For Hyrox®, wear running shoes, running socks, fitted shorts or tights, and a light technical top or a high-support sports bra. Pick kit that is light, stretchy and quick to dry, because race halls are warm and you will sweat through everything by the second station.

That is the short answer. The longer one is that the rulebook also decides your outfit. The 26/27 singles rulebook names exactly which accessories you may wear or carry, and it says that any item not on that list is prohibited by default ¹. So before you think about colours, think about rules, then fit, then comfort over 8 km and eight stations.

Below we go head to toe: what works, why, and what gets taken off you at the start line. If you want the race format itself first (distances, stations, weights), it lives on our Hyrox hub.

The rules that shape your outfit

The rulebook puts the responsibility on you: racers must be appropriately dressed for the activity, the environment and any cultural sensitivities at the venue ¹. Closed-toe shoes are required at all times, with one exception: you may take your shoes off at the wall ball station, leave them under the rig and must carry them to the finish yourself ¹.

These are the items the singles rulebook permits during the race ¹:

Two details catch people out. First, anything you start with you must keep from start to finish: you cannot hand an item to a friend or take one from them, because that counts as outside assistance and can lead to disqualification ¹. Second, the list is a whitelist. If something is not on it, ask the race director for written permission before the start, or expect it to be confiscated until you finish ¹. Costumes are fine: uniforms and weight vests are still permitted as long as they do not affect the safety or performance of other racers ¹.

Shoes: why most racers pick running shoes

Eight one-kilometre runs are the largest part of a Hyrox race, and you do them tired. That is why most racers pick a running shoe over a flat cross-trainer. Cross-trainers are built for lifting days; over 8 km they feel hard and heavy.

The catch is the station floor. Sled push is won on traction, and lunges, burpee broad jumps and wall ball squats load the shoe sideways. A tall, soft, narrow racer can feel unstable there. Plated super shoes do save energy on the road: in a lab study of 18 high-calibre runners, prototype plated shoes cut the energy cost of running by about 4% compared with two established marathon racing shoes ². That gain is measured on a treadmill, not behind a sled.

What to look for:

• Rubber under the forefoot, not exposed foam, so your feet stay planted on the sled push.
• A moderate stack and a wider base that stays calm on lunges and jumps.
• A secure heel. If it lifts when you drive into the sled, use a runner's loop (heel lock) lacing.
• Shoes you have already run at least 10 km in without hot spots.

Our race shoe guide goes through this in more depth. These are the first three picks from it:

The Pegasus 41 is a neutral daily trainer with a moderate stack, which is exactly why it suits a race that mixes running with sled work. The Deviate Nitro 3 is a plated shoe many hybrid racers like for its balance of bounce and a usable platform; try it on a sled first. The Novablast 5 is lively and well cushioned, so check how it feels on lunges, since softer foam moves more under load.

Socks: the cheapest upgrade in the bag

Blisters are a self-inflicted wound. Running socks with a fitted heel stop the sock sliding inside the shoe over 8 km of running and 100 m of lunges, and padded zones take the edge off the push-offs at the sled.

• Pick technical synthetics or merino over cotton. Cotton holds sweat and rubs.
• Choose the thickness you train in. A thicker sock changes how the shoe fits.
• Crew height or higher protects your ankles from the sled and from your own burpee landings.
• Your timing chip goes on an ankle strap ¹, so check that your sock and the strap sit comfortably together on a training run.

Shorts or tights

This one is personal, and both work. Shorts run cooler, which matters in a warm hall. Tights protect your knees on burpee broad jumps and lunge knee touches, and they stop thigh chafing.

The rule that matters more than the choice: your legs must move freely through a deep lunge and a full squat without anything riding up. The rulebook requires the trailing knee to touch the floor on every lunge ¹, and the wall ball squat must go below parallel ¹. Shorts that pull tight at the bottom of a lunge are slow shorts.

Popular combinations:

1. Liner shorts on their own. Light, nothing to adjust, and the built-in liner keeps them in place.
2. Compression shorts under looser shorts. The fitted layer stops chafing; the outer layer stops you feeling exposed.
3. Full or three-quarter tights. Most knee protection, warmest option.

