DEKA vs Hybrid Games NW: distance, stations, price & difficulty compared (2026-27)

DEKA is a functional fitness race series run by Spartan Race and billed as the decathlon of hybrid fitness racing. Every DEKA event uses the same ten DEKA Zones. The time for each zone and the total time are recorded, so athletes can compare results with their own previous marks and with a global leaderboard.

The flagship DEKA FIT puts 500 m of running before each zone, for 5 km in total. DEKA MILE uses 160 m runs for one mile in total, and DEKA STRONG is the ten zones with no running. There are also DEKA Ultra (50 zones and 25 km of running) and DEKA ATLAS, a heavier ten-zone test with a 30-minute cap. Athletes who finish STRONG, MILE and FIT in one calendar year earn the DEKA Trifecta. Heats include Elite, Age Group, Teams and Ruck, so the series suits gym-goers as well as competitive athletes.

Hybrid NW is a UK hybrid fitness race series that started in north-west England. Every race is nine stations on one continuous clock, joined by 600 m runs and ending with a 200 m run to the finish. The stations are an assault bike, wall balls, a row, burpee broad jumps, loaded lunges, dumbbell snatches, a farmers carry, a SkiErg and a sled push.

Seven divisions race the same course with weights scaled by division: Male and Female Solo; Male, Female and Mixed Doubles; Tribrid, a three-person tag team; and Hyteens, which pairs a 13 to 15 year old with an adult. The 2026 season included a race at Derby Arena and a season finale at Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester. The series works with a network of affiliate gyms across the UK, and spectators enter free. It suits athletes with a mix of running and gym fitness, including juniors racing with a parent.