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‘Pay to suffer’: German fitness race Hyrox taps China’s appetite for fitness and social connection_我的网站

A | 25日，福州市人大常委会会议听取和审议了市人大常委会执法检查组关于检查《福州市消防条例》实施情况的报告。

Hyrox Photo: VCGFrom fewer than 1,700 participants at its first Beijing event to around 12,000 in a recent Shenzhen event, Hyrox is rapidly becoming one of China's newest fitness crazes.
Over the weekend, participants from across China packed the Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Center for the German fitness race, according to HYRESULT, a platform that tracks Hyrox race results. The event was one of the Chinese stops of the 2026-27 Hyrox season.
Originating in Hamburg, Germany, in 2017, Hyrox was designed as a fitness competition for gym-goers. It combines eight 1-kilometer runs with eight functional workout stations, including sled pushes, indoor rowing, burpees, farmer's carries and wall balls.
Pronounced "high‑rocks", the brand has never formally disclosed where its name originates. Yet it is widely understood to be a portmanteau blending "hybrid" and "rockstar", a nod to the mix of endurance and raw strength demanded by its race format.
Hyrox has experienced remarkable growth in Europe and the US, with some events attracting over 50,000 athletes and 35,000 spectators. After entering the Chinese market in 2024, the sport has expanded rapidly, with more than 500 affiliated gyms now operating in the Chinese mainland, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
This rapid growth reflects Hyrox's appeal as something more than a workout. By combining standardized physical challenges with competition, measurable results and group training, the sport has turned fitness into a social experience for a growing number of young Chinese professionals.
A fitness enthusiast surnamed Zhang who competed in the Shenzhen race for the first time is one of them.
Before the event, he trained about five times a week, with sessions including sled pushes, indoor rowing and running. He also maintained a daily 5-kilometer running routine.
He entered the "open" category and finished in about 2 hours. For him, however, the result was only part of the experience.
"It is not only about seeing what I have achieved through fitness," he told the Global Times. "Seeing so many disciplined people training and competing together gives you a sense of belonging."
That sense of community is becoming a defining feature of Hyrox in China, where a growing number of young people in major cities are swapping the couch for the gym.
Guo Xin, a sports commentator in Beijing, told the Global Times, "In the past, many people went to the gym to lift weights or run, but their goals could be relatively vague. Hyrox gives them a clear challenge: finish the race and improve their time."
For people who may find it difficult to make new friends after entering the workforce, training together also offers a natural way to build new social circles.
That structure is particularly appealing to young people who want exercise to be both purposeful and social, Guo said.
Many participants train in groups, sharing workout plans, encouraging one another and meeting outside the gym.
According to Xinhua, Shanghai-based IT professional Zhang Lin, 27, said she initially signed up simply to join the fun. What kept her returning was her training group, where people from different professions trained together, talked about races and had meals on weekends.
The sport has also found a natural home on Chinese social media.
Training check-ins, race-day crowds, finish-line celebrations and photographs of exhausted competitors are easily turned into shareable content. The popular phrase "pay to suffer" has become something of a rallying cry among Hyrox participants, capturing the willingness of young people to spend money to put themselves through an intense physical challenge.
"The atmosphere of the competition, the ritual of crossing the finish line and hitting the gong, and training check-ins are all easy to share on social media," Guo said. "The process of working hard and then seeing the result is itself very infectious."
For many participants, the appeal is not necessarily about winning.
The global ranking system gives amateur athletes a way to see how their performances compare with others around the world, while still allowing them to focus on personal improvement.
The rapid expansion of Hyrox has also attracted attention from China's sports industry. But Wang Dazhao, a sports commentator, cautioned that even though Hyrox has successfully tapped into young people's demand for fitness and social connection, it is ultimately a commercial sports business.
Its long-term development in China remains to be seen, he said.
There are also safety considerations as the sport attracts newcomers. Although Hyrox promotes itself as a competition "for everybody," the races involve sustained high-intensity exercise and can place considerable demand on the cardiovascular system and muscles.
Pacing is key to competing in Hyrox. For recreational athletes who do not exercise regularly, pushing too hard from the start in pursuit of a fast time can carry significant risks. Elite athletes chasing records also face heightened risks as they push their physical limits.
Guo advised beginners to build a basic fitness foundation before chasing race times, gradually improving their running ability, core strength and lower-body strength.
Participants should also pay attention to warm-ups and recovery, particularly around the knees and lower back, and familiarize themselves with the proper form for exercises such as sled pushes and wall balls.
。据了解，自2025年3月《条例》实施以来，全市未发生较大及以上火灾，消防安全形势持续平稳向好。据悉，全市完成102个住宅小区消防用水改造，投入400万元建成400个农村微型消防站。累计劝阻搬离违规停放充电车辆93836辆次，设置防火“硬隔离”小区835个。全市新建市政消火栓789个，现有消防车289辆、灭火救援装备7.7万件套。在全省率先出台空勤站调度方案和作战规程，打造“察打一体”空勤作战体系。同时，打造全省首创“AI智能+人工接警”服务平台，接警时长平均缩短25%。

B | 执法检查发现，部分行业消防安全责任不够明确，新兴行业监管存在弱化或多头管理现象；居民小区消防设施损坏、通道堵塞及电动自行车充电设施不合规等问题群众反映较为集中；基层网格员缺乏专业培训，乡镇综合执法力量不足等。针对上述问题，执法检查组建议，市政府及有关部门要层层压实消防责任，市消防安全委员会要进一步健全协调议事机制，明确新兴行业和新业态的监管部门。要聚焦住宅小区消防设施提升、电动自行车规范停放充电、消防通道清障等群众反映强烈问题，结合城市更新和老旧小区改造分批推动解决；纵深推进劳动密集型企业火灾隐患大排查大整治，扎实开展拆窗破网等攻坚行动。要加快编制消防专项规划，并做好与国土空间规划衔接，探索通过政府购买服务引入注册消防工程师实行包干巡回服务。