Whatever you pick, avoid deep, loose pockets. Anything bouncing around for 8 km gets annoying fast, and there is no point carrying a phone you are not allowed to use ¹.

Tops and sports bras

You will be hot. Wear a light technical top that does not get heavy with sweat, or a sports bra or crop on its own. Fitted beats loose: a baggy shirt can catch on the sled rope and gets in the way when you hug the sandbag onto your shoulders.

For sports bras, running and jumping need high support, and burpee broad jumps add a landing on every rep. Fit is personal, so check the brand's size guide and try more than one before race day. A bra you have only worn for strength sessions is still untested for 8 km of running.

Two practical notes:

• Seams and straps. The sandbag must stay fully supported on both shoulders for the full 100 m of lunges ¹. Wide, flat straps and no hard clasps across the upper back are kinder there.
• No water poured over the head. Fluids at aid stations are for drinking only, and using them for cooling carries a time penalty ¹. Plan to stay cool with what you wear, not with what you pour.

Knee sleeves, gloves, chalk and belts

Knee sleeves are on the permitted list ¹. They keep the joint warm and many athletes like the feeling of support, but there is no good evidence that they prevent injury. If you wear them, choose thinner sleeves that move freely for running and lunges, and train in them first. If your knees hurt during or after wall balls or lunges, sleeves are not the fix: see a physio, and read our guide to knee pain from wall balls.

Gloves are permitted; gymnastics-style grips are not ¹. Gloves can save skin on the sled-pull rope, but they also reduce feel. Train both ways, and only race in gloves you have used for a full session.

Chalk is where people get penalised. In the 26/27 singles rulebook, only event-supplied chalk may be used, only at the stations where it is provided, and you may not carry it elsewhere ¹. The penalty table limits chalk to the sled pull and farmers carry, and using chalk anywhere else costs 2 minutes; powdered chalk at the wall balls is a 2-minute penalty too ¹. Your own chalk, liquid or otherwise, stays in your bag. Our grip kit guide covers training with it.

A weightlifting belt is allowed ¹. Most racers skip it, because you would wear it for 8 km of running to use it on a few stations. If you do race in one, a light nylon belt that you have trained in is the practical choice.

What not to wear

• New anything. New shoes, new socks, a new bra. Do at least one full simulation with sled work, lunges and wall balls in the exact outfit you plan to race in.
• Cotton. It holds sweat, gets heavy and chafes.
• Headphones, phones and earplugs. All three are forbidden ¹; the official FAQ is blunt that you cannot wear headphones while competing ³.
• Smart glasses or a body camera. Forbidden, including glasses with cameras, audio recording or streaming ¹.
• Grips or lifting straps. Grips are explicitly excluded from the permitted gloves ¹, and straps are not on the list.
• Loose jewellery and long, loose layers that can catch on equipment or other racers.
• Sandals, slides or bare feet. Closed-toe shoes are required everywhere except the wall ball station ¹.

What about a watch? A watch is not on the singles permitted list, and the rulebook says anything not listed is prohibited by default ¹. Many racers want one for pacing, so ask your event or race director before race day rather than guess. Plan your splits beforehand with the pacing calculator either way.

Your race-day kit checklist

Pack the night before from a fixed list. The official FAQ says there is a bag drop and changing rooms at every event but no showers, that you may bring one bag no larger than cabin size, and that you should arrive about 90 minutes before your start ³.

If you are still deciding which race to enter, our comparison of Hyrox, DEKA, ATHX and Deadly Dozen covers how the kit rules differ between series, and the race calendar lists upcoming events.

Bottom line

A Hyrox outfit is not complicated: running shoes with grip, good socks, fitted shorts or tights, a light top or a supportive bra. The two ways to get it wrong are wearing something new and wearing something the rulebook does not allow. Test the whole outfit in one full simulation, read the current rulebook the week of the race, and leave the headphones and your own chalk in the bag.