Battle Cancer vs HYROX: distance, stations, price & difficulty compared (2026-27)

Battle Cancer is a fitness fundraising event series in which athletes raise money for cancer charities and compete in hybrid fitness challenges. Since 2019, the organisers say, more than 100,000 athletes have taken part in events across over 15 cities, including London, Glasgow, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, Dubai, Singapore and Miami.

The main Battle Cancer Challenge is a 90-minute event for teams of four (male, female or mixed). Teams rotate through nine stations in three zones, Endurance, Burn and Power, working five minutes of maximum reps followed by four minutes of rest at each. Hybrid 3|20 is a format for individuals or pairs: three minutes of work per station across nine stations, then a 20-minute maximum-distance run. Both formats have a Challenge division that allows movement modifications and a stricter Compete division. Money raised counts as points on the leaderboard, so it suits groups who want a sociable team event with a charity goal.

HYROX is an indoor fitness race in which athletes run 1 km and then complete one functional workout station, repeated eight times. The stations and their order are fixed: 1,000 m SkiErg, 50 m sled push, 50 m sled pull, 80 m burpee broad jumps, 1,000 m row, 200 m farmers carry, 100 m sandbag lunges and 100 wall balls. Because the format is the same worldwide, results feed global leaderboards and a World Championship at the end of each season.

HYROX launched in Hamburg, Germany, in 2017 and is run by HYROX World GmbH. It was created by race organiser Christian Toetzke with Olympic medallist Moritz Fürste and marketing expert Michael Trautmann. Races take place in large exhibition halls, with start waves throughout the day. Divisions include Open, Pro (heavier weights), Doubles and a four-person Relay. There is no time cap and no qualification needed for age-group entry, so HYROX suits first-time racers as well as competitive hybrid athletes.