PHNOM PENH — Running five kilometres is one thing. Running five kilometres while stopping along the way to flip tyres, carry rice sacks, crawl under nets and complete a series of strength challenges is something rather different.
That is the idea behind FORGE, a new hybrid fitness race coming to Phnom Penh on November 14, 2026.
Organisers say it will be Cambodia’s first hybrid fitness race, bringing a format that has grown rapidly overseas to the country for the first time.
But the aim is not to create an event only for serious athletes.
FORGE has been designed so that people who enjoy running, going to the gym, playing sport — or simply want to try something completely different with their friends — can take part.
“Hybrid racing can look intimidating when you first see it, but it doesn’t need to be,” said FORGE founder Anya Minko.
“We wanted to create something where strong athletes can really push themselves, but someone can also convince a friend to sign up with them, have a laugh, challenge themselves and do something they’ve never done before.”
The race will take place at ISF Sports Ground in Phnom Penh and combine running with a series of functional fitness stations.
For adults, the full event consists of five kilometres of running broken up by 10 workout stations.
Three Ways to Take Part
FORGE will have three main ways to enter, designed for different ages and levels of experience.
The Youth category, for competitors aged 12 to 17, costs $15 and takes place over a shorter course. All of its fitness stations use bodyweight movements, meaning there are no external weights to lift or carry.
For adults aged 18 and over, the Individual category costs $30 and is aimed at competitors who want to take on the entire course themselves.
The Doubles category costs $50 per pair — $25 each and allows two people to race together and share the work at the fitness stations.
Doubles races are available for male, female and mixed pairs.
Organisers believe the format will make Doubles particularly attractive to people who are curious about hybrid racing but might not yet consider themselves competitive athletes.
“You don’t need to be the strongest or fastest person in the gym,” Minko said.
“The Doubles race is really suited to people who want to grab a friend, try something new and enjoy the experience together. You still get the challenge and the atmosphere of race day, but you have someone beside you the whole way.”
A Race Made in Cambodia
While the sport may be new to Cambodia, much of what competitors will use on race day is being made locally.
Rather than importing a complete set of specialised race equipment, the organisers have worked with Cambodian businesses, craftspeople and organisations to manufacture it inside the country.
Dumbbells are being produced in Siem Reap.
Weighted carries use Cambodian rice sacks filled with sand in Phnom Penh, while protective covers are being stitched by a tailor at Boeung Trabek market.
Finisher patches are also being made locally.
“For us, it was important that this wasn’t just an international concept dropped into Cambodia,” Minko said.
“We want people to race with equipment that has been built here and leave with something that has been made here.”
One of the most important examples is the official finisher T-shirt.
The shirts are being produced through ISF Cambodia, FORGE’s NGO partner.
ISF works with disadvantaged children and families and operates a tailoring programme that provides parents with practical garment-making skills and opportunities to earn an income.
The principle behind the programme is simple: improving a family’s income can make it easier for children to remain in education.
Vicheka Chourp, Chief Executive of ISF Cambodia, said working with parents is an essential part of supporting children.
“We learned from the early days that working with children alone doesn’t work, so we also have to work with their parents,” she said.
“One of our projects is tailoring. When the parents have skills, they earn a better income and that’s how their children stay in school longer.”
That means the shirt competitors receive after crossing the finish line is not simply race merchandise. Its production also supports a Cambodian community programme intended to strengthen family livelihoods and help children continue their education.
More Than a Medal at the Finish Line
Every competitor who finishes FORGE will receive a package of race benefits.
All finishers receive a FINISHER T-SHIRT MADE IN CAMBODIA, a FINISHER PATCH MADE IN CAMBODIA and FREE PROFESSIONAL RACE PHOTOGRAPHS.
The event will also provide official race timing.
Competitors will have access to Kaiia mineral water and Pocari Sweat on every lap of the race, and every entrant will receive a 15 percent discount at SKOR Cambodia and a tub of Naga Balm Ointment.
Those competing for the podium will also have additional prizes to chase, including Garmin watches and SKOR Cambodia vouchers.
But for many of the people taking part, organisers hope the main reward will simply be completing something they have never tried before.
“We want people to leave feeling like they surprised themselves,” Minko said.
“Maybe they came because their friend talked them into it. Maybe they had never entered a fitness race before. If they cross that finish line thinking, ‘That was hard, but that was really fun,’ then we’ve achieved what we wanted.”
The inaugural FORGE Hybrid Race takes place on Saturday, November 14, 2026, at ISF Sports Ground in Phnom Penh.
Registration is open at forgehybridrace.com.
Youth, ages 12–17: $15
Adult Individual, ages 18+: $30
Adult Doubles: $50 per pair