Deadly Dozen: the format, explained
Deadly Dozen explained: the full race format, every station and load, the divisions and how it is scored, plus how it compares with the other hybrid series, the upcoming Deadly Dozen races and where to train for them.
Deadly Dozen is the simplest format in hybrid racing and, by most accounts, the hardest: twelve 400-metre laps of an athletics track, the Journeys, each followed by one of twelve exercise stations, the Labours. No barbell, no sled, no technical gate. Just kettlebells, dumbbells, plates and bodyweight, repeated until the volume does the work the equipment doesn't.
- Running: 12 × 400 m · 4.8 km
- Labours: 12 · 6 distance, 6 reps
- Scored on: Total finish time
- Venue: Athletics track
- Formats: Solo · Pairs · Relay of 4
- Equipment: KB · DB · plate · bodyweight
Journeys and Labours
You run a 400 m lap, then complete a Labour, then run again: twelve times, with no programmed rest. Six of the Labours are Distance Labours, worked up and down a 30 m lane; the other six are Rep Labours, done on the spot.
Athletes go off in waves of two to four every five or six minutes, seeded from a pre-race assessment. Competitive solo athletes finish inside 90 minutes; the wider field is largely decided by how long the Labours take once the legs are gone.
The twelve Labours
| # | Labour | Type | Target | ♂ | ♀ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kettlebell Farmers Carry | D | 240 m | 2 × 24 kg | 2 × 16 kg |
| 2 | Kettlebell Deadlift | R | 60 reps | 32 kg | 24 kg |
| 3 | Dumbbell Lunge | D | 60 m | 2 × 12.5 kg | 2 × 7.5 kg |
| 4 | Dumbbell Snatch (alternating) | R | 60 reps | 15 kg | 9 kg |
| 5 | Burpee Broad Jump | D | 60 m | bodyweight | bodyweight |
| 6 | Kettlebell Goblet Squat | R | 60 reps | 16 kg | 12 kg |
| 7 | Weight Plate Front Carry | D | 240 m | 25 kg | 20 kg |
| 8 | Dumbbell Push Press | R | 60 reps | 2 × 12.5 kg | 2 × 6 kg |
| 9 | Bear Crawl | D | 120 m | bodyweight | bodyweight |
| 10 | Weight Plate Clean & Press | R | 60 reps | 15 kg | 10 kg |
| 11 | Weight Plate Overhead Carry | D | 180 m | 15 kg | 10 kg |
| 12 | Dumbbell Devil Press | R | 20 reps | 2 × 10 kg | 2 × 5 kg |
In race order, alternating distance (D) and rep (R) Labours. Mixed pairs complete the race at male weights; in relay teams each athlete uses the weights for their sex.
Divisions & entry formats
- Solo: One athlete, all twelve Journeys and all twelve Labours.
- Pairs: Both athletes stay together: a Labour cannot start until both are at the station, and weights are set down between partners rather than passed hand to hand.
- Relay: Teams of four, same-sex or mixed. Team-mates wait trackside and only cross the timing mat for their turn; each uses the weights for their sex.
- Deadly Sprint: An indoor short format: 200 m runs against half the reps and distance at each Labour.
- 12-hour ultra: Twelve full Deadly Dozens inside the cut-off, entered solo, as a pair or as a relay.
How it is scored
Total elapsed time from gun to the last Devil Press. There is no scoring formula to learn: the only variable is how much the Labours slow your laps down.
The strength barrier is deliberately low and the technical barrier lower still. What the race actually tests is grip endurance, lunge and carry durability, and whether your 400 m pace survives twelve repetitions of it.
How it compares
| Hyrox® | ATHX | Deadly Dozen | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Race shape | 8 × 1 km run + 8 stations, always the same order | Six timed zones over ~2.5 hours, three of them scored | 12 × 400 m run + 12 labours, alternating |
| Venue | Indoor arena / exhibition hall | Indoor arena / exhibition hall | Athletics track (plus indoor gym-race formats) |
| Result | One finish time | Three zone scores: kilos, metres, minutes | One finish time |
| Typical duration | 60–120 min of racing | ~2.5 h on site, ~65 min of scored work | 75–120 min of racing |
| Barbell work | None | Yes: press, squat and deadlift maxes | None (kettlebell, dumbbell, plate) |
| Running share | 8 km: about half the race | Run/row intervals inside one 22-minute block | 4.8 km, broken into twelve 400 m laps |
| Entry formats | Singles, doubles, relay | Individual and pairs, in three difficulty tiers | Solo, pairs, relay of four |
| Best suited to | Runners who can hold form under load | All-rounders with real strength numbers | Grinders: volume, grip and repeated 400s |
Upcoming Deadly Dozen races
- Deadly Dozen Cambridge: 22 Aug 2026, St Ives, United Kingdom
- Deadly Dozen Klagenfurt: 22 Aug 2026, Klagenfurt, Austria
- Deadly Dozen Alberta: 23 Aug 2026, Alberta, Canada
- Deadly Dozen Edinburgh: 29 Aug 2026, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Deadly Dozen Bottrop: 29 Aug 2026, Bottrop, Germany
- Deadly Dozen World Championship: 05 Sep 2026, London, United Kingdom
- Deadly Dozen Monza: 12 Sep 2026, Monza, Italy
- Deadly Dozen Melbourne: 19 Sep 2026, Newport, Australia
- Deadly Dozen Nancy: 19 Sep 2026, Nancy, France
- Deadly Dozen Birmingham: 19 Sep 2026, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Deadly Dozen London: 26 Sep 2026, London, United Kingdom
- Deadly Dozen Malaga: 31 Oct 2026, Cártama, Spain
Tools for this format
- Running Pace Calculator: Turn a distance and time into pace and speed, and predict your 5K, 10K, half and marathon times from one result.
- One-Rep Max Calculator: Estimate your one-rep max from any weight and rep count, then read a full training-percentage table rounded to loadable plates.
Frequently asked
What is the Deadly Dozen?
A fitness race made of twelve 400 m runs around an athletics track, called Journeys, each paired with one of twelve exercise stations, called Labours. It is raced solo, in pairs or as a relay of four.
What are the Deadly Dozen weights?
Kettlebell, dumbbell and weight-plate loads only: from 2 × 24 kg farmers carries and a 32 kg kettlebell deadlift for men down to 2 × 16 kg and 24 kg for women. Six Labours are loaded carries or lifts, and two are pure bodyweight.
How long does a Deadly Dozen take?
Competitive solo athletes go under 90 minutes. Most of the field lands between 90 minutes and two hours, and the spread comes almost entirely from the Labours rather than the running.
How is Deadly Dozen different from Hyrox®?
Shorter laps and more of them, twelve 400 m runs instead of eight kilometres, on a track rather than in an arena, and no sled or wall balls. The equipment is simpler and the volume is higher.
Format details describe the current rulebook and are transcribed from the organiser's published material; formats change between seasons, so check deadlydozen.com before you race. Deadly Dozen is a trademark of its owner and is used here to name the races described. Sweatlas is not affiliated with or endorsed by it.