Fitness
Fitness
Why runners should try HYROX training in 2026
This isn’t a side quest – it’s an upgrade. Swap those park runs for a running challenge that really packs a punch.
Does your idea of a perfect run involve a pastel sky and a Fleetwood Mac–infused playlist? Or are you all business, crushing Strava segments and taking no prisoners at Parkrun? Either way, if you're looking to take your passion to new heights this year you'd do well to jump aboard the HYROX train.
If you’re already familiar with HYROX, the fitness sport which combines a running race with a series of functional training, you’ll know that this fitness sport is incredibly demanding. Yet with the right preparation, running acts as a great equaliser, giving naturally faster participants an edge over many of their more muscle-bound competitors.
"I didn't even know what HYROX was four months ago," admits Joanna Wietrzyk in the first season of the docu-series Beyond the ROX, which captured her rise to the top. A former competitive runner at sprint and endurance distances, the Australian managed to become an Elite 15 athlete at age 22, catching the eye with her phenomenal leg power: "All the work I've put in over the past 10 years has led me to this moment.”
It probably comes down to how bad you want it – you’ve got the grit behind you and you’ve got to believe in yourself”
HYROX expert Lauren Smith believes the Aussie’s endurance background helped her to blow more established names out of the water early on: “As an absolute newbie, that kind of cardiovascular condition has allowed her to progress at the speed of light in this sport." Running alone won’t take you to the podium, of course. There are plenty of other areas Joanna had to work on first, including strength training and gym drills, to make the step up, but there's no doubt that her ability to suffer played a big part in her reaching the top in a short time.
Endurance athlete Joanna Wietrzyk has taken HYROX's Elite 15 by storm
© Brian Ching See Wing
If you're looking for a similar transformative fitness challenge, taking your running skills into a new arena (quite literally), then this could be just the sport to train for in 2026.
01
Is HYROX hard?
Is HYROX hard? Well, it's no walk in the park – it combines running with functional workouts that challenge your endurance, strength, and mental focus. It's harder than hard.
It's pretty much the ultimate all-round fitness test — a running race with eight workout stations designed to find your breaking point – and how much you can suffer will likely decide how high up you place.
It’s also one of the world’s fastest-growing sports, attracting fitness obsessives by the gym-load. As a result, even at amateur level you’re likely to encounter opponents who are intensely driven and specialists across a wide range of disciplines.
You don’t need to have the exact same gait and mental fortitude of Joanna Wietrzyk to go from 10k to HYROX, but a humble passion for running can prove a solid springboard into the oft-daunting world of fitness sport.
02
The Challenge of HYROX for runners
The UK’s Lucy Procterfirst began running in her teens to improve her confidence and wellbeing. This proved a gateway into the gym and, before she knew it, HYROX – chasing new times and new records. She has since become U24 female HYROX World Champion and is now part of the Elite 15, AKA the sport's very top-tier. Originally, friends at Lucy's running club were puzzled why she'd take on a HYROX event, but she carved her own path and found a new community to become one of the strongest fitness athletes out there.
Lucy Procter powers through one of her runs in Las Vegas
© HYROX/Red Bull Content Pool
Running was always a useful tool for the Londoner, but it's never defined her in HYROX. A good base level of endurance and strength is the bare minimum on race day, so she worked extremely hard in the gym to be an all-round threat in competition.
That you once ran an ultramarathon in Kerry will mean very little if you're lacking upper body strength and struggle with workouts such as farmers carry. In fact, at that point of the race, experience working on an actual farm in Kerry would be more beneficial than any running PB. HYROX racers are tasked with performing technical, strength-based movements under serious fatigue, so expect to work muscles you didn't even know about.
Here’s a breakdown of a HYROX race structure…
- 1km run
- 1,000m Ski Erg
- 1km run
- 50m Sled Push
- 1km run
- 50m Sled Pull
- 1km run
- 80m Burpee Broad Jumps
- 1km run
- 1,000m Row
- 1km run
- 200m Farmers Carry
- 1km run
- 100m Sandbag Lunges
- 1km run
- 100 Wall Balls
There are a wide variety of pathways for all levels. Age categories run the gamut from 16–24 and 25–29, right the way up to 85–89. Race formats vary too — Solo is the classic version of HYROX, while Double or Relay events allow you to share the workload with a partner or team. And if you find yourself knocking on the door of the Pro category, you’ll be met with heavier weights and a much higher pace.
Is HYROX hard?
You might find pacing within a regular running race is straightforward enough — but this is a whole different ball game. You’ll need to be ready to perform technical movements such as sled pushes, wall balls, lunges, burpees, and more, all under the close scrutiny of race officials, while dealing with both mental and physical hardship.
Friends warned me it was like death by cardio. I was like: ‘That sounds awful… I think I’ll do it!’
