Most people in their 50s are off enjoying the luxuries of life. From spending their time pursuing their hobbies to travelling the world, they can do it all. However, for some, this is the ideal time to find their passion. To pursue something that gives meaning to their life and purpose to their days.Among the 9,000 participants at the Hyrox event held in Bengaluru earlier this month, there was a grandmother in her late 50s. Ashu Jain initially struggled to complete the challenge, even breaking down a few times along the way. However, later she scored a podium finish.It was the morning of April 11, when she woke up feeling jittery and anxious. “The fact that there had been so much time, effort, and financial investment, including registration, travel for the entire family, gear, and training, created an unspoken pressure. What if I wasn’t able to live up to all those expectations?” she thought.At 58, participating in a Hyrox event, Jain was surrounded by people years younger than her, with more energy and zeal to win. While she did feel overwhelmed, she soon decided that all her training was for nothing and quitting midway was not an option. Eventually, she gathered the courage and completed the circuit.Not only this, but she also secured a third-place podium finish in her age group which included women between the ages of 55 and 59.In a video shared on Instagram, she could be seen performing at the event in a t-shirt and skirt and noted how there was a time the outfit did not seem “age appropriate” to her, but she was finishing a Hyrox in her 50s “wearing exactly that.”
What is Hyrox?
Hyrox is a popular fitness racing series that has recently gone viral across the globe. It is a standardised indoor competition that combines 8km of running with eight functional workout stations.Under its format, athletes complete a 1km run before reaching a workout station and repeating the sequence about eight times. The stations include SkiErg (1,000m), sled push (50m), sled pull (50m), burpee broad jumps (80m), rowing (1,000m), farmers carry, sandbag lunges, and wall balls.Each participant paid nearly Rs9,000 to participate in the race and with 9,000 participants, the event was able to generate a revenue of Rs8 crore.When questioned why one would pay such a hefty amount for a one-day event, Jain said it was not about validation. “Nothing pushed me like Hyrox. It gives you something to chase, otherwise it gets boring. It gave me a target. Without that, it’s just a repetitive routine,” she said.“You can’t do it just for Instagram. It’s extremely tough and requires proper training. Some athletes say the focus is more on influencers than on serious competitors. But if an influencer shows up and does not perform, it shows. The timings are entirely based on your performance,” Jain added.“For the amount spent, considering the organisation and the environment they created, it felt like value for money. There are also options across budgets, especially in the hybrid fitness space,” she said.
The effort behind Hyrox
Jain began training for Hyrox in December 2025 after recovering from a serious injury. She trained in Dehradun under her coach alongside other fitness enthusiasts. While she was last to finish the runs in the beginning, being demotivated, she later realised that performance can vary depending on age and thus, kept pushing herself.“I am the oldest in my gym. While training, I was the slowest, often lagging behind because the others were more experienced and trained regularly. I was training just to complete the circuit, not with a competitive mindset. But I am so happy that I secured a podium finish,” she said. She is now looking forward to participating in the upcoming Delhi Hyrox event, scheduled to take place in July this year.Interestingly, fitness was not something that interested her always. She shared that she had nothing to do with sports while growing up. It was in her 50s when she was diagnosed with hypertension and high cholesterol that she ventured into fitness. In 2022 (at the age of 54), she began with short walks and entered a gym for the first time in 2024. At 56, she started her gym journey.With over three lakh followers on Instagram, Ashu Jain wants people to understand that it is never too late to start a fitness routine.