Bengaluru, Sept. 17 -- Sameeha Mariam, 24, spends most evenings running through Adyar in south Chennai. A content creator and now a law student, Mariam began running with her friends three years ago. At the time, she was navigating some professional frustrations; others often got credit for her work and running offered something different. "It was all me. Nobody could attribute it to anyone else," she said.

Running eventually led her to swimming, cycling, marathons, triathlons and, finally, Hyrox, a fitness race she has competed in twice, in the mixed-doubles category. The fitness format also changed the content she made, with her videos increasingly focusing on training, runs, workouts and race preparation.

In Mumbai, Varun Duggirala, ...