ROXFIT's Ultimate Race Day Guide to HYROX

1. What you'll experience

HYROX is an indoor fitness race combining 8 x 1km runs with 8 functional workout stations. The format is identical at every event around the world, meaning the race you experience will be the same whether it's in London, New York, or Berlin.

One of the things that makes HYROX unique is how accessible the format is. Athletes of all fitness levels line up on the start line, each tackling the same course in their own way. Some will push the runs hard, others will settle into a steady rhythm. At the stations you'll see everything from athletes moving unbroken through their reps to others taking short breaks and working steadily to the finish. The structure of the race allows you to manage the effort and find your own pace.

Race sequence

Every race follows the exact same order:

It's a simple format, but once the race begins it quickly becomes a real test of endurance and consistency.

Race day itself has a unique atmosphere. The arenas are loud, the crowd builds throughout the day, and the later stations tend to draw big groups of spectators cheering athletes through the final stages of the race. Around the arena you'll usually find an event village with brands, race merchandise and nutrition stands, so there's plenty happening before and after you step onto the start line.

So how does ROXFIT assist your race? We've got all the tools to prepare you for the event with our HYPE training workouts, you can use our PaceMe feature to help you stick to your target on race day, and you can even share a tracking link to your socials for all your family and friends to track your experience.

2. Night-before preparation

HYROX success often starts the night before. A little preparation can make race morning feel calm and straightforward. The three main areas to think about are nutrition, hydration and gear preparation.

Nutrition

Focus on slow-digesting carbohydrates the day before your race. Foods like rice, pasta, potatoes and oats are all good options and will help top up your energy stores.

Keep things simple and familiar. Avoid introducing new foods the night before, steer clear of very high-fibre meals, and try to limit alcohol so your body can recover and rest properly before race day.

Hydration

Aim to drink consistently throughout the day, rather than trying to drink large amounts all at once. Adding electrolytes to your water can help with fluid absorption and support muscle function, particularly if you're travelling or racing in a warmer environment. Try not to overdrink late in the evening so you can get a good night's sleep.

Race day checklist

Lay out everything you'll need for the event the night before. Here's a simple checklist:

• Race shoes
• Underwear and socks
• Race outfit
• Electrolytes
• Pre-race snack
• Recovery shake
• Change of clothes
• Hair accessories
• Watch and heart rate monitor straps

3. Pre-race preparation

Race morning should feel calm and controlled. By this point the training is done. All that remains is to fuel up, arrive with enough time, and prepare your body for the start line.

Eat 2-3 hours before start

Stick to foods that you are familiar with and that have worked well during training. Race morning is not the time to experiment with new meals. Some simple options include:

• Oats with banana
• Bagel with honey
• Rice with eggs

The aim is to eat something easy to digest and rich in carbohydrates so your energy stores are topped up before the race begins.

Arrive early

Aim to arrive around 90 minutes before your start wave. This gives you enough time to register, look around the venue, collect and attach your timing chip, drop off your bag, and get a sense of where everything is before your warm-up begins.

Warm-up structure

Your warm-up should reflect what you have been doing in training. A 15-20 minute warm-up like the one below works well for most athletes:

4. Rulebook

Understanding the rules can save you valuable time on race day. Penalties are usually given for small technical details, so it is worth knowing what the judges are looking for before you arrive at the start line.

You can find the full details in the official HYROX rulebook, but below is a short overview of some of the most common errors that athletes run into during the race.

Wall Balls - missed reps must be repeated

• Full squat depth is required
• Ball must hit the target

Burpee Broad Jumps - athletes can be sent back down their lane

• Chest must touch the floor on the downward motion
• Hands must be no more than 30cm away from feet when going into the burpee
• Both feet must be parallel when jumping - no staggered feet

Sled Push / Sled Pull

• Must stay in your lane
• Cannot step on the lines of the box when pulling

5. Station standards

Each station rewards efficient movement. Spending time practising these movements in training will help you find a rhythm that works for you and avoid unnecessary fatigue during the race.

