October was another milestone month for HYROX – with a landmark global partnership renewal, world-class racing, and big steps toward the sport’s next generation.
PUMA Partnership Extended to 2030
The month began with major commercial news: PUMA extended its global partnership with HYROX through 2030, reaffirming its role as official footwear and apparel provider and becoming exclusive title sponsor of the World Championships.
The announcement was made at the Hamburg Major (more on that below), celebrating a relationship that began in 2017 and became global in 2023. PUMA will continue developing its NITRO™ performance footwear and apparel line tailored to HYROX athletes and has added three new elite racers to its ambassador roster.
HYROX co-founder Moritz Fürste described the renewed deal as a defining milestone for the sport’s evolution – a signal that fitness racing is here to stay on the global stage.
World Championships: Stockholm Confirmed
HYROX also announced full details for the 2026 PUMA World Championships, which will take place in Stockholm’s Strawberry Arena from June 18–21, 2026.
The schedule includes:
- Thursday – Opening Ceremony and Elite 15 Singles
- Saturday – Elite 15 Pro Doubles
- Sunday – Adaptive and Mixed Relay Invitationals
For all the available information on the event check out (and bookmark) our article on the 2026 HYROX World Championships.
HYROX Youngstars Returns
The HYROX Youngstars program was officially confirmed for 2026, launching in Amsterdam (Jan 24–25). The youth format brings the same run–workout structure, scaled for age and development level, giving younger athletes a taste of the HYROX race-day experience. HYROX’s Ralf Iwan joined the Rox Lyfe podcast to discuss the concept, calling it “an investment in the next generation of fitness racers.”
Elite Racing: Hamburg Delivers Fireworks
The 2025/26 season opened with a bang in Hamburg, hosting both the first Major of the season and the biggest event the city has ever seen.
- Alex Roncevic stormed to a new Men’s World Record (53:15), edging past Dylan Scott by 23 seconds.
- Joanna Wietrzyk won the Women’s Elite 15 race after leading from start to finish, holding off a late surge from Vivian Tafuto.
- Rookie Lena Putters suffered heartbreak after missing a lap and becoming the first athlete to serve a penalty in the new penalty box – a sign of the system’s real-world impact.
The Elite Doubles brought just as much drama. Lauren Weeks and Lauren Griffith took the Women’s title after an intense duel with Jess Pettrow and Joanna Wietrzyk, while Alex Roncevic and Tim Wenisch were dominant in the Men’s race, booking early qualification for Stockholm.
Racing Around the World
Toronto marked the return of Belle MacFarlane, who took the Women’s Pro win (1:03:21) – her first singles race since finishing 3rd at the 2023 World Championships.
Geneva hosted its first HYROX, with Alexis Bernier (57:49) and Elli Stenfors (1:01:39) taking victories.
Gdańsk saw Charlie Botterill set a new 16–24 Age Group World Record (54:49), before backing it up in Valencia the following weekend, finishing in 56:24 – enough to move him into the Elite 15 rankings ahead of the Melbourne Major.
Paris followed with a massive five-day event, over the same days as Birmingham, which broke records as the largest HYROX ever, drawing 30,000 athletes and 25,000 spectators.
At the UK event the Men’s Pro was stacked with Elite 15 names – Sean Noble took the win (55:04), ahead of Jake Dearden (55:16) and Charlie Botterill (55:31), moving all three higher in the Major Elite Rankings.
In the Women’s Pro, Kat Parnell led home Charlie Searle and Gabriella Moriarty. And in the Doubles divisions, Jake Williamson and Charlie Botterill clocked the third-fastest Pro Doubles time ever (49:17), while Holly Archer and Sophia Parvizi-Wayne took the Women’s win (56:38) in their first race together.
On the Podcast
October’s Rox Lyfe podcasts featured some of the sport’s biggest names and most insightful voices:
- Charlie Botterill – the hottest name in HYROX chats his recent performances, training, mindset and more.
- Tiago Lousa – coach to Alex Roncevic and Zara Piergianni – breaking down Alex’s world-record race, the mindset of elite performers, and lessons from training in Kenya on durability, pacing, and truly easy runs.
- Ryan Kent – reflecting on his comeback mindset, background and what it takes to stay competitive at the top.
- Jonah Rosner – insights on injury prevention, calf and Achilles training, heat adaptation, and how to use data and supplements to improve HYROX performance
- Mat Lock – on the evolution of Elite racing, judging standards, and the path toward Olympic recognition.
- Ralf Iwan – discussing the return of HYROX Youngstars, HYROX 365 Academy, and developing the next generation of athletes.
Listen on Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
