HYROX orders results and analytics sites to stop using its race data
At least eight third-party platforms have been given seven days to stop scraping HYROX results and delete what they hold. One small developer says the letter “wiped out 10 months of hard work”.
HYROX has sent cease-and-desist letters to at least eight websites and apps that publish or analyse its race results, accusing them of scraping its results database and using its trademark without permission, Hybrid Fitness Media (HFM) reported on 14 October.
The letters come from the legal department of HYROX World GmbH in Hamburg. They give each platform seven days to confirm in writing that it has stopped scraping, removed HYROX data from its site or app, and permanently deleted stored copies, including “derivative datasets, embeddings and database tables” built from that data, according to HFM, which reviewed a copy. Platforms that do not comply will be referred to HYROX’s external lawyers for formal legal action, including claims for damages and costs.
HYROX has not said when the letters were sent or named all the recipients.
What HYROX is claiming
In the letter, HYROX describes the database at results.hyrox.com as “the proprietary intellectual property of HYROX” and says it “is currently not in a position to grant a commercial licence or authorise third-party use” of the data.
HFM reported that the letter cites three legal grounds:
- Database rights under Section 87b of the German Copyright Act.
- Data protection. The results contain athletes’ personal data, and HYROX argues that extracting and processing it without a valid legal basis or notice to athletes “raises significant compliance issues” under Articles 6 and 14 of the GDPR.
- Trademark. HYROX says the platforms’ use of its name could lead people to believe they are affiliated with or endorsed by HYROX.
Asked by HFM for comment, a HYROX representative said: “Our basic message to all those is that none of them have the athlete consents to use their data as written and we want / need to protect the athletes data integrity. Nothing more.”
Who is affected
Two recipients have confirmed receiving letters. RoxOpt, a training platform, told HFM it will drop some analytics features but keep its training product. “Our backbone is still training and that doesn’t change, but now we will just be forced to figure out new ways to provide insight to the athletes,” it said.
The founder of HyCoach, described as a one-person company, said they would comply because they “can’t afford to take on such a big player”. The founder told HFM that HYROX had not made contact before sending the letter, and had not replied to an offer to work together. “I think sites like mine were complementary and helped build the community,” they said.
HYROX races are run in a fixed format, so athletes compare splits across events and seasons. That has created a cluster of independent sites offering rankings, split comparisons, percentiles and race simulators. The5krunner listed several, including HYRESULT and RoxTimes, but it has not been confirmed which of them received letters.
When Unbroken Review checked on 18 October, HYRESULT and RoxTimes were still online and showing results. RoxTimes said it held 1,250,574 results from 209 races. According to the5krunner, HYROX’s own results site shows finish and split times but not the analysis tools the independent sites offer.
A wider fight over sports data
The letters land during a run of disputes over who controls athletes’ data. On 9 October the training-analysis site Intervals.icu warned that revised Garmin developer terms would probably force it to stop sharing Garmin data with other apps, and one coaching service that relied on that data, Intervals Pro, closed on 12 October. After talks with Garmin, its developer said on 14 October that the rules were not new and that an easier route to Garmin data was coming.
HYROX’s data argument cuts both ways. It says it is protecting athletes, whose names and times sit in the results. The independent developers say they were serving those same athletes with tools HYROX does not offer. HFM said it had contacted the other recipients and would update its report as they respond.
For athletes, the practical point is simple: if you rely on a third-party site for your HYROX race history, keep your own record of your splits, because those sites may have to delete them.
The dispute comes weeks after Infront sold its majority stake in HYROX to a consortium led by the private equity firm L Catterton that includes the co-founders, Christian Toetzke and Moritz Fürste.
