As a child, my dad would speak of ‘the midlife crisis’ with the sort of looming dread usually reserved for a fourteenth century European facing down the bubonic plague. He was so preemptive in his worry, that ‘the midlife crisis’ became personified; a monster waiting down the tracks. Now in my 20s, the midlife crisis is just another item on a list of things I thought would have so much more bearing on my adult life; the Bermuda triangle, quicksand, limousines, Yellowstone.
But while I’ve spent my time worrying about a person’s ‘midlife’, a far more insidious beast has crept along. Dad, I take your midlife crisis and raise you the quarter-life crisis; the tyranny of which I'm currently enduring. If sports cars and affairs are the pillars of your generation’s existential wobble, extreme sports and moving down under are ours.
It happened quietly, quickly, and then all at once. Big Protein swept over my social life, only eclipsed by the siren song of Australia. One scroll on Instagram shows a litany of Kangaroo blow-up dolls or aggressively-soundtracked lunging. Everyday, a new person tells me of their imminent move to Sydney, while another recounts their HYROX training schedule. The once well-trodden paths of your 20s are being replaced by competitive squatting, emigration and sunshine.
Hyrox and moving to Australia are a Gen Z stereotype which reveal a much more profound truth: young people are in crisis
Yet while HYROX and Australia (for which the venn diagram of participants is often a circle) have become a Gen Z stereotype, my For You feed of jacked, tanned athletes actually reveals a much more profound truth. It reflects the state of living for young people in Britain today; a generation in crisis, wells of unmet need, and a broken social contract.
What does it mean when young people feel that a country half the world away can offer them more opportunities than their own? Why are people spending their twenties tackling fitness competitions in search of purpose and fulfillment? Why are we looking for radical change thirty-odd years earlier than expected?
One peak at the data reveals why. Fewer of us feel we can afford children. Home ownership is a pipe dream for most. London rents have reached a 15th consecutive record high, and 48% of Gen Z spend nearly half of their income on rent. Grafting hard at work feels like it can’t award you the things it once could. Record numbers of us are still living with our parents. We have lower job satisfaction and higher burnout rates than any other group.
Low wages, an unstable job market and financial strain score our lives. ONS data shows that one-third of 25-to-34-year-olds in the UK have ‘negative wealth’ (where their debts outweigh their assets) due to student loans, rent and the increasing cost of living crisis. 47% of us say we plan to still work part-time after reaching retirement age.
The situation is, for lack of a better word, dire. It tracks, then, that Gen Z are gravitating toward goals that are challenging yet reachable. Endurance sports seem to offer the discipline, motivation, and sense of achievement that so many crave in the Wild West of their twenties.
For the uninitiated, HYROX is a competitive fitness event, and is the apex of extreme sport that reigns supreme on social media. Such relentless squatting is, of course, very impressive, but like all trends it struck out of nowhere and left me wondering which newsletter I haven’t subscribed to. Is there a Substack? Can my mum write a note to say I don’t have to do it?
HYROX has seen an increase from 175,000 attendees in 2022 to a projected 1.2 million by 2026, and have noticed a steep rise in Gen Z membership. Douglas Gremmen, Chief Growth Officer at HYROX, says people are seeking a sense of belonging and “genuine connection”.
“We’re seeing an incredible surge in Gen Z participation, driven by the strength of our community and the energy that comes from being part of something bigger.”
“Gen Z, more than any other age group, is actively seeking in-person physical experiences, especially after missing out on so many key social milestones during COVID-19, including their university years. They want to be surrounded by like-minded people, and our events give them that space.”
When I signed up for a half-marathon, it gave me a purpose that I felt a bit lost without. It’s the same with HYROX
For Beth, 27, HYROX has given her something to look towards and focus on.
“When I signed up for a half-marathon, it gave me a purpose that I felt a bit lost without. It’s the same with HYROX. I think lots of people need to have something to work towards; something to train for. There’s also an element of constantly wanting to do better, to improve and find fulfillment."
This search for community and purpose speaks to a post-pandemic generation struggling for connection. An Edelman report highlights the ongoing disruption for Gen Z after Covid, with 70% feeling disrupted and 40% feel abandoned or resentful. Gen Z also shows an increase in financial anxiety, isolation, and depression, with 27% saying the pandemic made them not want to have children.
Then there’s Australia. If you’re not training for a sporting activity, you’re packing up and moving down under. Please don’t leave, I find myself begging. Australia might be warm and beautiful, but the Central Line has tropical heat and Pret has new lunch bowls!
Statistics show that the number of working tourists in Australia from the UK had risen from 31,000 in 2023, to almost 50,000 in 2024. This popularity is, in part, due to a change in the eligibility criteria for the working holiday visa; British applicants no longer have to do 88 days of agricultural labour per year to stay there, and people up to the age of 35 can now live and work for three years (previously, the limit was 30).
A British Council survey further highlights the desire to emigrate; 72% of Gen Zers would consider living and working abroad, over 50% said they felt financially insecure with low wages, and 66% said their standard of living was worse than their parents’ generation.
For Isabel, 27, Australia gave her what the UK never could.
“Life for me is immeasurably better than in London, it’s almost incomparable. My wages are so much higher, my work life balance is better, my rent is much lower (for a nice house in a central location), and my living expenses are generally more affordable.”
“You feel like you can work hard for a good life and that there are good things ahead”
“Because I'm not crippled by my finances I have so much more agency, and I can fill my life with things I want and like doing. This makes my life feel so much richer and fulfilling. In the UK, a lot of young people feel nihilistic and like there’s no future. Here, there’s not the same cloud hanging over everyone that the worst is yet to come, or our best times are behind us. You feel like you can work hard for a good life and that there are good things ahead. I don’t think this exists in a meaningful way for young people in the UK, especially London.”
This feeling rings true for Beth, who had also considered making the move.
“I thought “what’s the point, I’ll never own a home anyway”. There’s so much more to life, and it seems like everyone is fleeing, so why not go somewhere warmer, more freeing and with a better lifestyle.”
Gen Z is doing what they do best: redefining expectations and reshaping our lives. There's a lot of pride to be found in a generation that’s carving its own paths and forging new purpose in an increasingly tricky world. And hey, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. The next HYROX event, fittingly, is in Perth - who wants to be my doubles partner?
