How This Hybrid Race Became One of Egypt’s Biggest Fitness Movements

Running an endurance race while completing grueling strength and endurance exercises likely isn’t everyone’s ideal weekend day. For some 6,000 fitness enthusiasts, however, that’s exactly how they wanted to spend their Saturday. Thousands of individuals — all from a varying degree of athletic backgrounds, levels and abilities — descended on Egypt's International Exhibition Center to compete in the second edition of AlphaX. Why, you ask? It’s all about community. “Unlike more technical disciplines, there are no complex skill requirements. You can simply show up, race, and enjoy the experience,” said Aly Mazhar, a cofounder and one third of the trio behind AlphaX.  ”That inclusivity, is what makes it a movement, not just a race. It’s the closest thing to running events when it comes to inclusivity yet more encouraging.” For those who are unfamiliar with AlphaX, the concept is relatively simple. It’s a fitness race that combines running with functional workouts in a structured, high-energy format, designed for everyone, including those just starting their fitness and athletics journeys all the way to experienced athletes. During its second edition, racers took part in one of four races that makes the competition what it is. AlphaX is the main race. It is a hybrid fitness race consisting of an 8-kilometre run and 10 stations. Alpha Power, meanwhile, is made up of a total of two kilometres and five stations. Alpha Endurance, which includes eight kilometres of running, skiing and rowing, proved to be the most entertaining and challenging, while Alpha Strong, a 4-kilometre run that includes five stations, tested the power of the participants. The idea first came about when Adam El Zoghby, a man with a long history of sporting involvement as a handball player in the Egyptian and US national teams, was volunteering at Hyrox, a global indoor fitness competition, in New Jersey in February 2022. “That was the real turning point,” he said. “That experience made it clear, we needed to bring this concept to Egypt and give the community the chance to experience it.” From there, El Zoghaby started putting things into motion, sharing the idea with some of the biggest player in the fitness industry in Egypt.  There wasn’t much traction at first, externally or internally. His team understood the concept, but didn’t feel as though it was different from the fitness and CrossFit events we do.  “It took some time to align on the vision, but once it clicked, everyone got fully behind it,” El Zoghaby said. But El Zoghaby was convinced there was a need for something like this in the industry, and in particular for sporting events like AlphaX. He and his team kept pushing, hoping to fill that space while making fitness racing increasingly accessible, and, more broadly, to motivate people to push themselves toward achieving their best. From there, he says, they developed the concept further, and AlphaX was formed. Now in its second year of operation, AlphaX has transformed itself from an idea in a boardroom that many were hesitant to get behind into one of the biggest events of its kind in Egypt and across the Middle East. “We had thousands of spectators at both editions, which we didn’t fully expect,” said cofounder Moussa AbuTaleb.  “It showed us that people are looking for experiences where they can support and celebrate their friends and family, something that’s not present in other recreational sports or events like running or triathlon.” The vision, however, expands much further than Egypt. The trio aim to make AlphaX the leading race in the Middle East and Africa, and one of the leading fitness races globally, expanding across multiple regions and building a strong international community.  “What stands out the most is seeing everyday people, people who don’t see themselves as athletes, step in, compete, and unlock something within themselves for the first time in their lives,” El Zoghaby said. “Seeing parents racing with their kids, friends supporting each other, and even para-athletes taking part.” The Alpha X team has already locked in plans for the first race in Kuwait. Aside from the Middle East, the vision includes launching the race in multiple European countries in 2027 as well as in the US.