DEEPAK RAJ, Yoska founder and CEO and HYROX India country head is the driving force behind bringing some of the world’s most iconic endurance and hybrid fitness formats to India, including IRONMAN and now HYROX. What makes his journey remarkable is not just the scale of his entrepreneurial achievements but also the personal transformation that set him on this path.
Once an overweight IT professional, Raj reinvented himself to become India’s highest-ranked IRONMAN athlete, completing more than 20 full IRONMAN races across the globe. In 2015, he took the bold step of leaving behind a thriving corporate career to launch Yoska. Under his leadership, the startup has grown into a pioneering fitness-tech platform, secured exclusive licenses for international events like IRONMAN 70.3 Goa and HYROX, and firmly positioned India on the global endurance and hybrid racing map.
In a conversation with Piyush Dhembare, Raj shared insights on the rising importance of endurance sports in India and his long-term vision for building a stronger ecosystem through his ventures.
EDITED EXCERPTS:
How have you seen the growth and acceptance of global endurance formats like IRONMAN and HYROX in India over the years?
Over the years, IRONMAN started with one athlete from India, participating abroad, to the race being a massive crowd puller now. And just like that event, HYROX is also expanding its footprint in India at a steady pace, as we have recently seen. We are confident that there are many more chapters to be written in this journey, which is daunting yet exciting, much like the theme of endurance sport. The most encouraging aspect for us, as we go ahead, is the enthusiasm from the participants, that shows that we are transitioning to being a participative country at pace.
How important do you think endurance sports is for working professionals today?
I think it’s very important. Given all the stress working professionals go through, they need something to unwind, something that helps them look after themselves and gives them quality time for their own. It’s extremely important to manage that balance.
Can you share some insights on the rate at which endurance sports is growing in India?
Well, I don’t have all the stats, but I think it’s been growing steadily. With HYROX coming in, we expect the new form, the new age of fitness racing to really grow. I think HYROX will grow 30-40% event to event or even year by year. In the case of running, I think it’s growing steadily, 5-10% I would say, but there was a big spike in the early years. Well, I think that’s where it stands.
How has the participation for HYROX in India shaped up so far?
The response has been really great. When we debuted our race on 3 May this year in Mumbai, participation doubled in just four months—from 1,650 in the first edition to 3,300 in the third edition. We are really excited and would like to thank the community for their love and support.
What is the long-term vision for Yoska and HYROX?
At Yoska, our goal and long-term vision is to create as many avenues and channels. Be it events—bringing international events to India or creating our own—we want to give people opportunities to start healthy habit or maintain healthy lifestyles. In the case of HYROX, our goal is to make it the largest endurance fitness event in India. That’s our goal and that’s our vision as well.