In a HYROX Relay, four teammates split one full race: each person runs 2 × 1 km and does the two stations that follow those runs, and the team decides who takes which legs. Racers in a relay must be at least 16 on race day. Younger athletes aged 8 to 15 race in HYROX Youngstars, a separate kids' event held at selected races. This guide covers how the Relay works under the 26/27 rulebook, how to assign legs, how to time warm-ups and handovers, and what teens and kids can enter.
How does the HYROX Relay work?
The Relay is the same race as everyone else's (eight 1 km runs, each followed by one station) shared across a team of four. Only one teammate is racing at any moment. The other three wait for their turn.
Team types
There are three Relay divisions:
- Women: four women
- Men: four men
- Mixed: two women and two men
A team must have four racers. You can't start a Relay with fewer than four people present.
How the legs are split
Under the 26/27 Relay rulebook, each team member runs 2 × 1 km and does the two stations that follow those runs. In practice, the race breaks into eight "legs," each made up of one run and the station after it:
| Leg | Run | Station |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 km | 1000 m SkiErg |
| 2 | 1 km | 50 m sled push |
| 3 | 1 km | 50 m sled pull |
| 4 | 1 km | 80 m burpee broad jumps |
| 5 | 1 km | 1000 m row |
| 6 | 1 km | 200 m farmers carry |
| 7 | 1 km | 100 m sandbag lunges |
| 8 | 1 km | 100 wall balls |
What's fixed: the order of the race. Legs go 1 to 8 in that sequence, the same as in Singles.
What's free: who does which legs. The rulebook leaves that entirely to the team. Each person takes exactly two legs, and you can arrange them two ways:
- Back to back: one athlete does two consecutive legs (for example, legs 1 and 2) before handing over.
- Split up: an athlete does one leg, returns to the Transition Zone, and comes back later for a second leg while teammates race in between.
There is no fixed "Athlete 1 always does the SkiErg" rule, and no rule in the Mixed division about which legs the women or the men must take.
Handovers in the Transition Zone
Every exchange happens in a marked Transition Zone (TZ):
- The incoming athlete finishes their station and runs into the TZ.
- The next athlete is waiting there and gets a high-five from them.
- The next athlete starts their run, and the finished athlete leaves the TZ straight away.
The next athlete may only enter the TZ shortly before the exchange, and loitering isn't allowed. Getting the right person there on time is the team's job.
One rule catches teams out. If someone does two legs back to back, they still have to run through the TZ after their first station so the timing system reads their chip. Skip it and you get an automatic penalty.
Each racer wears their own timing chip on the ankle, so a Relay team uses four chips. The usual race rules apply too: use the correct Roxzone IN and OUT arches (a 2-minute penalty each time you get it wrong), and a missed 1 km run is a disqualification. Our Roxzone and pacing guide explains how the flow works.
The finish
When the last athlete leaves the TZ for run 8, the other three walk to the wall ball station along the spectator paths. Once leg 8 starts on wall balls, they can go in through a marked Relay Entry Point and stand under the rig to support their teammate. After the 100th rep, all four run to the finish together.
Loads by team type
Relay uses Open-level loads. There is no Pro Relay.
| Station | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| Sled push (incl. sled) | 102 kg | 152 kg |
| Sled pull (incl. sled) | 78 kg | 103 kg |
| Farmers carry | 2 × 16 kg | 2 × 24 kg |
| Sandbag lunges | 10 kg | 20 kg |
| Wall balls | 4 kg to 2.70 m | 6 kg to 3.00 m |
The SkiErg, row and burpee broad jumps are the same for everyone. In a Mixed team, each athlete uses the load for their own sex. A woman on the sled push moves 102 kg, and a man on the same leg moves 152 kg.
Age groups
Relay has just two age groups, Under 40 and 40+, based on the average age of the four teammates on race day. For example, a team aged 24, 38, 48 and 40 averages 37.5 and goes into Under 40.
Relay: who should do which stations?
Start with your strongest runners and strongest lifters, then pick a split pattern. Every leg includes a full 1 km run, so the run is half of every assignment. The station decides who fits each leg best.
