Hyrox changed how I train, think and live — and it wasn’t about winning

As over 650 participants take on Alpha’s Hyrox simulation at the Marina Market this weekend, Nadia El Ferdaoussi shares her own story of falling for the world’s fastest-growing sport

Nadia El Ferdaoussi during sand bag lunges while training for HYROX at Back2Basics gym in Tallaght, Dublin. Pictures: Gareth Chaney

When I was offered a Hyrox ticket late last year, I didn’t expect saying yes would change my life. I enjoy a challenge, and I vaguely knew what Hyrox was from social media, a kind of fitness race with some running and different exercise stations. From what I could see, you paired up and it was a bit of fun. 

What I should have asked was what kind of ticket it was — an individual entry. So no partner for me, I’d have to do all the work alone.

I quickly got to grips with what was actually involved in Hyrox during the first training session — 8km of running broken into 1km runs alternating with eight different workout stations; ski, sled push, sled pull, row, burpee broad jumps, walking weighted lunges, farmer’s carry and finally 100 wall balls.

The last (and only) time I’d run 8km was back in 2021 during the women’s mini marathon and there were no high-intensity exercise stations around every corner that day. I wondered if I’d bitten off more than I could chew, especially when coming back into the gym winded after running ‘only’ 400m outside, then going straight into burpees. 

The workouts were the hardest I’d ever attempted. I’d committed, though and had every intention of completing both the training and the event, regardless of how long it took on the day. There’s no cut-off time, but the Hyrox website says the average athlete takes 90 minutes to finish the course.

I’d be lying if I said that word, ‘athlete’ didn’t entice me. This could be my one and only chance to be an athlete for a day. I’m not a naturally sporty kind of person. 

Growing up you were far more likely to find me playing with Barbies, or in a shopping centre when I got older, than playing outside. I “forgot” my PE kit in secondary school more often than not, or had some mysterious pains that prevented me from taking part.

Like a lot of people, though, I spent more time outdoors during lockdown. I took up hiking and started online PT sessions once a week. When things re-opened, I joined small group training sessions in the gym and worked towards that aforementioned 10km mini marathon. Then I never ran again.

That was until Hyrox became part of my life. I’d never trained for something like this before. In fact when people called going to the gym “training”, I thought they had notions. 

I was simply going through the motions and exercising because isn’t that what you were supposed to do to look after your mind and body whether you enjoyed it or not? Now, I was actually training with a purpose, there was an end goal. It was exhilarating.

Come event day in Dublin in the RDS last November, I noticed a lot of people wearing merch from a gym that happens to be close to where I live and since I’d well and truly caught the Hyrox bug I booked into a trial session to see what all the fuss was about.

Nadia El Ferdaoussi during wall balls while training for HYROX at Back2Basics gym in Tallaght, Dublin. Pictures: Gareth Chaney

Sean Harding, founder and coach of Back 2 Basics in Tallaght, explains why the sport is growing so fast: “It thrives because it’s accessible to the everyday athlete. More than just a competition, it’s a catalyst for a powerful shift in mindset — one that prioritises performance over aesthetics.”

Isn’t that what I’d been subconsciously striving for all along?

Hyrox has been jokingly likened to a cult, much like CrossFit that came before it, but I think people might be confusing community with cult.

“It’s not for everyone,” Harding says, “but for those who enjoy structured challenges and a performance-based approach, it makes sense why they’ve gravitated towards it. 

There’s always the risk of any fitness trend becoming over-hyped, but Hyrox has encouraged people to focus on what their bodies can do rather than just how they look — which is undeniably a positive shift. Whether consciously or not, this transformation is deeply empowering.

From my own experience, I’d be inclined to agree. 

“When people discover the true potential of their bodies, it ignites a sense of motivation and accomplishment that keeps them coming back for more,” explains Harding.

Back to race day and some clever marketing from Hyrox, “athlete only” areas, merchandise stands with limited edition Dublin hoodies, photographers taking pictures of your every move and bumping up the contrast to make the digital photos you can purchase look even more gruelling. 

Participants start in waves, small groups in each category, so when you’re out on the course you aren’t necessarily competing with the person running beside you — they may have started earlier or later.

Nadia El Ferdaoussi: Hyrox has been jokingly likened to a cult, much like CrossFit that came before it

At odds with the others in my training camp, I didn’t feel nerves at the start line. I had nothing to prove and didn’t put any pressure on myself to finish in a certain time (although I did have that one and a half hour average stat in the back of my mind). 

I was actually excited and determined to enjoy it, which bar the eight minutes of burpees and the nine minutes it took me to hit the 9ft high target with a 4kg medicine ball 100 times, I did. 

I wanted to avoid any time penalties incurred from anything like completing exercises in the wrong order to dropping the 10kg sandbag during the walking lunges, which I also managed and finished in a fairly respectable time of 1hr 39m. 

Crossing the finish line and receiving the coveted finisher patch (Hyrox athletes proudly display each of the cities completed on their backpacks, walls and mantlepieces), I felt a sense of achievement and immediately knew this wouldn’t be my last race.

