HYROX HELP

As the fitness race gains popularity in Singapore, here are expert tips on how to avoid injuries

- Stephanie Yeo Senior Correspondent

Hyrox's popularity in Singapore has surged in just three years. The fitness race, which comprises an 8km run and eight fitness stations, attracted 10,395 sign-ups for its latest race in November. PHOTO: HYROX SINGAPORE

(PHOTO: HYROX SINGAPORE)

When Hyrox debuted in Singapore in October 2023, Ms Vishalini Rajandran was among the 3,500 who took part in the fitness race. She competed in the women's relay with three friends from her gym.

“We were curious about the experience. It’s a gauge of how your fitness has been improving,” says Ms Vishalini, 40. She has since completed the women's doubles category in Singapore in June 2024, and the mixed doubles in Bangkok in May.

Hyrox athletes run 1km eight times and, in between, take on eight functional workout stations - 1,000m on a SkiErg machine, a 50m sled push, a 50m sled pull, 80m of burpee broad jumps, a 1,000m row, 200m farmer's carry, 100m of sandbag lunges and 100 wall balls. The weights they use vary according to the categories.

Participants aged 16 to 89 can race in the singles, doubles and relay categories. The pro category is for more advanced athletes, while the adaptive category is for those with physical or neurological disabilities.

Hyrox's popularity here has surged in just three years. There were 12,840 athletes competing in the AIA Hyrox Open Asian Championships 2025 in June and 10,395 in the AIA Hyrox Singapore race in November.

That, in turn, has resulted in more Hyrox-related injuries, say medical and wellness experts.

Dr Ong Joo Haw, a sports medicine physician from Orthopaedics International at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, sees one to two such cases a week.