Step 1: Sort your team into profiles
Rate each teammate quickly on three things:
- Engine: running and the SkiErg and row
- Strength: sled push, sled pull and farmers carry
- Leg endurance and grit: burpee broad jumps, lunges and wall balls
Most teams have a runner, a strong athlete, an all-rounder and someone newer to HYROX. That spread suits the Relay well.
Step 2: Pick a split pattern
Pattern A: Alternating rotation (athletes go A, B, C, D, A, B, C, D)
| Athlete | Legs | Profile |
|---|---|---|
| A | 1 (SkiErg) + 5 (row) | Engine: machines and running |
| B | 2 (sled push) + 6 (farmers carry) | Strength |
| C | 3 (sled pull) + 7 (lunges) | Strength and legs |
| D | 4 (burpee broad jumps) + 8 (wall balls) | Leg endurance and grit |
Everyone gets three legs of rest between efforts, and the pairings group similar demands. It's the easiest pattern for mixed-ability teams.
Pattern B: Back-to-back blocks
| Athlete | Legs |
|---|---|
| A | 1 + 2 (SkiErg, sled push) |
| B | 3 + 4 (sled pull, burpee broad jumps) |
| C | 5 + 6 (row, farmers carry) |
| D | 7 + 8 (lunges, wall balls) |
You get fewer handovers and each athlete warms up only once. The second leg is harder because you start it already tired. This pattern suits fit, experienced teams. Leg 3 into leg 4 is brutal: sled pull, then 1 km, then burpee broad jumps.
Pattern C: Hybrid
You can mix the two. For example, give your best runner two separate legs and a strong athlete the back-to-back sled push and sled pull (legs 2 and 3).
Step 3: Match people to the hardest legs
- Sled push and pull (legs 2 and 3): give these to your strongest athlete, ideally split up (Pattern A) or back to back only if they're very fit. Sleds are where a mismatch costs the most time. See our sled push and pull tips.
- Wall balls (leg 8): pick someone who is reliable, not just fast. No-reps hurt here, and this is the leg your teammates watch from under the rig. Brush up with the wall ball tips.
- Burpee broad jumps (leg 4): these suit lighter, springy athletes with good conditioning. See the burpee broad jump guide.
- SkiErg and row (legs 1 and 5): a strong runner with good machine technique can gain time here without heavy loads.
- Your newest teammate: consider the SkiErg, row or farmers carry, which are lower-skill and easy to pace.
Mixed teams
Because each athlete uses their own load, don't automatically give the sleds to the men. A strong woman pushing 102 kg can be quicker than a man of average strength pushing 152 kg. Time the actual efforts in training at race loads and assign legs by result.
Team strategy: warm-ups, waiting and handovers
Time your warm-ups for later legs
In Pattern A, the athlete on leg 4 waits through three full legs before starting. As a rough example only, if your legs take 7 to 10 minutes each, that's about 20 to 30 minutes of waiting. Your real times depend on your team, so time a practice run.
- Leg 1 athlete: warm up fully before the start, the same way you would for a solo race.
- Later legs: do a short, sharp warm-up of 8 to 12 minutes that finishes a few minutes before you're due in the TZ. Include easy jogging, mobility for the station you're about to do, and two or three short pickups at race pace. The venue has a racers-only warm-up area.
- Second leg in Pattern A: you've been sitting for a while and your legs will stiffen. Keep moving with light walking and a few strides before you go back in.
- Stay warm: bring a layer to wear between legs and take it off just before the exchange. Our race-day packing list covers what to bring.
Run your own pace, not a sprint
Relay legs are short, so it's tempting to sprint the run. Don't. Go hard but controlled so you reach the station able to work. Sprinting the run and then crawling through the sled push loses more time than it gains.
Handover etiquette
- Assign a spotter. One resting teammate tracks the race and calls "next up, two minutes" so nobody misses an exchange.
- Arrive just in time. Enter the TZ only shortly before your teammate is due. Hanging around blocks other teams and isn't allowed.
- Make the high-five clean, then the finished athlete moves out of the zone immediately.
- Don't run alongside your teammate on the course or coach them from inside the race area. Cheer from the spectator side.
