The Adizero Dropset Elite shoe; Athlete Camilla Massa wearing the Adizero Dropset Elite shoe; Athlete Tim Wenisch wearing the Adizero Dropset Elite shoe
Endurance athletes
Athlete-grade sports are drawing participants for the challenges they offer for body and mind – all while creating a sense of community.
Tapping into this concept, from February 18 through to March 8, Lululemon set up the pop-up Studio Yet on Los Angeles’ Melrose Place, which the brand dubbed “a mindful performance experience that propels you toward goals you haven’t achieved. Yet.”
Spotlighting a smorgasbord of classes, they include the KR Method, a high-intensity strength and conditioning class led by trainer Korey Rowe. While challenging, the classes create “a feeling of possibility in the room…people believe in each other, and that changes how hard they are willing to try,” Rowe told the LA Times.
And just take the popularity of Hyrox, an indoor race format that began in Germany in 2017, with events now taking place around the world. The races see participants run one kilometer, followed by a functional workout station, repeated eight times. It’s a format that has many gen Zs “obsessed” the BBC reports, with one participant noting she has competed in 20 Hyrox races across 12 countries, spending up to £2000, or $2,666, on the trips. Another devotee described the sport as an “addiction,” adding "because the course is the same [for each event] it creates this…competition with yourself.” This dedication to pushing fitness goals chimes with VML Intelligence’s "Future 100: 2026" findings that 89% of people globally say “people should take more responsibility for their own health.”
And reporting on a Hyrox event held amidst the “neon lights and pulsating house music” at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay convention center, The Wall Street Journal called the event “the exercise challenge all the fittest people you know are signing up for.” The publication notes that Hyrox is set to hold 135 events in 43 countries in 2026 and draws an average of 15,000 participants per competition. Hotels are teaming with the brand, too, with Hyatt, as Hyrox’s official Asia Pacific regional hotel partner, offering “wellness-focused stays designed to support athletes and guests throughout their race journey.”
The appetite for endurance sports is prompting new categories of footwear and accessories, too. Puma’s exclusive collaboration with Hyrox, set to run until 2030, is even being billed as helping to revive its fortunes. In February Puma SE’s CEO Arthur Hoeld said that the brand’s training division was one “highlight” amidst its recent tough results, unveiling the Puma X Hyrox Deviate Nitro Elite sneaker, the first shoe “purpose built” for Hyrox.
Adidas is getting in on the act, too, with the February launch of the Adizero Dropset Elite, a hybrid fitness racing shoe designed with athletes including two-time Hyrox world champion Tim Wenisch.
And to capture these endurance sports on camera, Meta in September teamed with Oakley to debut the Oakley Meta Vanguard smart sunglasses, whose wraparound design incorporates a camera to capture videos, integration with fitness apps Garmin and Strava, and immersive audio.
Globally, 89% of people say, “people should take more responsibility for their own health,” according to VML Intelligence’s “Future 100: 2026” data. In addition, 42% of people say they’re exercising more this year than last year, while 30% say they’re doing more things outside their comfort zone. Endurance fitness presents a way to incorporate training that truly pushes fitness levels into people’s everyday lives.