Below are some of the ROXFIT team's favourite tips for approaching each station.

SkiErg

• Long pulls with hip drive
• Keep arms relaxed
• Avoid sprinting the first 250m

Sled Push

• Low body position
• Short steps
• Continuous movement

Sled Pull

• Grab hands low and drive up and forward with hips
• Lean back and use the box to your advantage
• Strong brace - your legs should do more work than your arms

Row

• When done correctly, your legs take the majority of the load
• Only pull with your arms in the final third of the movement
• Lean into the row and out without over-extending

Burpee Broad Jumps

• Maintain rhythm throughout
• Fast athletes step up from their burpees rather than jump up
• Test both methods in training - you'll need one for when you're tired

Farmers Carry

• Quick short steps
• Keep shoulders back and down
• Maintain shoulder tension

Sandbag Lunges

• Keep a rhythm and be consistent in movements
• Put feet together at the top of the lunge rather than swinging through
• Loosen the grip on the sandbag to conserve energy

Wall Balls

• Break early into sets (e.g. 25-20-25-10-10-10)
• Start your squat descent as the ball comes down - don't wait to catch it before squatting
• This is a target station - aim for the X with every rep

6. Fuel and hydration

Most HYROX races last somewhere between 60 and 120 minutes, so having a simple fueling plan can make a noticeable difference to how you feel in the later stages of the race.

It is worth testing different options during training so you know what works best for you. There are plenty of intra-workout choices available including gels, chews, bars and sweets.

When to fuel

7. Pacing strategy with PaceMe

HYROX is an endurance-based event, so having a pacing strategy can make a big difference to how your race unfolds. A common mistake is starting the early runs too quickly and then struggling to maintain that pace later in the race.

Inside ROXFIT, the PaceMe feature can help you plan your approach. It calculates an estimated race pace based on your training data or a target finish time that you enter.

This gives you a clearer idea of your expected run splits, station targets and overall finishing time. It can also help you see whether you need to adjust your pace slightly during the race to stay on track for your goal.

How it works

1. Open the Pace Me Calculator from the Home page.
2. Select your venue, gender and division.
3. Set your goal time.
4. ROXFIT generates predicted splits for every station and run.
5. Tap Add to Wearable to sync your splits to your Apple Watch or Garmin.

See the full PaceMe guide for a step-by-step walkthrough.

8. Spectators

HYROX events are very spectator friendly and the crowd energy inside the arena can be huge, particularly around the later stations.

Spectators need to purchase a ticket before the event and these often sell out, so it is worth booking in advance if friends or family are planning to attend.

Best spectator stations

For maximum encouragement, ask your spectators to get a good position at these stations:

• Wall Balls - the final station where the crowd is loudest
• Burpee Broad Jumps - a tough station where cheering makes a real difference
• Final run - the home stretch to the finish line

Spectators are welcome to film and take photographs during the race. However, they are not allowed to give items to athletes or receive anything from them while they are on the course. Make sure you have everything you need with you before heading to the start line.

9. Post-race nutrition

Recovery begins as soon as you cross the finish line. It is completely normal to focus on comfort first, but if you are planning to return to training relatively quickly it helps to think about recovery nutrition early.

Within 30 minutes of finishing

Good options

• Recovery shake
• Protein bar and banana
• Chocolate milk

10. Data analysis and sharing

One of the advantages of racing HYROX is the amount of data you receive afterwards. Your results will include run splits, station times and your overall ranking, giving you a clear picture of how your race unfolded.

By linking your result to your ROXFIT profile, you can review this data in more detail. This makes it easier to analyse your pacing, identify stations that slowed you down, and compare your performance across different races.

You can also use this information to shape future training. PaceMe allows you to race against a previous result, while HYPE workouts can be used to focus on stations or areas of the race that you want to improve. Some athletes even use their race data to find a well-matched partner for HYROX DOUBLES.