Doug Gremmen - From 600 to 1.8 Million Participants: Inside Hyrox's Rocket Ship Growth

Eric Malzone sits down live with Doug Gremmen, Chief Growth Officer at HYROX, at the Connected Health and Fitness Summit in Beverly Hills. They dive into how HYROX went from just 600 finishers back in 2018 to a projected 1.8 million in 2026 — basically a rocket ship in the fitness world. Doug shares how they built the brand from the ground up by knocking on gym doors, the massive role community and user-generated content played, and why the super consistent race format makes it so easy to scale everywhere from LA to China and beyond. They talk gym affiliates (now at 14,000 worldwide), what the $130/month program actually gives gym owners, how HYROX is turning regular members into loyal athletes who stick around, and why big players like F45, Orange Theory, and even big box gyms are all jumping on board. Plus, they touch on US expansion, revenue streams, the challenges of growing crazy fast, and HYROX's long-term dream of hitting the Olympics. If you own a gym, train for races, or just want to understand where fitness is headed, this one's loaded with real talk and actionable insight. Timestamps:

0:00 – Intro and chatting at the Connected Health and Fitness Summit 2:10 – The insane growth numbers: 600 finishers in 2018 → 1.8 million projected in 2026 5:45 – Building from the ground up and creating a full fitness ecosystem 9:30 – Community power and billions of Instagram impressions from athletes 13:20 – Why a fixed, repeatable race format is a game-changer for scaling globally 18:15 – Turning gym members into athletes who actually stay longer 22:40 – Breaking down the gym affiliate program: $130/month and what you really get 28:50 – The Performance Hub, programming tools, and how any gym can make it work 35:10 – Early traction in CrossFit boxes, then boutiques, now big enterprise gyms 41:25 – Revenue levers and running a massive turnkey event business 47:00 – Why CrossFit, Spartan, and others feel more like partners than competitors 53:40 – Olympic dreams and the goal to touch 100 million lives 58:15 – Growth challenges, quality control, and staying scalable in 112 countries 1:03:30 – Final thoughts and how to get involved with HYROX

Key Takeaways:

🔥 HYROX's crazy growth trajectory and what's coming in 2026 🌍 How one consistent format is powering expansion into China, India, Brazil, and beyond 🏋️ The insane power of athlete-generated content and word-of-mouth 💰 Real details on the $130/month gym affiliate model and its value 🏟 How HYROX helps gyms keep members longer and turn them into dedicated athletes 🤝 Why competing brands like F45 and Orange Theory are happy partners 📈 Smart revenue plays and the business side of running global fitness events 🏅 Long-term vision: Olympic aspirations and becoming a massive participation sport 🛠 Low barriers for gyms plus flexible tools that actually fit different gym types 🚀 Creating "goosebump moments" that keep athletes coming back and bringing friends