Hyrox®: the format, explained
Hyrox® 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 HYROX races and where to train for them.
Hyrox® is the same race everywhere: eight one-kilometre runs alternating with eight functional stations, in a fixed order that never changes. Run a 90-minute race in Hamburg and you can compare it, station for station, with a race in Dallas: that repeatability is the whole product, and it is why the format became the benchmark the rest of hybrid racing gets measured against.
- Distance: 8 km, in 1 km laps
- Stations: 8, fixed order
- Scored on: Total finish time
- Venue: Indoor arena
- Formats: Singles · Doubles · Relay
- Divisions: Open · Pro · age groups
How the race runs
Every athlete starts with a 1 km run, then hits station one. Run, station, run, station: eight times through, finishing on the wall balls. The order is identical at every event on earth.
The transitions between the running loop and the station floor are called the roxzone, and they are timed like everything else. Six minutes of roxzone across a race is respectable; ten minutes is a quietly expensive habit that most first-timers never look at.
The eight stations
| # | Station | Distance / reps | Open ♂ / ♀ | Pro ♂ / ♀ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SkiErg | 1000 m | - | - |
| 2 | Sled Push | 50 m | 152 kg / 102 kg | 202 kg / 152 kg |
| 3 | Sled Pull | 50 m | 103 kg / 78 kg | 153 kg / 103 kg |
| 4 | Burpee Broad Jumps | 80 m | bodyweight | bodyweight |
| 5 | Rowing | 1000 m | - | - |
| 6 | Farmers Carry | 200 m | 2 × 24 kg / 2 × 16 kg | 2 × 32 kg / 2 × 24 kg |
| 7 | Sandbag Lunges | 100 m | 20 kg / 10 kg | 30 kg / 20 kg |
| 8 | Wall Balls | 100 reps | 6 kg @ 3 m / 4 kg @ 2.7 m | 9 kg @ 3 m / 6 kg @ 2.7 m |
Order is fixed. Loads shown are Open and Pro for singles; doubles use the same load as the equivalent open division and split the work.
Divisions & entry formats
- Open: The standard entry. Loads most trained athletes can move without a specialist strength background.
- Pro: Same distances, heavier everything, and a qualifying-level field.
- Doubles: Two athletes run every kilometre together, then split the station work between them.
- Relay: Four athletes, one lap and one station each, twice around.
- Age groups: Ranked within five-year bands on top of the overall standings.
How it is scored
One number: gun-to-tape finish time, including every second spent in the roxzone.
Missed reps and standards violations are corrected on the spot by a judge: you repeat the rep rather than take a time penalty, so poor standards cost you time directly.
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 Hyrox® races
- Hyrox Perth: 21 Aug 2026, Perth, Australia
- Hyrox Washington D.C.: 03 Sep 2026, Washington, United States
- Hyrox Tenerife: 04 Sep 2026, Tenerife, Spain
- Hyrox Athens: 05 Sep 2026, Athens, Greece
- Hyrox Acapulco: 05 Sep 2026, Acapulco, Mexico
- Hyrox Beijing: 12 Sep 2026, Beijing, China
- Hyrox Maastricht: 17 Sep 2026, Maastricht, Netherlands
- Hyrox Mumbai: 17 Sep 2026, Mumbai, India
- Hyrox Salt Lake City: 18 Sep 2026, Salt Lake City, United States
- Hyrox Izmir: 19 Sep 2026, İzmir, Turkey
- Hyrox Rome: 23 Sep 2026, Rome, Italy
- Hyrox Oslo: 25 Sep 2026, Oslo, Norway
Tools for this format
- Hyrox® Split Analyzer: Enter your race splits and find out where the time actually went. Every station is benchmarked against your own running engine and ranked by what it cost, with the sessions that fix it.
- Running Pace Calculator: Turn a distance and time into pace and speed, and predict your 5K, 10K, half and marathon times from one result.
- Rowing & Erg Pace Calculator: Concept2 split, power and calories for the rower and ski-erg, plus predicted times across every standard erg distance.
Frequently asked
How long does a Hyrox® race take?
Most recreational finishers land between 75 and 110 minutes. Sub-60 is competitive, and the elite field races around 55 minutes for men and just over an hour for women.
What order are the Hyrox® stations in?
SkiErg, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jumps, rowing, farmers carry, sandbag lunges, wall balls, with a 1 km run before each one. The order is the same at every race worldwide.
What is the difference between Open and Pro?
The distances and reps are identical. Pro is heavier at every loaded station (a 202 kg sled push versus 152 kg, 9 kg wall balls versus 6 kg) and is where the competitive field races.
What is the roxzone?
The transition area between the running loop and the station floor. It is inside your finish time, and for most racers it is the cheapest time on the course to win back.
Format details describe the 2026/27 season and are transcribed from the organiser's published material; formats change between seasons, so check hyrox.com before you race. Hyrox® is a trademark of its owner and is used here to name the races described. Sweatlas is not affiliated with or endorsed by it.