Hybrid sports are booming, and it’s no surprise. As Hyrox becomes less and less accessible—or perhaps just more saturated—a wave of innovative alternative concepts is on the rise. Honestly, I see this growth as the single most positive aspect of the whole Hyrox hype!
I’m just an “average Joe” when it comes to performance in these races. I’m not chasing podium times; I’m in it for the experience and the challenge. I am absolutely not built for endurance, so instead of grinding away hours trying to shave seconds off my Hyrox time, I’ve started exploring other hybrid races. I’m doing this partly for fun, and partly professionally, so I can speak with confidence if a client wants to dive into something new.
Beyond Hyrox, I’ve jumped into Deadly Dozen, DEKA, and Gym Race, and most recently, Tyrun. This concept is growing fast, and it’s one that’s absolutely worth paying attention to, especially since we’ll soon see it expand beyond its home in Belgium.
What is Tyrun?
Tyrun bills itself as a seasonal race. This is a brilliant move—it means the specific layout you see this season is unique, and they’ll surprise the audience with something totally different for the next one. No getting complacent here! Even I actually really like the current race structure and part of me screams – “don’t have it!” 😂
As I mentioned, there are tons of hybrid races out there, but I don’t sign up for all of them. Why? Sometimes the race design just doesn’t make logical sense. It can feel like the designer was operating in the spirit of, “Screw it, let’s make it as brutally hard as possible, way tougher than Hyrox.”
Tyrun is not one of those races. It’s an incredibly well-balanced workout. Hopefully, I’ll be able to say the same about the next season’s race, too! From my personal perspective—someone who thrives more on the stations than on the running—it felt great. The 25/26 season Tyrun race is structured around a 600m run between segments, with each segment consisting of a cardio station followed by a strength station.
The Devil’s Walk: Where I Met My Match
With this balanced approach, it’s clear that Tyrun will appeal to a wide variety of athletes, from dedicated runners to bodybuilders. I especially like the inclusion of an abdominal station, even if the race is generally lower-body dominated.
However, the true killer is the “devil walk” right at the very end. It’s a 600-meter walk carrying a sandbag (35kg for women/50kg for men) on your shoulder. This station absolutely defeated me. I was on my knees. I had been clocking a pretty decent time throughout the race, but that devil walk ruined my score instantly.
And of course, that instantly got me hooked. All I could think about was signing up for the next race to redeem myself!
This is a true challenge, and I bet a lot of people actually… well, maybe “love” is too strong a word. You don’t “love” the burpees in Hyrox, do you? But you definitely can train to dominate them. The devil’s walk is the same.
A Few Minor Gripes
The only thing I would point out as a potential downside is the branding and PR. I feel it might put some people off as it can appear a bit too “laddish” or “bro-ish.” Much of the content is in Dutch, which is natural given the race’s location, but if they want to grow quickly, they need to engage the English-speaking audience fast.
And lastly, the badge. I know, it’s a bit of a cliché. I understand that new race concepts want to differentiate themselves from Hyrox, but the lack of a finisher badge is a bit of a missed marketing opportunity, not to mention a disappointment for finishers who want to add the “T” logo to their collection of race bling.
The Final Verdict
Overall, this was an absolutely great experience. I’m definitely coming back and would recommend it to anyone who either wants to experience something different from Hyrox or who finds other races not as accessible. Tyrun is accessible, and they genuinely seem to look after their community, so it’s definitely worth becoming a part of their movement.