Xenom: Hyrox and CrossFit mash-up backed by tech moguls set for London bow

Premier London event showcases Xenom, the "Hyrox for CrossFitters"

The Kensington Olympia in London hosted the inaugural Xenom competition this weekend, attracting over 2,000 early registrants for its unique blend of CrossFit and functional fitness challenges. Dubbed the "decathlon of fitness" due to its 10 events, Xenom tests a variety of attributes honed in CrossFit and similar pursuits.

Xenom's creator, Keith Barlow, an avid functional fitness enthusiast, launched the event with $15 million in funding from WNDR, a private equity firm founded by Jeffrey Katzenberg and Sujit Jaswa. Barlow explains that the UK and London's functional fitness scene has exploded over the past decade, but there was no consistent way to benchmark progress or compare performance across events. Xenom aims to provide that standard—a repeatable test for athletes to track improvement season after season.

With parallels to indoor functional fitness race Hyrox and the Ironman triathlon, the £6.5 billion functional fitness industry is ripe for investment, according to Barlow. He believes the event represents a compelling case for investors, citing the value placed on successful IP-led events businesses.

London has become a prime location for sports of all varieties, hosting the first Pro Climbing League event and the world's largest Hyrox competition in recent years. Xenom plans to expand to Miami in December and stage 8-10 events globally in the coming year, starting with Malaga and Paris.

Barlow envisions Xenom as the defining cultural platform for high performance and elite fitness, allowing competitors to demonstrate their physical capacity to friends, family, and peers. The event aims to reenergize the functional fitness industry and meet the unmet demand from enthusiasts training in various settings.