How long does HYROX take?

What affects your finish time

• Running fitness: eight kilometres of running is the biggest chunk of the race for most people.
• Strength: stronger athletes move the sleds, sandbag and kettlebells with less relative effort, so they slow down less.
• Division: Pro uses heavier loads, so times are generally slower than Open for similar athletes. Doubles and Relay are usually faster.
• Pacing and experience: going out too fast is the most common reason for a slower time than expected.
• Transitions: time in the Roxzone adds up across eight stations.
• The venue: sled surfaces and course layouts differ, so the same athlete can post different times at different events.

That last point is worth remembering. Comparing a time from one venue with another is useful, but not perfectly fair. Your splits tell you more than your total.

Your category matters for comparison too. Results are ranked by age group and by men's and women's categories, each with its own loads where relevant, so compare yourself with people racing the same division and category rather than the overall list.

Where the minutes go

For most people, the eight runs take the largest share of total time. Among the stations, the sled push, sled pull and wall balls usually take longest, with the lunges close behind, especially for first timers. The SkiErg, row and farmers carry tend to be more predictable.

Then there is the Roxzone. First timers can easily spend several minutes in total walking, looking for stations, drinking and adjusting kit between the running and the stations. Well-organised athletes spend much less.

Once you have raced, your results show all of this broken down run by run and station by station. The guide on how to improve your HYROX time explains how to use that breakdown to plan your next block.

Doubles and Relay times

Doubles is usually faster than Open for the same athletes, because each partner rests during the station work and the runs can be pushed harder. Mixed, women's and men's pairs each have their own rankings.

Relay is usually faster again, since each team member runs only 2 km and completes two stations, arriving at their leg relatively fresh. Relay times reflect the whole team, so they are hard to compare with individual results. The guide to HYROX divisions explains each format.

Setting a realistic goal for your first race

The best goals for a first HYROX are usually about how you race rather than a number. Finishing strong, keeping your last run close to your first and avoiding no-reps are all great targets. If you want a time goal too, build it from your own training rather than guessing:

1. Take the 1 km pace you can hold after stations in training, and multiply by eight.
2. Add your realistic time for each station at race load, based on training.
3. Add a few minutes for the Roxzone, more if the venue layout is spread out.
4. Add a small buffer for race-day nerves and fatigue.
5. Use the total as a guide, not a promise.

A half or full simulation in the final month is the best way to test your estimate. The guide to HYROX simulation workouts shows how to set one up.

How much can you improve?

Second races are often noticeably faster than first races, and much of that comes from experience rather than fitness. You pace the first run better, you know what the sleds feel like, you have a wall ball plan and you do not wander in the Roxzone.

After that, improvements come from training: a bigger engine, stronger legs, better technique and sharper pacing. The guide to HYROX pacing strategy is the best place to start, because pacing is the cheapest improvement of all.

Be patient with the numbers. Improvements tend to come in chunks, often after a full training block focused on your biggest weakness.

Improvements also get harder to find as you get faster. A first timer might take a big chunk off in their second race, while an experienced racer might work a whole season for a smaller gain. Both are real progress.

Time is not everything

For many people, the most memorable parts of a first HYROX have nothing to do with the clock: training with friends, the atmosphere of a packed venue, and crossing the line after a hard final set of wall balls. Lycan Strength members and coaches travelled to London together to race a HYROX Relay, which is a relaxed way to get a first finish time before tackling a full race. If you are wondering what the race involves before worrying about times, start with what is HYROX.