The Complete Hyrox Race Guide

First station after the opening 1 km run. 1000 meters of upper body pulling on a Concept2 SkiErg. Damper between 6-7 for most athletes. Find a consistent rhythm and resist the urge to sprint the first 200m. Know your pace before race day: do a 2 km SkiErg after a workout at a constant pace, and find the split that lets you perform without being too gassed. That's your target. This station taxes your lats and shoulders early, which matters for sled pull and farmers carry later.

Push a weighted sled 50 meters along a marked lane, typically split into 4 × 12.5m sections. The weight includes the sled itself. Keep your body angle low (about 45 degrees), arms extended, short powerful steps. Important: the surface in competition is often stickier than in your gym, don't expect the sled to glide like it does in training. This station can burn your quads for the rest of the race if you go too hard. If your legs are strong, push through each 12.5m section without stopping. If legs are a weakness, break at each 12.5m mark with a quick 3-5 second pause. It's better to manage this station than to blow up and pay for it on every run and station that follows.

Pull the sled toward you over 50 meters using a rope. The most efficient technique is NOT to pull hand over hand with your arms. Instead, grab the rope, keep it taut, lean back slightly and walk backwards. Let your bodyweight and legs do the work, not your arms and lats. If you burn out your grip and back here, you'll pay for it on the rower, farmers carry, and wall balls. Important: take a margin behind the foot line, the pulling motion can make your feet slide forward slightly, which is an avoidable penalty.

Burpee to the ground (chest touches the floor), then broad jump forward. Cover 80 meters total. Since the 2025-2026 season, using your knees to stand up is allowed. The jump must be forward, no stepping. There are two strategies and the best one depends on your body: heavier athletes often benefit from a slower, controlled burpee with a longer jump (fewer reps to cover the distance), while lighter athletes can go faster with shorter jumps. The only way to know is to test both approaches under fatigue. Try at least 40-50m in training after a hard effort and see which one you recover from better. This station destroys your heart rate either way, so pacing matters more than speed.

1000 meters on a Concept2 rower. The halfway point of the race. Same advice as the SkiErg: know your pace beforehand by testing 2 km under fatigue at a steady split. Damper 5-7 for most. Drive through the heels, lean back to 1 o'clock, control the recovery. Trap for powerful or heavier athletes: you may have a strong pull, but 1000m is long. Going out too hard here will wreck your legs for the entire second half. Start conservative and accelerate after the first 300-500m if the feeling is good. This is a controlled effort, not a sprint. The real race starts after the rower.

Carry two kettlebells for 200 meters. Depending on the venue, this may involve multiple laps, each missed lap is a 3-minute penalty. Grip and traps take a beating here, and those are the same muscles you need for wall balls right after. Some athletes jog lightly to go faster and reduce time under load on the shoulders. At minimum, maintain a fast walk. It's easy to slip into recovery mode and lose 30+ seconds without realizing. But don't overestimate yourself either: 200m is long, and without specific training it's nearly impossible unbroken. Plan to break it into 4 × 50m with quick grip and shoulder pauses. Wrong weight means redoing the entire station.

Walking lunges with a sandbag on your shoulders for 100 meters. Back knee must touch the ground on every rep, and you must reach full hip and knee extension between each step, judges will no-rep you otherwise. The sandbag must stay on your shoulders at all times, you cannot put it on the ground. Watch your knees: competition floors are often thin carpet over hard concrete, not the soft mats you train on in a CrossFit box. The impact adds up over 100m. In Doubles, there are smart transition techniques between partners worth practicing beforehand. After this station, you face the last 1 km run. Your legs will feel like concrete. Don't panic. Walk through the Roxzone, start slow, and build into it. It's the last run, push through.

The runs are done. All that's left: 100 wall balls. In Doubles, this is pure fun. The atmosphere is incredible, the crowd is loud, and the wall ball judges are some of the best on the course. In Singles, it hurts. Even experienced CrossFitters who do wall balls regularly will suffer after 7 stations and 8 km of running. Squat below parallel, ball above the target line, full hip extension. Watch the no-reps, judges are strict. Plan your breaks (e.g. 25-20-15-15-10-10-5). Under 10 reps left? Don't drop the ball, push through on pure grit. And don't forget to sprint to the finish line as soon as rep 100 is validated, the clock is still running. The 100-unbroken patch is a dream, but if you're reading a Hyrox guide, it's probably not for today.

Open

The most accessible division with moderate weights. No ranking pressure, ideal for first-time Hyrox athletes. You compete against the clock, not against others. Perfect entry point to discover the format and set a baseline time.

Pro

Heavier weights across all loaded stations. Official age group rankings: U25, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69. For athletes who want to compete seriously and qualify for World Championships.

Doubles

Two athletes run all 8 km together and share the station work. The split is completely free: you can go 50/50, 70/30, or have one person do an entire station. The only requirement is that the total distance or reps are completed between the two of you. Both athletes must stay close during running (penalties if too far apart, DQ after 3 infractions).

This is the best format for a first Hyrox. You share the physical load, you have someone to push you through the tough stations, and the running feels less lonely. Doubles exist in Men, Women, and Mixed categories. Important: in Doubles Mixed, the weights used are the men's weights for all stations.

Relay

Four athletes form a team. Each athlete completes 2 runs and 2 stations, then tags the next teammate. A fun team format popular with corporate teams and groups of friends. Great atmosphere, lower individual effort, and the relay transition zone adds a tactical layer.

Adaptive & Charity

Hyrox also offers Adaptive divisions for athletes with physical disabilities, with adjusted standards per station. Charity places are available at some events, allowing participation while supporting a cause. Check the official Hyrox event page for availability in your city.