From school teams to record breakers: DEKA East Midlands puts fitness racing in the spotlight

DEKA East Midlands has put the growing appeal of fitness racing firmly in the spotlight, with more than 4,500 people coming through the doors of Derby Arena across three days of racing, teamwork and personal bests.

Participation jumped 40% in just one year, with competitors taking on DEKA MILE, DEKA FIT and Ruck, while 2026 also marked the first-ever DEKA YOUTH competition at East Midlands, bringing school teams into the fitness racing arena.

More than half of competitors were new to DEKA, with 66% taking on DEKA FIT for the first time, showing the format is attracting people beyond the traditional competitive fitness audience.

Rather than being about appearance or a single measure of athletic ability, DEKA gives competitors a clear challenge to work towards, combining running, strength, endurance and functional fitness with the opportunity to race individually or as part of a team.

Women are driving participation

Women made up more than 53% of the competitive field, with 1,420 women taking part across the weekend. In team events, women accounted for 62% of competitor entries.

The figures reflect the growing appeal of fitness racing to women looking for measurable goals and a way to focus on strength, capability and performance, whether that means completing a first race, improving a previous time or taking on a challenge they once thought was beyond them.

A new generation takes on fitness racing

The first DEKA Youth competition in the East Midlands brought school teams into the arena, giving young people the chance to compete in a team-based fitness challenge and experience a different approach to school sport.

For teachers, the appeal is also in reaching pupils who may not naturally gravitate towards traditional team sports. Philip Cowell, Director of Sport Curriculum at LVS Ascot, said: “We’ve got pupils that wouldn’t necessarily play our traditional sports, like team sports, attending all of these gym clubs and finding a real passion for it and they’re some of the best athletes in the school now.”

There were strong young stories beyond the school competition too, including 10-year-old twins Sophie and Jessica Wright, who took part after watching their mum compete at DEKA. Their mum says the experience transformed the usually competitive twins into a team, while the girls summed up what they enjoyed most as “being a team and encouraging each other.”

The Family Wave welcomed 57 younger participants, giving children and families the chance to experience the course together.

From first timers to record breakers

Across the three-day programme, competitors tackled DEKA’s signature combination of running and functional fitness.

DEKA FIT features 10 functional fitness zones, each preceded by a 500m run, while DEKA MILE uses the same 10 zones with 160m of running or walking before each, adding up to exactly one mile. DEKA FIT Ruck follows the same course while adding the challenge of carrying additional weight.

The weekend also featured the UK’s first arena DEKA MILE Age Group event. Alongside the first timers, experienced competitors delivered some standout performances. Daisy Evans and Jakub Riedel set a new UK record in the DEKA FIT Co-Ed Teams category in 28:43. Bodger Rees and Ethan Smith achieved 25:36.9 in the DEKA FIT Teams category - the fastest time recorded at a UK DEKA FIT event and the second-fastest time on the global leaderboard. Dave Parkin also set a new UK Male Elite record in 31:26.7.

The field ranged from 10-year-old Ezra Woollard, the youngest competitor, to 73-year-old Liz Paxton, with the average competitor age standing at 40.9.

From Derbyshire to the world

Competitors came from 14 countries and more than 250 gyms and training communities, with 452 competitors from Derby and Derbyshire representing 17% of the field.

Others travelled much further, including Luz Andrea Lopez Colon, who registered from Guadalajara, Mexico.

Teams were a major part of the weekend, with 55% of competitors taking on the challenge as part of a two-person team, compared with 45% competing individually, including Ruck.

For Emily Le Roux, DEKA International Vice President, the breadth of participation is central to the appeal of the sport: “DEKA was created around a simple idea: give people a measurable challenge and let them discover what they’re capable of.

“East Midlands showed just how broad that appeal can be, from school teams and families to first-time competitors and experienced athletes. Seeing so many different people take on the challenge together is exactly what makes fitness racing so exciting.”

From school teams and first-time competitors to record breakers, DEKA East Midlands brought together a community united by one simple challenge: what can your body do?