Hyrox PRO Athletes Share Running Pacing While Strength Station Times Differ

Competitors in elite functional fitness racing share an underlying running pacing profile across skill tiers, but their overall race outcomes and sex-specific time allocations diverge primarily at strength-based stations, according to an observational analysis of official Hyrox PRO competition data. The retrospective investigation revealed that while athletes demonstrated broadly comparable pacing templates throughout the eight running kilometres, performance discrepancies grew substantially on loaded and bodyweight exercises. Slower competitors lost disproportionate amounts of time on demanding strength tasks rather than during running intervals, while differences between male and female competitors aligned with category load scaling across the course.

The study examined pacing and effort distribution within Hyrox, an event format that has grown rapidly as a prominent High-Intensity Functional Training competition. Although pacing strategies and energy management are recognized determinants of overall success in traditional endurance disciplines and CrossFit competitions, empirical evidence assessing how these tactical distributions vary by sex and athletic performance level in Hyrox remained absent from the scientific literature. The research team set out to characterize these pacing profiles and evaluate whether tactical execution differs systematically between men and women across distinct performance cohorts.

To evaluate race dynamics, the researchers conducted an observational, retrospective study examining official Hyrox PRO race results from 6,081 male and 2,341 female athletes. To isolate elite execution while categorizing the broader competitor field, the authors established a descriptive top-performance group consisting exclusively of the three fastest overall finishers. For the remainder of the cohort, performance groups were defined statistically using standardized z-scores derived from overall race completion times. The researchers calculated the relative duration spent in each of the competition’s eight distinct running intervals and eight individual strength stations, quantifying each segment as a percentage of total race duration, aggregate running time, and aggregate strength station time.

The authors applied several statistical methods to separate running pacing patterns from strength station performance. Differences across defined performance categories were evaluated using Welch’s analysis of variance. To identify segment-by-segment variations and investigate sex interactions, the investigators conducted mixed-design analysis of variance to evaluate potential sex-by-segment interaction effects. In addition, the team tracked phase-by-phase sex variations across the race trajectory using one-dimensional statistical parametric mapping. Effect sizes were determined and reported using partial eta squared along with Hedges’ g to establish the magnitude of observed group and sex differences.

The analysis revealed that running pacing followed a remarkably similar geometric shape across all performance groups, displaying only small statistical deviations at specific points in the race. Minor pacing divergence appeared at kilometres 1, 2, and 8, but effect sizes remained small, with partial eta squared values reaching no higher than 0.054. When assessing sex differences in running pacing, the researchers observed trivial effects across the cohort, yielding a partial eta squared of approximately 0.005. These observations indicate that running pace distribution remained largely stable across competitive tiers and did not represent the primary site of performance variation between men and women.

In contrast to running, performance differences and sex-related variations concentrated heavily across the strength stations. Ergometer stations accounted for a progressively smaller percentage of total strength time as athlete performance declined, with partial eta squared values ranging from 0.47 to 0.51 for the SkiErg and RowErg. This trend indicated that slower competitors surrendered substantial time on loaded and bodyweight stations rather than stationary ergometers. Furthermore, sex differences were detected across strength stations in all performance cohorts, with partial eta squared values ranging from 0.060 to 0.098. Female competitors allocated a larger proportion of their time to the SkiErg, Burpee Broad Jump, RowErg, and Farmers Carry, whereas male competitors devoted a larger share of time to Sandbag Lunges and Wall Balls, aligning with the PRO division’s sex-specific equipment loading. The authors concluded that these patterns offer an empirical framework for structuring pacing and training strategies tailored to athlete sex and competition tier.

Subject of Research: Pacing and effort distribution across running and strength stations in Hyrox PRO athletes

Article Title: Pacing and effort distribution in Hyrox® PRO athletes: differences by sex and performance level

Article References: Olivares-Llorente, R., Martín-Castellanos, A., Agudo-Ortega, A., Martín-Castellanos, C., Barba-Ruiz, M., & Hermosilla-Perona, F. (2026). Pacing and effort distribution in Hyrox® PRO athletes: differences by sex and performance level. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-026-02155-0

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s13102-026-02155-0

Keywords: Hyrox PRO, pacing strategies, effort distribution, High-Intensity Functional Training, endurance performance, running segments, strength stations, SkiErg, RowErg, Burpee Broad Jump, Farmers Carry, Sandbag Lunges, Wall Balls, Welch ANOVA, statistical parametric mapping, sex differences, performance level, load scaling