So who enters Hyrox? I was surprised to find out more than 65% of the participants at Hyrox Dublin were over the age of 30, with about 20% in my age group of 35-39. During those few days, people asked online “is the whole of Dublin in the RDS this weekend or what?”, because the rise in popularity happened so fast. 

If you compare numbers to the previous year, the participants rose from 4,200 in Dublin in 2024 to 10,000 in 2025 and similarly spectators (who also have to purchase a ticket, this is a booming business after all) climbed from 2,500 to 10,000. So I suppose it really did seem like everyone was there, especially since social media has played a huge part in the sport’s success. 

It’s hard to miss the TikToks and Instagram Reels of topless men (a much memed phenomenon in the sport — the men can’t seem to keep their top half covered), pairs of friends racing together and people posing in front of the timing screen with their finisher badge. And I was one of them, documenting the entire process of training, experimenting with what to wear and the race itself.

Nadia El Ferdaoussi: Social media has played a huge part in the success of Hyrox

So many people, myself included, have happily fallen for ‘the cult of Hyrox’ for many reasons; the format is standardised and almost gamified — the course format doesn’t change and so progress is measurable, the rankings are all available online and you can track and compare either your own results for the ‘everyday athlete’ like myself, or against other actual athletes who are performing in the elite levels of the sport and competing for world championships. 

The social and travel factor plays a big part too – I completed Hyrox Berlin last weekend and recently over 100 people from my gym travelled to Málaga to race individually and in doubles and make a whole weekend of it.

For me, I’ve got something to work towards now. I’m not exercising to punish myself for eating a pizza or trying to lose weight, I’m fuelling my body to perform better and see what it can do.

Harding says there’s been a noticeable shift in the way people train in his gym — one that moves away from burning off calories or sweating as a form of guilt.

“Instead, training is becoming a celebration of progress, with a stronger emphasis on building strength, endurance, and overall athletic performance. While there’s still a long way to go in educating people on these principles, it’s inspiring to see the focus shifting toward performance, resilience, and long-term growth.”

For a woman whose formative years were spent consuming the idea of “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”, it’s almost incomprehensible that I now have the freedom in my mind of not searching for quick fixes and fad diets.

Instead, I’m focused on what my body can achieve if I treat it right and I’m planning to host a Hyrox camp in Spain later this year, neither of which are things I expected when I said yes to that Hyrox ticket five months ago.

The premium experience

Ryan Baronet, co-founder SAINT Studios

I am screaming, ‘I am a survivor’, rowing weights in and out of my body at lightning speed, my legs spinning beneath me.

Sweat is dripping from every morsel, my heart thumping against my chest.

“This is about feeling, this is about connection,” RIDE instructor Alana Murrin says. “Everything I say is an invitation, not a command. I am your mirror.”

It’s 8am, and I am at SAINT studios, Ireland’s latest premium fitness offering.

Situated on Dublin’s South William Street, the 10,000 sq ft space offers spin, circuit and reformer studios, alongside a rooftop recovery suite with custom-built saunas and plunge pools. Murrin, a co-founder with her husband Ryan Baronet, is delivering my morning spin class. The experience feels almost spiritual; her coaching a motivational speech for the stage. After class, I shower in a rainfall shower with luxury Voya toiletries, freshly laundered towels and GHD straighteners at my disposal. A ‘refuel hub’ offers smoothies, €7.50 a pop, with protein, spirulina, and creatine.

Welcome to luxury fitness.

At €28 for a single class, just one 45-minute session might come close to some people’s monthly gym membership. But is it a sign of where Ireland’s ever-expanding health and wellness offering is heading?

Reformer by SAINT Studios

As SAINT opened its doors last week, hot on its heels is Barry’s Bootcamp, the LA-founded boutique fitness brand with over 90 studios worldwide. It opens on Dawson Street this month, joining other premium players like Perpetua Fitness, POWER and Eden One.

“We have been watching Dublin closely over the last decade, and seen how the city has changed dramatically,” Baronet says. “It’s more international, more energetic, people are coming here from all over the world, bringing global standards and expectations.

“With that, has come a rise in demand for high-quality experiences... we saw a gap in the market.”

The higher price point is necessary for a truly premium experience, Baronet says (and points out those who plan to attend frequently can avail of packs that will bring the price per class down to €21), and he believes post-Covid more consumers are willing to spend more having re-evaluated “where they spend their money”.

“People see fitness and wellness as a necessity, not just a luxury,” he says. “More and more people are realising that investing in their health has far greater returns than just the physical.

“People are no longer looking at fitness as just a workout or a means to look a certain way, they see it as an investment in their overall health and performance, in work, in their relationships, in their social life, and in how they show up every day.

“It’s not just about aesthetics anymore. It’s about feeling strong, capable and grounded, and that shift has fuelled a growing demand for spaces that reflect that holistic view of fitness, wellness and health.”

— Nicole Glennon