The first World Championship took place in Oberhausen, Germany in 2019, drawing roughly 600 participants—mostly German, since the sport hadn't yet expanded significantly beyond its home country. German athletes Lukas Storath (the first man to finish under one hour) and Imke Salander claimed the inaugural titles.

The competition itself is straightforward on paper: eight one-kilometer runs alternated with eight functional workout stations, all completed indoors in convention centers and exhibition halls. In practice, it's an hour or more of sustained effort that creates unique challenges for your skin—challenges that most skincare brands haven't begun to address because they don't understand what happens when you push a sled across a convention center floor while your body temperature soars and sweat pours from every pore.