Then there are the “converts” or athletes who participated in more traditional sports when younger.
Civil servant Fadzly Samsuri, 42, used to be a long-distance runner before deciding to take a break and focus on strength training. That’s how he discovered Hyrox, which he described as letting him have the best of both worlds.
“It brought back the joy and some meaning into running,” said Mr Fadzly, who has completed his fourth Hyrox.
Mr Sean Tan, co-founder and president of the Singapore Fitness Alliance industry body, said Hyrox could be especially rewarding for those who’ve never specialised in any sport.
“All of a sudden, someone who is all-round fit, who may not even have been athletic in their youth or have participated in a sport, now has an opportunity to compete in front of a sea of spectators,” he said.
THE ROLE OF GYMS
Key to Hyrox’s popularity has been its ability to get gyms on board, said Mr Tan, pointing to how it “cleverly nurtured” communities such as those from CrossFit and boutique gyms, to come together and train for Hyrox.
Agreeing, Mr Lee, the participant, said it would be unusual for someone to sign up to race on their own accord. “A lot of people who join Hyrox are mostly egged on by their gym.”
To that end, gyms in Singapore have adapted their training plans and brought in new equipment to jump on the bandwagon.
Metamorfitus, an outdoor gym at Henderson Road, focused on kettlebell training and the Spartan obstacle course race when it first opened seven years ago, said founder Jack Lian.
As Hyrox grew in popularity, some of his clients signed up to race. Mr Lian then decided to add a Hyrox training plan to his gym’s offerings, and purchased equipment such as a rowing machine and wall balls.
The event has been a boon for business, with five more clients joining his gym through word of mouth to train for Hyrox in the months leading up to the race.
Twelve Metamorfitus members, including Mr Lian and Mr Fadzly, participated in last week’s race.