7 min read

HYROX Race Day Checklist: Kit, Timing and Warm-Up

Most HYROX race day mistakes are not fitness mistakes, they are admin mistakes, and they are all avoidable. The permitted kit allowlist and what is forbidden, what to bring to check-in, bag drop and warm-up, wave starts, the full station order with exact weights for every division, the penalty table, and what to pack the night before.

Athlete warming up before a session
Published on
September 8, 2026

Most HYROX race day mistakes are not fitness mistakes. They are admin mistakes, and they are all avoidable.

This is the checklist, drawn from the Season 26/27 rulebook rather than from forum folklore. Where a rule is exact, it is quoted exactly. Where something varies by event, it says so.

The kit rules, which are stricter than most people expect

The permitted items list is short and it is a closed allowlist. The rulebook states it plainly: anything not explicitly listed as permitted is prohibited by default.

Permitted:

  • Knee sleeves
  • Gloves, but not grips
  • Weightlifting belt
  • Wristbands
  • Hydration packs
  • Asthma inhalers or similar prescribed medication
  • Respiratory devices

Forbidden at all times:

  • Headphones
  • Cell phones
  • VR headsets
  • Body cameras of any brand
  • Helmets
  • Breathing apparatus and compressed air cylinders
  • Ear plugs
  • Smart or AI glasses, and any eyewear with cameras, audio recording, live streaming, data transmission or augmented reality

Prohibited items are confiscated and recoverable at customer service after you finish. The only exemption route is written permission from the Race Director before the start.

On headphones specifically: the ban is unqualified and long-standing, not a 26/27 change. There is no bone conduction, open-ear or single-bud exception, and ear plugs being separately banned closes the argument that a device outside the ear canal falls outside the rule. It applies to singles, doubles and relay. Earbuds belong in the warm-up area and then in your bag.

Shoes

Closed-toe shoes at all times, with one exception: at wall balls you may remove them. They go under the rig, and you must take them with you to the finisher stage. You cannot return to the wall ball area after finishing.

Chalk

Event-supplied only, and only at the sled pull and the farmers carry. Your own chalk, or carrying event chalk to another station, is a two minute penalty.

Equipment

Only use the lane, machine or wall ball station a member of race crew assigns you. Using another is two minutes per infringement.

Check-in

Bring government-issued photo ID and your registration confirmation. This is the one people forget.

You collect your timing chip and ankle strap, your race number, and a wrist lanyard. The wristband colour identifies your start wave and division and must be worn visibly.

The timing chip goes on your ankle and stays there for the whole race. Any other position may produce an invalid or incomplete time. Racing without it is recorded as Did Not Start.

Write your official start time somewhere clearly visible on your arm. The rulebook requires it.

Bag drop and the warm-up area

Changing rooms and a secure bag drop are available, though the organiser accepts no responsibility for lost or stolen items. Guidance from official regional FAQs suggests dropping bags 45 to 60 minutes before your start, one cabin-sized bag per athlete, but confirm with your event.

The warm-up area is a designated space with relevant equipment, open to all racers. Spectators are not permitted. This is where your earbuds are legal and useful: run your activation routine, settle your head, then bag them before you move to the start.

Do not enter the roxzone before your start time. It can trigger your chip and corrupt your race time.

The start

Assemble at the start tunnel ten minutes before your start time for official instructions.

Waves go at regular intervals, typically every ten minutes, and are division-exclusive: you only ever start alongside athletes in your own division. Starting in the wrong wave without prior approval is a disqualification.

Once your wave begins, move with its flow. Waiting in the tunnel after the wave has started is a one minute penalty.

Tzuka TZ7 Ultra earbuds and case packed among gym bag essentials

The course, in order

Eight kilometres of running in eight segments, each followed by a station. Run first, always.

  • 1. SkiErg, 1000m
  • 2. Sled Push, 4 by 12.5m
  • 3. Sled Pull, 4 by 12.5m
  • 4. Burpee Broad Jump, 80m
  • 5. Rowing, 1000m
  • 6. Farmers Carry, 200m
  • 7. Sandbag Lunge, 100m
  • 8. Wall Balls, 100 reps

The weights

The detail most third-party guides get wrong is that Men's Open and Women's Pro use identical loads. Only Men's Pro is heavier.

Women Open: sled push 102kg, sled pull 78kg, farmers carry 2 by 16kg, sandbag 10kg, wall ball 4kg to a 2.70m target.

Men Open and Women Pro: sled push 152kg, sled pull 103kg, farmers carry 2 by 24kg, sandbag 20kg, wall ball 6kg. Target 3.00m for men, 2.70m for women.

Men Pro: sled push 202kg, sled pull 153kg, farmers carry 2 by 32kg, sandbag 30kg, wall ball 9kg to a 3.00m target.

Sled weights include the sled. Equipment is colour coded: white for Women Open, grey for Men Open and Women Pro, black for Men Pro.

Running lanes

The run course is split. Anyone at 4:00 per kilometre or faster uses the Fast Lane on the inside. Everyone else uses the Running Lane outside.

You count your own laps. The rulebook is explicit that this is solely the athlete's responsibility, that extra laps earn no time adjustment, and that any lap screen at the venue is a non-official aid only.

The penalties worth memorising

  • Missing an entire station or a 1km run: disqualification
  • Wrong station order: three minutes first time, then disqualification
  • Wrong IN or OUT arch: two minutes each, detected automatically
  • Leaving the SkiErg, rower or wall balls early: disqualification
  • Wrong weight at farmers carry or lunges: disqualification
  • Burpee broad jump fault: 15 seconds
  • Trailing knee not down, or not standing tall, at lunges: 15 seconds
  • Sandbag off the shoulders: 15 seconds
  • Kettlebells returned incorrectly: 30 seconds
  • Outside assistance: two minutes

Stations 1 to 7 give you one warning each on movement standards. Wall balls give none. It is either a rep or a no-rep.

The finish

You leave wall balls only once your judge confirms 100 valid reps, unless digital targets are in use. Where screens are used they show a green GO signal, but the rulebook is clear that displays are a visual aid and the judge and physical target remain the official standard.

Take your shoes with you to the finisher stage.

Results publish immediately at results.hyrox.com, and can change for up to 48 hours as penalties are applied or amended. Do not screenshot and celebrate a placing on Saturday night.

There is no cut-off time. HYROX states plainly that there is no time limit to complete your race.

The night before

  • Photo ID and registration confirmation
  • Closed-toe shoes, plus grip socks if you use them
  • Gloves if you use them, not grips
  • Knee sleeves, belt, wristbands if used
  • All nutrition, carried on your person from the start
  • Kit bag for drop, cabin sized
  • Earbuds for the warm-up area, to be bagged before the tunnel
  • Start time written on your arm in the morning

FAQ

Can I wear headphones during a HYROX race?

No. Headphones and ear plugs are both forbidden items, with no exception for bone conduction or open-ear designs, in every division.

What ID do I need at check-in?

Government-issued photo ID and your registration confirmation.

Where does the timing chip go?

On your ankle, for the whole race. Anywhere else risks an invalid time, and racing without it is recorded as Did Not Start.

Can I leave nutrition in the roxzone?

No. Everything must be carried from the start. Accepting anything from anyone is outside assistance.

Is there a time limit?

No. HYROX confirms there is no time limit to complete the race.

When are results final?

Not for 48 hours. Penalties and amendments can be applied for two days after the event ends.

Warm-up area only, then bag them. Train the cadence that carries you through the race with the TZ7 Ultra.

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