HYROX is an indoor fitness race made of 8km of running, split into eight 1km segments, with one standardised workout station after each run. The stations, distances and weights are the same at every HYROX event in the world. There are no skills to learn and no qualification to enter.
That last part is why it has grown so fast. You do not need to be an athlete to sign up.
Why trust this
Ben Sutherland races HYROX on the Elite 15 start list in Pro Doubles alongside his brother Harry, with a doubles best of 49:24 set at the Warsaw Major in 2026. His own first HYROX, in Berlin in 2024, took 1:01:51. Every weight and distance on this page comes from the official HYROX singles rulebook for the 26/27 season.
The format, in one paragraph
You run 1km. You do a station. You run another kilometre. You do the next station. Eight times, in a fixed order, finishing on wall balls with no run afterwards. Total running is 8km. The running distance is identical across all four divisions, and only the station loads change.
The eight stations, in order
- SkiErg, 1000m. A standing machine that works like a ski pole double-pull. Upper back and lungs, early in the race when you feel deceptively good.
- Sled push, 50m, run as 4 x 12.5m. The station that ends more first races than any other.
- Sled pull, 50m, also 4 x 12.5m. You haul a loaded sled towards you hand over hand on a rope.
- Burpee broad jumps, 80m. A burpee, then a forward jump, repeated down the lane. Brutal on heart rate.
- Rowing, 1000m. The one place in the race you can genuinely recover.
- Farmers carry, 200m. Two kettlebells, no putting them down without a penalty.
- Sandbag lunges, 100m. Walking lunges with a sandbag across your shoulders. Where most people's quads finally go.
- Wall balls, 100 reps. Squat, throw a weighted ball to a target, catch, repeat. Last station, by design.
Between every run and every station is a transition area called the Roxzone. Time spent in it counts towards your finish. It is not a rest area, and Roxzone time is one of the quietest differences between a good race and an average one.
The divisions and the official loads
HYROX runs four divisions: Women, Women Pro, Men, Men Pro. There is a quirk in the load table that catches people out. Women's Pro uses the same weights as Men's Open. The rulebook lists them in a single shared column.
| Station | Women Open | Men Open / Women Pro | Men Pro | |---|---|---|---| | SkiErg | 1000m | 1000m | 1000m | | Sled push (4 x 12.5m) | 102kg incl. sled | 152kg incl. sled | 202kg incl. sled | | Sled pull (4 x 12.5m) | 78kg incl. sled | 103kg incl. sled | 153kg incl. sled | | Burpee broad jumps | 80m | 80m | 80m | | Rowing | 1000m | 1000m | 1000m | | Farmers carry (200m) | 2 x 16kg | 2 x 24kg | 2 x 32kg | | Sandbag lunges (100m) | 10kg | 20kg | 30kg | | Wall balls (100 reps) | 4kg | 6kg | 9kg |
Wall ball targets are 2.70m for Women and Women Pro, 3.00m for Men and Men Pro.
Two things worth correcting, because a lot of what is online gets them wrong:
Sled weights include the sled. A 152kg men's Open sled push means 152kg in total, not 152kg of plates loaded onto a sled. If you have been training at 152kg of added plate, you have been training well above race weight and making life unnecessarily hard.
Wall balls are 100 reps in every division under the 26/27 rulebook. Women's Open was cut to 75 reps for the 25/26 season and a great deal of still-live content repeats that figure. Always check the rulebook for the season you are actually racing.
Who HYROX is actually for
The honest answer is that it suits people who like a target more than they like the gym.
It works well if you have some running base and want a reason to train. It works well if you are coming from general strength training and want an endurance goal that does not require becoming a runner first. It works well if you want a race where the result is a number you can improve.
It works less well if you want variety. It is the same eight stations every time. Some people find that motivating and some find it dull by the third race.
You do not need to qualify. Anyone can enter the Open division. There is a minimum age of 16, and age groups run in five-year bands from Under 24 up to 85-89, with your age group set by your age on race day.
