Aquarox®, Swimrox®, Hydrox, the hybrid race takes to the water

How it works

A hybrid race in a swimming pool alternates swimming with fitness stations set up on the pool deck. It follows the idea of the hybrid races made popular by HYROX®, with swimming in place of running. The most common format links eight stations, rower, SkiErg, wall balls, burpees, kettlebells or lunges, with 100 m of swimming between each. Distances vary from pool to pool, from 25 to 200 m per swim and from 200 to 2,000 m in total. Most races are done in pairs, with waves of three or four teams starting every five to seven minutes, set by the number of swim lanes available.

At least 25 editions in France

Throwdown counted at least 25 editions in France between January 2025 and September 2026, from the public announcements of pools, clubs and organisers. The oldest one found took place in Périgueux in January 2025. Then came Chaumont in June 2025, Valognes in July and Mérignac in October, followed by a run of first editions in 2026, from Cesson-Sévigné to Pau by way of Saint-Denis, where the Olympic Aquatics Centre brought together 60 pairs in June. Several pools are already on their second or third edition, and a few have turned it into a weekly class, such as Étampes, Brioude or Chabris.

The organisers fall into four groups. Council run pools, as in Cesson-Sévigné, Brive, Fécamp or Saint-Priest. Privately managed aquatic centres, Récréa in Saint-Denis, Chaumont and Tours, UCPA in Mérignac, Reims and Dijon, Equalia at the Bains de Minerve and Vert Marine in Valognes. Clubs and associations, such as Étampes Natation or Swimrox in Trie-Château. And gyms teaming up with a pool, such as the Hydra Challenge in Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez or the Hybrid Water Race by CrossFit Grands Lacs in Biscarrosse.

Count closed on 19 September 2026, n/a means not published. Is an edition missing or has a detail changed? Write to us and the table will be updated.

The Hydra Challenge in Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez

On Saturday 19 September 2026, the Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez aquatic centre, in Vendée, hosted the first Hydra Challenge, run in partnership with CrossFit Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez. From 3 pm to 6 pm, athletes started in waves and alternated swimming in the two 25 m pools with SkiErg, rower, Echo Bike and functional movement stations. Every place went within hours, spectators got in for free to cheer them on, and the organisers are already preparing a bigger second edition. Throwdown was there.

One format, several names

Aquarox® is the most widespread name, used by nine venues including Chaumont, Saint-Denis, Brive, Dijon and Nancy. Hydrox, or Hydr'ox, is used by six, from the Bains de Minerve to Waterloo. Swimrox® and its variants Swim Rox and Swim'n'Rox count six as well. UCPA chose Aqua Games for its centres in Mérignac and Reims, and other pools picked a name of their own, Nautique Challenge in Pau, Hydra Challenge in Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez, Hybrid Water Race in Biscarrosse.

Several of these names are now protected. Aquarox® was filed with the French trademark office in April 2026 and registered in July, Swimrox® was registered in August, and the EU trademark application for Hydrox is under opposition from HYROX World GmbH. For a pool launching its own evening, the simplest option is a name that belongs to it, which is also easier to find from one edition to the next.

Prices and registration

Prices follow the organiser. Council run pools often charge 10 to 20 € per person or per pair, and some evenings are free or included in the pool entry, as in Périgueux, in Dijon or for members in Tours. Privately managed centres and private organisers charge from 49 to 110 € per pair. For registration, council run pools mostly go through the front desk, the phone or the pool booking software, because public revenue follows strict collection rules. Private centres, clubs and gyms sell online, through a specialised ticketing platform, their own website or a simple form followed by a bank transfer.

Beyond France

The format has crossed the border. In Waterloo, Belgium, the Hydrox Sport association ran two editions in 2026 and has announced the next one for 7 February 2027. In the Netherlands, the Alkmaar pool runs H2ROX, whose organiser writes that the concept comes from France, and Veldhoven launched its H2O Race in June 2026. A SWIMROX has been held in Sweden since December 2024, and California has had its H2O Games since May 2026. No edition was found in the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain or Italy.

What it takes to run one

Swim lanes set aside for the race, room on the pool deck for the stations, fitness equipment the pool or a nearby gym can lend, and the pool's usual lifeguard cover. The one thing that decides everything is the number of lanes, because it sets the wave size and so the number of pairs the evening can take. Then come timing, by hand or with waterproof chips, registrations and standings. That is what our page on running a hybrid race in a swimming pool covers, and the guide to timing a hybrid race with chips explains net time and how many chips you need.