Fitness
Fitness Training
The ultimate fitness competitions to push your limits in 2026
From epic fitness races to intense strength showdowns, 2026’s fitness competitions are thrilling to watch – or join yourself.
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Forget the sidelines. This is the year you trade your spectator pass for a timing chip. Across the UK and Europe, the fitness landscape has shifted. Here, it's no longer enough to just train for aesthetics – now, we train for the redline.
That's because high-octane fitness competitions – where your lung capacity and mental resilience play equally important parts – are now in the mainstream. Better yet, many competitions have become crossover events, where the weekend warrior and the elite professional breathe the same rarified air across the same brutal and unforgiving course.
HYROX is for everyone, with categories and classes to cover all bases
© Graeme Murray/Red Bull Content Pool
While some might find themselves grinding through the same lung-busting intervals that world champions like HYROX's Jake Dearden or World Fitness Project's Laura Horváth faced just hours before, others relish the tactical team-play of the Red Bull Gym Clash and ATHX.
Below, we break down seven of the best fitness competitions across the world to help you elevate your strength and fitness, while fortifying your mental resilience. Ready? Prepare to find out what happens when you push your engine into the red.
01
HYROX: indoor fitness race combining running and functional workouts
All of HYROX's exercise stations are recognisable to fitness fans
© Tyrone Bradley/Red Bull Content Pool
When: From January 2026
Where: London, Glasgow, Manchester, Nice, St. Gallen, Bilbao, Turin, Vienna, Katowice, Copenhagen and more
What: A global indoor fitness race that combines 8 kilometres of running with 8 functional workout stations, alternating between a 1km run and a functional exercise repeated eight times.
Who: Everyone from fitness enthusiasts to elite professionals. Participants compete in standardised divisions: Open (standard weights), Pro (heavy weights), Doubles (pairs), and Relay (teams of four). There are no qualification requirements for general entry.
More info: In HYROX, every race follows the same global blueprint: 8 kilometres of running and 8 functional workout stations. You run 1km, smash a station, and repeat until you cross the finish line. For those who want to level up with a wingman, the Doubles format is where strategy meets suffering. You and your partner run every 1km together, staying within 15 seconds of each other, but you can split the workload at the stations however you like. One partner can grind the sled push while the other recovers, or you can cycle through wall balls in high-speed bursts. Either way, HYROX is all about tactical synchronisation and managing your heart rate.
Price: Around €145/$160 (Single), €140/$155 (Doubles)
02
Red Bull Gym Clash: High-energy global gym team battles
Red Bull Gym Clash is all about teamwork
© Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull Content Pool
When: From March 2026
What: A high-energy global fitness series where gyms go head-to-head to prove they have the strongest athletes. The competition challenges teams across four demanding phases: Selection, National Qualifiers, National Finals and a World Final in Egypt. Red Bull Gym Clash is designed to test raw power, endurance, technical skill and strategy.
Who: Gym members and fitness enthusiasts competing in mixed teams of four (two men and two women). To be eligible for the national phases, athletes must have been members of their representing gym for at least six months and be over 18.
More info: In Red Bull Gym Clash, success is determined by total team output rather than individual heroics. The format features a series of high-intensity workout blocks: a 10-minute Power test (such as a 3-rep max back squat), a 20-minute Endurance AMRAP (combining rowing with synchro dumbbell movements), and a 10-minute Skill ladder. Teams must move in synchronisation and manage transitions perfectly, as the combined score of all four athletes determines who advances. It is a tactical battle of fatigue management, with your gym's reputation on the line against 28 other countries for the title of Greatest Gym on Earth.
Price: Free to enter (via gym selection events)
03
World Fitness Project: Professional and everyday athletes unite
When: Three stops during the year, including a final event. The exact dates and stops have not yet been announced.
Where: The 2026 WFP Finals will be held in Copenhagen
Laura Horváth won the inaugural World Fitness Project title
© Esben Zøllner Olesen/Red Bull Content Pool
Each event strikes a balance between high performance and community moments
What: A competitive fitness league with a new approach to how functional fitness competitions are structured. WFP is designed to bring professional and everyday athletes together, with over 500 competitors at each event striking a balance between high performance and community moments.
Who: While athletes including Victor Hoffer, Laura Horvath and Noah Ohlsen have competed in WFP’s Pro Roster, the competition's 'Rec League' gives everyday athletes around the world quarterly goals and fresh programming in a flexible format that works with any schedule.
More info: The league follows a Tour Stop format and seeks to professionalise the sport by offering professional contracts to a select group of elite athletes who compete across the season. Built on the principles of being 'from athletes, for athletes', WFP strives to create a closer connection between competitors and the fitness community.
