ESN Hybrid Games vs Toughest: distancia, estaciones, precio y dificultad comparados (2026-27)

The ESN Hybrid Games - R.I.S.E. was a hybrid fitness race presented by ESN (Elite Sports Nutrition) at Forders Gym near Birmingham, UK, on 29 March 2025. The organisers billed it as ESN's first fitness race in the UK. R.I.S.E. stands for Resilience, Intensity, Strength and Endurance.

The race featured seven stations, including running, rowing and farmers carries. It offered several divisions: a Pro Athlete division with heavier weights for experienced fitness racers, and an Athlete division with lighter weights for those newer to the sport. Participants raced alongside a group of invited elite hybrid athletes, with cash prizes from a stated £10,000 prize pool across divisions. No later editions or official website for the event could be found, so race.fitness lists it as a single past event rather than a running series.

Toughest is an obstacle course race series held in Sweden and Norway. The organisers report more than 220,000 runners since 2013, and the race has repeatedly been voted the best obstacle course race in Europe in runner polls.

Each event weekend offers several formats. The Main Race covers about 8 km with the full set of obstacles, and Double Distance is two laps of that course, about 16 km. Xplore is a 4 km version with the hardest obstacles removed and no timing, aimed at first-timers, and Toughest Family is a 2 km course for children and adults together. An Elite class runs the 8 km course for competitive athletes, with the Toughest Tour and OCR World Championship qualification. Courses mix grass, sand, gravel, mud and water, with signature obstacles such as the Ramp and the Holmenkollen. Current venues are Gothenburg, Malmö, Stockholm, Oslo and Sälen. Every finisher receives a medal.