness
• urban professionals
• participation
• fitness ecosystem

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hyrox

Places: India, Bengal, Bengaluru, Mumbai

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