How Focus Has Fueled the Growth of This Type of Fitness Race

In business, everyone has an opinion. It can be easy for founders to be swayed by the latest trends, customer chatter, or pressure from investors. However, for Christian Toetzke, founder and CEO of global fitness brand HYROX, staying true to his original vision has been the key to the company's explosive growth.

“You have to be very confident in your brand and the DNA of the brand. And you have to stick to the game plan,” he says.

Toetzke appears on this week's episode of One Day with Jon Bier to talk about the power of persistence, the importance of maintaining corporate equity, and other lessons he's learned since launching his brand in 2017.

Staying the course

By any metrics, HYROX is a success. Competitors run 1 kilometer during the races, followed by one active exercise station, which is repeated eight times. By 2024, 260,000 people are expected to participate in 60 global events in 65 countries. Sponsors include Red Bull, Puma and Centr.

Still, Toetzke says he's often asked to revise the formula.

“Five years ago, I don't know how many people told me what we should do.”

The first request he gets is to change the workout, which is always the same and includes farmer's carry, rowing, Skierg, wall balls, wide jump burpees, sandbag lunges, and sled push and pull. But Toetzke says he has studied the world's most successful sports—marathons, triathlons, golf, tennis, the Olympics—and says they never change the basic rules of competition.

Sports are “built on principles and rules and history and values,” he says.

In addition, the constantly changing competition makes it difficult to compare the results of competitors in the past.

“In traditional sports, you have world records, and that is one of the strongest marking tools in sports in the world,” he said. “If someone breaks the world record in the 100 meters, then he is a world star.”

Related: How One Company Transformed a Medical Device into a Mass Market Phenomenon

Honesty

By maintaining consistency, Toetzke has built a strong brand for HYROX. You want to make it a “marathon of fitness” — the gold standard event that remains the same across all locations.

He admits they still have work to do on this. As HYROX expands globally, he personally attends events around the world to ensure it meets the brand's standards. “I see a million things they did differently in Melbourne and Mexico City. And that's what we have to change.”

You want HYROX to be a consistent, reliable experience for participants worldwide.

“To manage a brand that explodes worldwide, everyone has to follow the same game plan. Everyone has to follow the DNA of the brand. That is a difficult task and it is not easy to do because with so many people involved, everyone has their own ideas on how to do it. Do it.”

Related: 40 Entrepreneurs Share Their Secrets to Staying Focused

Creating things with barriers

This is not to say that HYROX does not support innovation. Toetzke says HYROX is constantly trying to evolve and improve without changing the fundamentals of the sport.

He uses the iPhone as an example. Since its inception, there have been 42 different models with different features, but the basic look has remained the same.

In that regard, Hyrox has made significant innovations in its technology, as well as practical innovations in its equipment. Recently, they introduced sensors so that the counting during wallball competitions can be done digitally, taking the burden off the judges. Through their collaboration with Centr, the Official Equipment Partner of HYROX, the competition kettlebells are now designed with a unique 'octo' shape to allow weight distribution and better handling during cultivator handling.

Taking financial risk

In an era when many startups are rushing to secure venture capital, often at the expense of diluting key ownership, Toetzke is looking for a more measured approach.

“My biggest advice is if you really believe in your product, try to keep as many shares as possible,” he says. “Don't take a quick buck; take a risk.”

He warns against being “the guy who drives the whole business, runs all the operations, while the investors make all the money but do nothing in the business.”

Related: How to Fund Your Business with Venture Capital

To encourage the community

Another factor in HYROX's success has been its ability to build a strong, engaged community around the brand. Toetzke says 60 to 80 percent of the HYROX community considers fitness an important aspect of their social life.

“You don't just go to the gym. It's your group of people. It's your community, and that's now happening in every gym around the world.”

Toetzke envisions gyms becoming modern lodges, similar to golf clubs, where members form strong social bonds.

Go together to the HYROX event where you compete together, and represent your gym,” he said.