Mat Lock: Our Director of Sport, Mintra Tilly, really had the vision for it. Together with the co-founders, she saw early on that HYROX needed something more than being a mass participation event. We needed an elite layer that could really showcase what was possible at the sharp end of the sport and provide both entertainment and inspiration to the age group racers.

We’ve always believed that HYROX is one of the purest expressions of fitness and sport - it’s simple, honest, and accessible. To take it seriously as a professional sport meant we had to create a format that allowed the very best athletes in the world to compete head-to-head, under the same conditions and on the same course. The Elite 15 was born from that idea - not just to crown champions, but to show the global community what the limits of human performance in fitness racing really looks like.

Mat Lock: The Elite 15 is really the pinnacle of HYROX competition. It's where the top 15 female and top 15 male athletes in the world go head-to-head. Unlike the age group categories, where athletes race in waves throughout the day, the Elite 15 is a single, high-stakes race where 15 females start and race together, and then 15 males start and race together. That alone changes the dynamic of the race. It’s fast, tactical and there’s nowhere to hide – it's a real crowd pleaser.

Mat Lock: The Elite 15 has always been about one thing - finding the best 15 female and male athletes in the world. But the way we define and select that has evolved over time. In the early days, it was pretty simple and the fastest times got you in. As the sport's grown however we've refined the process to make it more consistent and fair.

Now, we use a roll-down system based on performances at designated Majors and we also factor in average scores across races. So, it's not just about one standout performance, it's about showing up consistently and delivering across the season. And, like everything in HYROX, it's evolving. We're constantly tweaking the system based on feedback from the athletes and looking at what works in other top-tier sports.

Mat Lock: Part of the beauty of HYROX Elite racing is that the format doesn't change - it’s the exact same race you see in the Pro division. Same venue, same weights, same equipment. What makes it so different - and so challenging - is the level of competition and the way the race is staged. You’re racing on an empty course, so its just pure head-to-head racing against the best in the world. Every athlete is out there to win and qualify for the World Championships, so there's no pacing off others in your wave for example - it’s full throttle from the second you leave the Red Bull start tunnel. It's the same race that thousands of age group athletes will be doing the next day, which makes it so relatable and aspirational. You can directly compare your time to the pros. When you step into the Elite 15, it becomes something else entirely, a test of who can red line for almost an hour in a race where every second matters.

What really sets the best Elite 15 athletes apart isn't just fitness - they’re all supremely fit, with huge engines and VO2 maxes – but the real separation is often the mental game. The top athletes know how to push when it hurts, stay calm under pressure and execute flawlessly even when redlining, which is what's required to win these days. But like with any other tier one sport, it’s not just about executing on race day. It's also how they’re living in between race days.

Athletes like Jake Dearden, Lucy Procter and Ida Mathilde Steensgaard are working with partners like Red Bull and making use of facilities like the Red Bull Performance Centre to chase the marginal gains that make the difference on race day. What's really exciting is that it's not just seasoned endurance athletes anymore. We’re seeing younger athletes such as Joanna Wietrzyk and Lucy Procter making serious dents in the field. They haven’t spent decades building an aerobic base, but they’re bringing sharpness, focus and a more structured approach from the get-go.

Mat Lock: One of the biggest challenges is that we're building everything from scratch. HYROX is a brand new sport, so there's no blueprint. We're building a team of rockstars around the world - people who live and breathe this sport and are helping shape its future from the ground up. At the same time we're creating new technologies, new systems and constantly adapting them to keep up with the growth. And that growth has been wild - the sport’s scaled over 10,000 percent in the last four years alone.

As more people enter the sport globally, that 0.02 percent who qualify for the Elite 15 are constantly pushing the limits and, in doing so, they're also testing our ability to evolve with them. That's the challenge we love and my role as Technical Director for Elite Racing is part of that evolution - making sure the sport develops with the same precision and professionalism that these athletes bring.

Mat Lock: One moment that really stuck with me happened at the Hong Kong Major in late 2024. It might sound small, but it said everything about the kind of athlete to be nurtured in our sport. Joanna Wietrzyk was in the lead and deep in the sandbag lunges and her knee almost touched the ground, but not quite. Without anyone saying a word, she instantly no-repped herself. She literally stopped her movement, dropped that knee properly to the ground and then carried on. That kind of integrity in the middle of a race? That's rare. It showed real sporting pedigree and, honestly, it just confirmed what a bright future she has with HYROX. She’s not only a fierce competitor, but someone who leads by example.

Mat Lock: I think it would be the same advice to anyone wanting to be successful in any sport. Consistency beats hype. In the HYROX world, a single standout race won't get you there any more. It's about what you do every day between the races that really counts – the early nights when you'd rather be out with mates, the decision to eat clean when something else is calling from the fridge, the recovery sessions when you're tired and no one’s watching. Every one of those decisions either moves you closer to your goal or further from it. The athletes who make it into the Elite 15 are already living like pros long before they get the call. That's the mindset and that's the work.