You know something is popular when its arrival creates an economic impact that can be felt across entire cities. Most famously Taylor Swift’s Eras tour went from arena to arena dropping prosperity bombs around the world. Her shows in London alone are estimated to have added over £300 million to the UK economy.
HYROX isn’t quite at that level yet but when 40,000 people travelled to Glasgow recently for a HYROX race hotels and restaurants filled up as athletes enjoyed the city when they weren’t competing.
Cardiff is hoping for the same boost when it hosts a HYROX race across three days between May 30th and June 1st at the city’s iconic Principality stadium.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to travel to the event as not just athletes attend, but their family and friends as well.
At a time when the students have left and Cardiff can be quiet, the hope is all these extra people will bring a spending boost that might not otherwise have been expected to local shops, hotels and restaurants.
The Numbers Behind HYROX
After launching in Germany in 2017 HYROX has established itself as the fastest growing fitness sport in the world. With all the problems CrossFit is currently facing, HYROX has stepped up to provide a legitimate alternative and is already drawing in elite athletes who are mostly known for their exploits in Crossfit. It is not just for the fittest people on the planet though, a big draw is its accessibility, hence 40,000 people travelling to Glasgow to take part in a race.
The numbers speak for themselves. This year there will be HYROX races in 30 countries and 85 cities around the world. That HYROX can take over a massive venue like Cardiff’s Principality Stadium for several days shows what a draw it already is.
In the 2023/24 season 250,000 athletes participated in races and this year that number is expected to more than double to over 650,000.
HYROX’s stated goal of 1,000,000 athletes globally by 2026 seems well within reach as there is still huge room for growth.
In the UK HYROX currently has 79,500 unique profiles in its system, Spain has 45,000, and the DACH region has 60,000. Interestingly the USA only has 45,600 unique profiles and APAC only 22,000, so there is a massive audience of people still to discover HYROX.
Interestingly the most popular division by participation is Doubles at around 50% of all competitors. The fact that you can compete as a team as well as alone is clearly appealing to many, particularly if dipping a toe into HYROX for the first time.
At BOXROX we will be following HYROX closely so stay tuned for the latest news
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