Cashing in on fitness: how the Hyrox race in Hong Kong is opening doors for businesses

Teacher Kim Wells, 36, was filled with excitement as she counted down the days to her first fitness competition, the Hyrox race in Hong Kong on Saturday.

Over the past two months, she dedicated time to train for the event and invested HK$8,000 (US$1,030) for everything from sportswear to specialised training programmes.

Billed as “a sport for every body”, Hyrox is an indoor race that is broken into eight exercises, each starting with a 1km (0.6-mile) run.

The eight exercise stations include different activities such as sledge pushing and pulling, cardio machines, weighted walking lunges and the tossing of medicine balls.

Wells, who began her fitness journey in her 20s, had not considered competing until she saw her friends participate as a duo two years ago. That inspired her to give it a shot on Saturday.

“Everybody was cheering and the energy was so high. I remember watching them [racing] together. They’re so strong and so powerful,” said Wells, who moved from the United Kingdom to the city three years ago.