Apr 10, 2026
Eric Malzone sits down live with Doug Gremmen, Chief Growth
Officer at HYROX, at the Connected Health and Fitness Summit in
Beverly Hills. They dive into how HYROX went from just 600
finishers back in 2018 to a projected 1.8 million in 2026 —
basically a rocket ship in the fitness world. Doug shares how they
built the brand from the ground up by knocking on gym doors, the
massive role community and user-generated content played, and why
the super consistent race format makes it so easy to scale
everywhere from LA to China and beyond.
They talk gym affiliates (now at 14,000 worldwide), what the
$130/month program actually gives gym owners, how HYROX is turning
regular members into loyal athletes who stick around, and why big
players like F45, Orange Theory, and even big box gyms are all
jumping on board. Plus, they touch on US expansion, revenue
streams, the challenges of growing crazy fast, and HYROX’s
long-term dream of hitting the Olympics.
If you own a gym, train for races, or just want to understand where
fitness is headed, this one’s loaded with real talk and actionable
insight.
Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro and chatting at the Connected Health and Fitness
Summit
2:10 – The insane growth numbers: 600 finishers in 2018 → 1.8
million projected in 2026
5:45 – Building from the ground up and creating a full fitness
ecosystem
9:30 – Community power and billions of Instagram impressions from
athletes
13:20 – Why a fixed, repeatable race format is a game-changer for
scaling globally
18:15 – Turning gym members into athletes who actually stay
longer
22:40 – Breaking down the gym affiliate program: $130/month and
what you really get
28:50 – The Performance Hub, programming tools, and how any gym can
make it work
35:10 – Early traction in CrossFit boxes, then boutiques, now big
enterprise gyms
41:25 – Revenue levers and running a massive turnkey event
business
47:00 – Why CrossFit, Spartan, and others feel more like partners
than competitors
53:40 – Olympic dreams and the goal to touch 100 million lives
58:15 – Growth challenges, quality control, and staying scalable in
112 countries
1:03:30 – Final thoughts and how to get involved with HYROX
Key Takeaways:
🔥 HYROX’s crazy growth trajectory and what’s coming in 2026
🌍 How one consistent format is powering expansion into China,
India, Brazil, and beyond
🏋️ The insane power of athlete-generated content and
word-of-mouth
💰 Real details on the $130/month gym affiliate model and its
value
🏟 How HYROX helps gyms keep members longer and turn them into
dedicated athletes
🤝 Why competing brands like F45 and Orange Theory are happy
partners
📈 Smart revenue plays and the business side of running global
fitness events
🏅 Long-term vision: Olympic aspirations and becoming a massive
participation sport
🛠 Low barriers for gyms plus flexible tools that actually fit
different gym types
🚀 Creating “goosebump moments” that keep athletes coming back and
bringing friends