- Count your laps. Each racer is responsible for running the right number of laps on their run. A missed lap is a time penalty and a missed 1 km is a disqualification.
- Back-to-back athletes: remember the run-through of the TZ between your two legs.
Practice once before race day
Do one full relay simulation in the gym: assign the legs, time each one, and rehearse the handover. You'll spot problem pairings fast. Most Relay teams form through a gym or class, and Official HYROX Training Clubs are the usual starting point. See our guide to training for HYROX for how they work.
Can teenagers or kids race HYROX?
Yes, but which race they can enter depends on their age.
Age 16 and up: the main race, including Relay
The rulebook sets a minimum age of 16 on the day of the race for HYROX events. That covers Singles, Doubles and Relay. The youngest age group in Singles and Doubles is Under 24 (16 to 24). In Relay, a teenager just counts toward the team's average age.
A Relay is often the best first race for a 16- or 17-year-old. It means two short legs at Open loads with experienced teammates around them. Check the event page and the terms on hyrox.com for any extra requirements for under-18s before you book.
Ages 8 to 15: HYROX Youngstars
HYROX Youngstars is a separate race for children aged 8 to 15. It follows the adult race's station order, adapted for kids:
- Categories: 8–9, 10–11, 12–13 and 14–15. The child's age on race day sets the category, not their age when you booked.
- Format: the same eight-station sequence, with shorter run laps (HYROX's FAQ describes laps of about 200 to 275 m). Younger groups get swaps, such as frogger jumps instead of burpee broad jumps for ages 8–9, and squats instead of wall balls for kids under 12.
- Distances and weights: these are set out in a separate rulebook and graphic for each age category on the Youngstars page.
- Parents: a guardian ticket is included, and the guardian must check the child in and out. Parents can't race alongside their child. They follow from behind the run-course fences.
Youngstars runs only at selected events
Youngstars isn't part of every HYROX race. It's held at selected events, with its own schedule and ticket. For late 2026, hyrox.com listed Youngstars at events including Utrecht, London ExCeL and Paris. Schedules differ between events, and not every event offers every age group. Use the Youngstars filter on the official event calendar to see which races offer it.
FAQ
How does the HYROX Relay work?
Four teammates share one full race. Each person runs 2 × 1 km and does the two stations that follow those runs. The legs run in the normal 1–8 order, teammates hand over with a high-five in the Transition Zone, and all four cross the finish together after the wall balls.
Relay: who should do which stations?
Give the sleds (legs 2 and 3) to your strongest athlete, wall balls (leg 8) to someone reliable, and the SkiErg and row (legs 1 and 5) to a good runner. A simple plan that works for most teams is an A-B-C-D-A-B-C-D rotation: SkiErg + row, sled push + farmers carry, sled pull + lunges, and burpee broad jumps + wall balls.
Is the station order fixed for each Relay athlete?
The race order is fixed (legs 1 to 8), but which teammate does which legs is up to you. Each person does exactly two legs, either back to back or split up. If you do two in a row, you must run through the Transition Zone between them.
What weights does the Relay use?
Open loads. Women use 102 kg on the sled push, 78 kg on the sled pull, 2 × 16 kg kettlebells, a 10 kg sandbag and a 4 kg wall ball. Men use 152 kg, 103 kg, 2 × 24 kg, 20 kg and 6 kg. In Mixed, each athlete uses the load for their own sex, and there's no Pro Relay.
What's the minimum age? Can kids or teens do HYROX (Youngstars)?
You must be at least 16 on race day for Singles, Doubles or Relay. Kids aged 8 to 15 can race HYROX Youngstars, a separate race with age categories, shorter runs and adapted stations, held only at selected events.
Can a 16-year-old do a HYROX Relay?
Yes. Anyone who is 16 on race day can race Relay. It's a great first race for a teenager. Check the event's terms for any extra requirements for under-18s.
Next steps
Compare all formats in HYROX divisions explained, read the Doubles strategy guide if your team might pair up instead, and find a race that offers Relay (or Youngstars) on the race calendar. You can split the costs with the race cost calculator.