03
Why it’s worth trying HYROX as a runner
Breaking that 10k PB? Finally joining a running club? Entering a half marathon in some nondescript European city? Going into 2026, you might have already earmarked the running milestones you’d like to tick off, but don’t worry – there’s no reason practicing HYROX could derail those goals. This could run parallel to your other fitness commitments.
In fact, with such a short, sharp and intense race format (not to mention all that leg strengthening those burpee jumps will give you), this discipline could make you a more explosive runner than ever. More time spent in the weight room could also make your body more injury-proof, preventing you from picking up knocks when out for a jog or playing other sports.
Running can be a great leveller when competing in HYROX
© Jesper Gronnemark/Red Bull Content Pool
Essentially, if you’re a keen runner then HYROX is a good way to stay speedy, bulletproof your body and tackle a brand new challenge. Runners have the best advantage on the start line – but put in the work behind the scenes to make that gap count.
04
How does HYROX differ from traditional running events?
On the face of it – start line, finish line, timed competition, lots of gentle tapping and the occasional stray elbow – it's a classic running race set out over 8km (5 miles). Running on tired legs won't be easy, so you'll have to adapt to the physical challenges ahead.
For runners in particular, the hybrid nature of the sport means you may feel more discomfort in the upper body compared to more seasoned fitness athletes early on, accumulating muscular fatigue on sled pushes, wall balls, and a host of other functional and technical movements.
James Kelly dominated many of the biggest races in 2025
© Brian Ching See Wing
When putting together a training plan for HYROX, it will also differ significantly from that of a traditional running event, as you’ll need to demonstrate competence across a wide range of disciplines. Achieved with the right diet and workout plan, success is all about striking a balance. Go too far into strength training and you may suffer on the run; focus too heavily on cardio and your race may be run before you leave the start line.
Everyone in my running club was like: ‘What are you doing? This isn’t even a proper sport’. It was a big risk…
In season one of Beyond the ROX, former cross-country and track runner James Kelly said there came a point when he realised he’d been relying too much on his running power to maintain an advantage, causing him to lose form in other areas: “My coach and I learnt that due to the fact that we have been putting a lot of pressure on my running ability – which paid off – unfortunately my unilateral strength actually reduced slightly, which meant my lunge power reduced.”
He’s since readdressed the balance with plenty of unilateral strength work and is full of self-belief: “If I can get the most of myself, I will be f*cking hard to beat.” The moment it all clicked for the Aussie in HYROX? "Getting fitter for the sake of fitness."
05
Training tips for runners preparing for HYROX
Want to get HYROX fit yourself? Then you’re going to have to tailor your workouts accordingly, mastering drills such as sled pushes, burpee broad jumps, and wall balls in order to boost technique and efficiency.
When your muscles are crying out for a rest and you’ve got to pull sleds quicker than the nearest competitor, you won’t want to sacrifice form, as that could lead to poorer performance or even injury. Stretching will help a lot, too. Jake Dearden is an ultrarunner turned top-tier HYROX athlete. In the first season of Beyond the ROX, the Brit visited Austria’s Red Bull Athlete Performance Centre, where his running form and biomechanics were scanned. Having suffered a back injury previously, Jake revealed that stretching helped a great deal in ensuring he stayed fit in the sport.
Jake Dearden putting his hybrid training to work on a sled push
© Baptiste Fauchille/Red Bull Content Pool
Even with his ultramarathon background, Jake quickly realised he wasn’t the best runner over a shorter, higher-intensity format such as HYROX, so he changed mindset and viewed it as a challenge: “I analysed my weaknesses in HYROX and realised some other athletes are better at running." Interval running played a huge part in making him more explosive on foot, and coupled with his impressive strength training which helped shave even more time off his races, he started to win big, including a HYROX Pro Doubles World Championship in 2024.
Tips and tricks for runners looking to enter the HYROX world
- Take it slow: Don’t take shortcuts and instead devote time to mastering specific HYROX exercises like sled pushes, burpee broad jumps and wall balls in order to build technique and efficiency.
- Don’t skip arm day: You’re going to have to do plenty of strength exercises, and a mix of weight training and calisthenics could be just the ticket.
- Interval training: Replicate race conditions with repetitive high-intensity efforts, mirroring the pain drain you’ll feel transitioning between stations.
- Get in the zone: Visualisation is no joke. Plenty of pros athletes put effort into picturing their races beforehand, so why not do likewise?
- Get a good pair of trainers: Forget dusting off those old track shoes and invest in more durable and cushioned footwear.
- Find your pace: In competition you may want to stay at a constant level of 75-85 percent effort, saving your batteries for latter stages.
- Mix it up: Ensure you’re doing a combination of cardio and strength in weekly training, ideally checking off each functional workout.
- Get familiar with the Roxzone: This being the area between running sections and functional stations. The better you know it, the less chance of losing vital seconds during a transition.
Get more HYROX training tips below
