A year ago, you’d never heard of it. Now it’s all over your Instagram feed, three people at your gym are training for one, and someone at work won’t stop talking about their finish time. So what actually is Hyrox, and is it worth the hype?
Short answer: yes, probably. Here’s everything you need to know.
The basics
Hyrox is an indoor fitness race. It launched in Hamburg in 2017, and it’s grown fast: over 1.3 million people have now competed worldwide, and UK events regularly sell out months in advance.
The format is fixed and it never changes:
Eight one-kilometre runs, each followed by a workout station.
Run a kilometre, hit a station, run another kilometre, hit the next station. Eight times. Done. The total distance is roughly 8km of running plus the eight stations, and every event in every city uses the same course, the same equipment, and the same weights. Which means your finish time in Manchester means exactly the same as someone’s finish time in Melbourne.
That consistency is a big part of why people get hooked on it.
The 8 stations
Always the same, always in this order:
- SkiErg – 1,000m
- Sled push – 50m
- Sled pull – 50m
- Burpee broad jumps – 80m
- Rowing – 1,000m
- Farmers carry – 200m
- Sandbag lunges – 100m
- Wall balls – 100 reps
The weights differ depending on your category (more on that below). And for what it’s worth, everyone finds something on that list they’re dreading. For most people, it’s the wall balls at the end.
Who actually does this?
Everyone, more or less. That sounds like marketing but it’s genuinely true. Hyrox isn’t aimed at elite athletes, and you don’t need any specialist skills to enter. If you can run, row, and handle moderately heavy things without injuring yourself, you qualify.
The categories help:
- Open – standard weights, open to all. Where most first-timers race.
- Pro – heavier weights, for people chasing competitive times.
- Doubles – you and a partner split the stations between you. A great first step.
- Relay – a team of four, two stations each. Ideal if you want to experience race day before committing to the full solo effort.
Age groups go from 16 to 70+. It’s a proper race with a real leaderboard, but it’s designed to include people, not filter them out.
How is it different from CrossFit or Spartan?
The honest answer is that Hyrox is more approachable than both.
There’s no technical skill requirement – no rope climbs, no gymnastics, no movements you’d need months of coaching to learn. Every station is straightforward. More importantly, because the format is identical every time, you can train for it specifically. You know exactly what’s coming. That changes your relationship with preparation completely.
It also takes place indoors, in arenas and exhibition centres, so there’s no mud, no weather, and no crawling through anything unpleasant. It’s loud, it’s well-organised, and the atmosphere on the day is genuinely something.
What’s race day actually like?
You arrive, pick up your race chip, and join a wave start – groups go off throughout the day, so there’s no brutal early alarm. The course is set up in a loop: running track on the outside, stations around the inner floor. Spectators line the sides. There’s a DJ, commentary, and enough noise that you’ll probably run the first kilometre too fast.
The middle section, stations four, five, and six, is where it gets honest. By station seven, sandbag lunges for 100 metres, you’ll be having a serious conversation with yourself. Station eight, 100 wall balls, is the one everyone talks about afterwards.
Crossing the finish line feels excellent. First-timers almost always sign up for another one within the week.
How long does it take?
| Level | Finish time |
|---|---|
| First-timer | 90–120 minutes |
| Intermediate | 70–90 minutes |
| Competitive | 60–70 minutes |
| Elite | Under 55 minutes |
For a first race, finishing is the entire goal. Chasing a time comes later, once you know what you’re dealing with.
How do you enter?
Go to hyrox.com and find an event near you. UK races typically run autumn through spring in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and more. Expect to pay £80–£120 depending on the event and how early you get in.
Book early. They do sell out.
Should you do one?
If you’re already running a bit and spending time in the gym, you’re probably closer to ready than you think. Hyrox rewards exactly the kind of general fitness most people are building anyway – it just gives it somewhere to go.
Give yourself 8–12 weeks, follow a structured plan, and pick an event.
That’s genuinely all there is to it.
Want to start preparing? Our 8-week beginner training plan has you covered. Or if you want to know exactly what each station involves before committing, start with our complete guide to the 8 Hyrox stations.