DEKA vs. GYMRACE: Distanz, Stationen, Preis & Schwierigkeit im Vergleich (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.

GYMRACE is an indoor fitness race organised by the team behind Mud Masters, which has run sports events in the Netherlands and Germany since 2012. Races are held in large indoor venues in the Netherlands, Germany and France, including Utrecht, Amsterdam, Weeze, Duisburg and Paris.

The course has five 1 km runs, 5 km in total. Each run is followed by two stations, and the race ends with a 50 m sprint. The ten stations are a sled push, wall balls, a slam ball carry, a 1,000 m row, kettlebell swings to overhead, a 1,000 m SkiErg, dumbbell farmers lunges, a 2,000 m bike, burpee broad jumps and the final sprint. Athletes race solo, as buddies who split the station work, or in a relay team, in women's, men's, mixed and heavier 'Heavy' categories. The average finish time is about 1 hour 20 minutes and there is no cut-off time. The buddy category is the organiser's suggested entry point for newer athletes.