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Having moved beyond just being a fitness race to fast becoming a professional sport with a global following and serious athletic prestige, Hyrox has appointed Mat Lock as the organisation’s inaugural Technical Director for Elite Racing – marking a significant step toward professionalising its elite level.

With exponential growth, expanding markets, and an increasingly competitive athlete field, this new leadership role will help ensure the integrity and consistency across Hyrox’s Elite 15 competitions.

Lock's recent appointment also reflects a bigger shift in Hyrox - a commitment to athlete feedback, continual refinement of the race format and elevating the experience for both competitors and fans.

Red Bull, a significant sponsor of Hyrox asked Lock what makes Elite 15 the toughest Hyrox category to which Lock responded “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.

“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.”

Lock’s new role will sit within Hyrox’s growing Global Sports team, under the leadership of Director of Sport Mintra Tilly, and will oversee the Elite 15 Individual, Doubles, and Relay Invitational divisions. Lock, who currently leads Hyrox operations across Australia and New Zealand will officially step into the role for the 2025/26 season.

Tilly shared “the evolution of Hyrox into a fully professional sport has been a dynamic and ongoing journey. We remain committed to delivering a race environment and ecosystem that matches the professionalism, ambition, and discipline of our athlete community. Mat has been an integral part of this team over the course of this season, and I’m thrilled to have found someone to take on this hugely important role as the steward of responsibility for our elite athletes.”

Since launching in 2017, Hyrox has seen explosive global growth. Athlete participation has doubled year over year, increasing from 250,000 competitors in the 2023/24 season to a projected 650,000 for 2024/25, with a long-term goal of reaching one million athletes worldwide by 2026.

Today, Hyrox events take place in 30 countries and 85 cities, with major athlete bases in the United Kingdom (79,500 athletes), United States (45,600), Australia (27,700), as well as the DACH region (60,000), Spain (45,000), and APAC (22,000). Across all regions, the Elite 15 division continues to evolve in both competitiveness and visibility - making global consistency and technical oversight more important than ever.

Image. Mat Lock. Credit: Hyrox

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