Hyrox recently held its races at the Nesco Centre in Mumbai drawing thousands of athletes from Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, as well as neighboring countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka, the UAE, and Southeast Asia. The event quickly went viral on Instagram, with participants sharing sweaty selfies, training logs, and mid-race reels. Attendees took to social platforms Instagram and LinkedIn describing the environment as “pure adrenaline” and “next-level energy” supported by high-level crowd cheering throughout the event.
The races also gained traction among startup founders, tech professionals, and venture capitalists. Despite high ticket prices touching `9,000, organisers said the event was a sell-out. Prasanth Shanthakumaran partner & head of sports sector, KPMG India, said the organisers did a good job of using social media to expand reach and build curiosity among people.
There were big brand sponsorships also, with Induslnd Bank, Zomato, Amazon, Puma, among others partnering with the Mumbai chapter. Looking at the response, Induslnd Bank expanded its partnership from Mumbai to Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Noida, which are expected to host the Hyrox events in the coming months. The big question now is, can it sustain the momentum.
Hyrox’s major draw is that it is a package in itself. “More than just a fitness regime it is turning into a lifestyle which is meant for everyone,” says Sanjeev Shukla, business advisor, Vinusto.in. It tests endurance, strength and speed and people can register as individual participants, they can register in pairs and can also participate as a team of four.
The advertising potential is undeniable. “The event gives brands access to a targeted and filtered audience,“ says Sheran Mendiratta Mehra, CMO, IndusInd Bank. Brands in categories such as sports shoes, functional and nutrition food and fitness equipment get direct access to consumers who are highly involved with fitness as a lifestyle choice. But a marathon event wouldn’t find success unless it gets to the level of a marathon race with large participation. To get to that scale, Hyrox must travel to multiple cities rapidly. “But expansion beyond tier 1 cities is a challenge due to the lack of infrastructure,”says Karthik Yanamandra, managing partner, 360D Sports.
As the organisers chalk out their expansion plan, finding massive, pillar-free indoor spaces that meet global floor-size requirements (often around 12,500 square meters) remains a big issue. In the end, “funding, access to large public indoor arenas and broader government backing will help the sport scale faster“, says a marketing executive who manages endorsements for a bunch of cricketing stars.