New Delhi, July 7 -- In 2024, Kumud Beriwal was scrolling through Instagram when she discovered Hyrox. That year, she happened to travel to Bali where this sporting event was all the rage. Incidentally, this viral tournament entered India that year. Beriwal, a shares arbitrageur by profession, is a fitness enthusiast and regular gym-goer. She was bitten by the Hyrox bug, and regarded it as something interesting that would reinvigorate her workouts combined with a new challenge to conquer. But, she was not prepared for the pain.

Beriwal, who is based in Kolkata, began training at the gym a few weeks before signing up for the Bengaluru edition in April 2026. But, she had chikungunya in late November and had to take a short break. There wer...