Price: TBD
04
Turf Games
When: From February 2026
Where: London, Manchester, Glasgow, Dublin, Malaga and more
What: A team-based functional fitness festival that brings the atmosphere of traditional team sports to the gym floor. The format prioritises "hybrid fitness" – a mix of strength, conditioning, power and speed – across four to five high-intensity workouts per event.
A relentless test of pacing and engine management, where you win or lose as a unit
Who: Designed for teams of various sizes and compositions. The flagship Winter and Summer Festivals typically feature mixed teams of six (three men and three women), while the 'Fittest in the City' format uses teams of four. Participants enter based on ability across three divisions: Everyday (entry-level), Intermediate (seasoned athletes) and Elite (the best of the best).
More info: Turf Games is built on inclusivity and camaraderie, removing high-skill movements like muscle-ups or heavy Olympic lifting to ensure the focus remains on teamwork and raw output. For those who want to test their cardiovascular limits, the Turf ENGINE sub-format offers a pure endurance race. This 45-60 minute gauntlet focuses entirely on "the machines", SkiErg, Row, Bike and Assault Bike, interspersed with running and burpee broad jumps. It is a relentless test of pacing and engine management, where you win or lose as a unit.
Price: From €110/$120 per person (based on €650/$710 for a team of 6)
05
ATHX: Continuous functional fitness benchmark for all abilities
When: From January 2026
Where: London, Munich, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Berlin, Dublin, Glasgow, Copenhagen, Birmingham, Barcelona, Marseille, Liverpool, Amsterdam
What: A 2.5-hour continuous functional fitness experience divided into six distinct zones. The competition targets three core pillars: Strength (compound lifts), Endurance (running and rowing), and Metabolic Conditioning (Metcon X). It is designed to be a repeatable benchmark of all-round athleticism.
Who: Athletes of all abilities competing in three categories: Lite, ATHX and Pro. Participants can enter as Individuals or in Pairs (Male, Female or Mixed). The inclusive format is built for gym-goers, hybrid athletes and professionals alike with scalable movement standards.
More info: In ATHX, the race is against your own previous PBs and the clock across a structured circuit. You start in a 30-minute Warm-Up Zone before hitting the Strength Zone for max-rep compound lifts like back squats and strict presses. After a brief 10-minute stint in the Refuel Zone, you move into the Endurance Zone for high-output running and rowing intervals. Following a 30-minute rest in the Recovery Zone equipped with the latest tech, the event culminates in Metcon X, a high-intensity functional circuit featuring sandbag carries, dual dumbbell movements, and box jump overs. For those in Pairs, the strategy lies in how you split the Metcon volume to maintain maximum speed.
Price: €110/$120 (individual), €220/$235 (pairs)
06
Wings for Life World Run: The moving finish line challenge for all abilities
When: From May 2026 (exact date varies by Flagship Run)
Where:Global Flagship Runs and virtual participation via the Wings for Life World Run app
Lots of joy at Wings for Life World Run in Ljubljana, Slovenia
© Wings for Life World Run
What: Unlike any typical road race, the Wings for Life World Run features a moving finish line called the Catcher Car. Thirty minutes after the start, the Catcher Car begins its pursuit, passing runners and wheelchair users one by one until everyone is caught. This means you never know exactly when your race will end, making it a unique test of endurance, strategy, and mental focus. Participants can choose to run at official city Flagship Events or virtually through the app, which simulates the Catcher Car and provides audio guidance for an interactive experience.
Who: Open to runners and wheelchair athletes of all levels. The race is designed to be inclusive, allowing everyone to compete for as long as they can stay ahead of the Catcher Car. In 2025, the event united 310,917 participants across 68 countries, combining Flagship Runs and App Runs into one global movement.
More info: Wings for Life World Run is extreme not because of obstacles or speed, but because the distance is open-ended, pushing participants' physical and mental endurance. You pace yourself, knowing the finish line is chasing you, which turns every kilometre into a strategic battle. Recent winners of the 2025 edition demonstrated exceptional endurance:
Jo Fukuda (Japan, Fukuoka): 71.67km
Esther Pfeiffer (Germany, München): 59.03km
The Wings for Life World Run Catcher Car catches runners in Vienna
© Philipp Greindl for Wings for Life World Run
The event also showcases remarkable human stories, such as David Mzee of Switzerland, who walked 390m in 2019 after recovering from a spinal cord injury, illustrating the race's inspirational and inclusive nature. The start time is simultaneous worldwide (11:00 UTC), so participants experience the thrill together across all time zones and climates.
Price: €25/$27
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