What a realistic first time looks like
Most first-time finishers come in somewhere between 75 and 110 minutes. That is a wide band, and where you land in it is predicted mostly by one thing: your running.
Not your strength. The stations are heavy but they are short. It is the 8km, run in eight pieces off eight kinds of fatigue, that decides your finish time. Athletes routinely discover that their 5km pace has nothing to do with their HYROX running pace, because the fifth kilometre after burpee broad jumps is a different event entirely.
If you want a target for a first race, aim to finish without walking the runs. That is a better first goal than a time.
The practical part: your first eight weeks
If you have signed up and do not know where to start, this is the minimum viable version.
- Run three times a week. One easy 5km, one interval session of 6 x 400m at a hard but repeatable pace, one longer easy run of 6 to 8km. Running is the highest-return training you can do.
- Do two full-body strength sessions. Squat pattern, hinge pattern, push, pull, carry. Nothing exotic.
- Practise the two stations you cannot improvise. Wall balls and sled push. Wall balls have a rhythm you only find by doing hundreds of them. Sled push technique, low body angle and short choppy steps, is worth minutes.
- Do one compromised run a week. Row 500m hard, then run 1km. That specific sensation is the whole race and it cannot be simulated by running alone.
- Rehearse transitions. Walk out of a station and start running within ten seconds. It feels trivial in training and it is worth real time on race day.
Common beginner mistakes
Going out too fast on the first run. Universal, and expensive. Your opening kilometre should feel like a pace you could hold for 10km.
Attacking the sled push. It arrives at kilometre two when you feel strong. Break it into planned segments before you start, not after you fail.
Not breaking wall balls into sets. 100 reps is a lot. Sets of ten with a short reset beats sets of twenty-five followed by standing around.
Comparing your time across venues. Track layout, lap counts, floor surface and Roxzone length differ between events. Two identical performances in two cities can be minutes apart.
Honest limitations
HYROX will not make you a good runner or a strong lifter on its own. It is a test, not a training programme, and people who only train the test tend to plateau in their third or fourth race.
It is also a genuinely hard event. The Open division is accessible, not easy, and the marketing does not always make that clear. If you have not exercised in a long time or you have a medical condition, get cleared by a professional before you sign up. The rulebook itself requires that you are medically fit to compete.
And it is not cheap once you add entry, travel and kit. That is worth knowing before you commit.
Next step
Find out where your fitness actually sits before you pick a race or a target time. The fitness assessment quiz gives you a realistic starting point in a few minutes.
If you would rather start training now, the free HYROX plan maker builds a structured block around your current running and strength.
Source: all weights, distances, rep counts and age group bands above are from the official HYROX singles rulebook, season 26/27.
[ FAQ ]
Frequently asked
What is HYROX?
HYROX is an indoor fitness race combining 8km of running with eight functional workout stations. You run 1km, complete a station, then run again, eight times. The format is standardised worldwide, so a time set in London is run over the same course specification as one set in Chicago.
Do you need to be very fit to do HYROX?
No. The Open division is designed for everyday gym-goers and there is no qualification requirement. If you can run 5km without stopping and are comfortable with basic gym movements, you can complete a HYROX, though it will be hard.
How long does a HYROX take?
Most first-time finishers land somewhere between 75 and 110 minutes. Elite athletes finish in under an hour. Your running fitness is the single biggest predictor of where you land.
Is HYROX the same as CrossFit?
No. CrossFit varies its workouts constantly and includes barbell and gymnastic skills. HYROX is one fixed race, repeated worldwide, with no skill-based movements. If you can push a sled and throw a wall ball, you have the full HYROX movement list.
What is the difference between Open and Pro?
The distances are identical. Pro uses heavier loads at five of the eight stations. Open is the entry division and the one most first-timers should choose.
Written by
The Suth Performance teamCoaches and editors
The Suth Performance programming team, led by HYROX Elite 15 athlete Ben Sutherland.
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