Hyrox is fast becoming one of the more popular ways to stay in shape with training for the race popping up all over the D.C. area.


Hyrox is a global indoor fitness competition with the event drawing more than 4,300 athletes to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center last March. (Courtesy Dhiraj Jagasia)


Hyrox is a global indoor fitness competition with the event drawing more than 4,300 athletes to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center last March. (Courtesy Dhiraj Jagasia)

Dubbed the “World Series” of fitness racing, Hyrox is fast becoming one of the more popular ways to stay in shape with training for the race popping up all over the D.C. area.

Hyrox is a global indoor fitness competition with the event — drawing more than 4,300 athletes to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center last March. It combines running and eight functional workouts in a standardized format. Each running portion of a kilometer is followed by a different exercise, including SkiErg, sled push and pull, burpee broad jumps, rowing, farmer’s carry, sandbag lunges and wall balls.

So why has it been gaining popularity in the fitness world?

The hype surrounding Hyrox

“Number one, it’s fun,” said Graham King, owner of Urban Athletic Club in Shaw. “The movements aren’t so high skill based so we are looking at sled pushes, wall balls and lunges and half the event is running, so if you can run you are halfway done.”

“Also, because the event is confined, your friends can cheer you on at every single station,” King added. “With Hyrox you are running around this track and everyone can see you. You go to your wall ball, you go to your rowing and your friends and family are cheering you on the whole time.”

Urban Athletic is one of many clubs in the D.C. area that holds Hyrox training classes and it offers athletes an alternative way to get and stay motivated. “It’s just the movements and it keeps my body oiled up,” said Urban Athletic Club member Tim Rutherford. “I feel like I am able to push myself more than I can with strict weight lifting.”

“I like the variety and I appreciate workouts where I work most of my body,” said Chad Russell, who also attends Urban Athletic Club. “If there is a moment in the workout where I hate my life but it doesn’t continue within 20 minutes of the workout, it was a perfect workout.”

Collectively getting better

Olga Gorodetsky is a coach at Urban Athletic Club and she is a fan of how training for Hyrox brings people together. “It really isn’t about top-ticking the other person. This really feels like a team-oriented community and it’s all about us collectively getting better,” Gorodetsky said. “I love Hyrox.”

Hyrox is open to all ages and levels and the setup is eight kilometers of running with eight workout stations.

Dhiraj Jagasia, 45, of Falls Church, Virginia, competed in the event last March in D.C. It was a 10 out 10, Jigasia said.

“I got my family out there and my friends cheering me on. It was top notch,” he said.

Jigasia said he did the Hyrox race to help him with other sports.

“I am an avid tennis player, and I moved up in the rankings, so I wanted to hang with the younger guys,” Jigasia said. “No matter what your goals are, this is something you can get better in terms of your overall health, your conditioning, and it will just help you live longer, I think.”

Clearly endurance is a huge part of Hyrox, so monthslong training is vital to any sort of success.

“I think the number one reason a lot of people, when it comes to fitness, may fail or give up, is they try to do it alone,” said Branden Jones, a D.C.-based trainer.

“It’s one of the things you really can’t do alone. You need some accountability, some community and that’s the best way to get this thing done.”

Another Hyrox race is expected to return to D.C., early in 2026.

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