Hyrox Relay Strategy: How to Assign Stations to the Right Athletes

The full Hyrox course still happens: 8 runs of 1km and 8 stations in order. The 4 athletes divide these elements between them. A common baseline split is 2 runs and 2 stations per athlete. The race is continuous: one athlete finishes their assigned elements and the next athlete begins theirs from the handoff zone. Athletes not currently racing must remain in the team area. No athlete may complete more than their assigned elements without causing a disqualification.

Three main assignment approaches:

• Equal split: athlete 1 does runs 1 and 2 plus stations 1 and 2, athlete 2 does runs 3 and 4 plus stations 3 and 4, and so on. Simple but ignores individual strengths.
• Strength-based: assign SkiErg and rowing to the aerobic specialist, sled push and sled pull to the strongest lower-body athlete, burpee jumps and wall balls to the lightest and most agile athlete, farmers carry and lunges to the athlete with best grip and quad endurance.
• Fatigue management: give the two heaviest consecutive stations (sled push and sled pull) to your strongest athlete to minimize the impact on what follows.

In Relay, each athlete runs their own designated 1km segments independently. There is no pacing constraint from a partner as in Doubles. Each athlete should know their individual target pace and commit to it from the start of their run segment regardless of how fresh or fatigued they feel. The recovery period while waiting between runs can cause muscles to cool. Each athlete should stay moving, doing light walking or easy jogging, while waiting rather than sitting.

The stations with the highest benefit from specialist assignment are the SkiErg (upper body endurance athlete), sled push and sled pull (strongest lower body athlete), and rowing (technique matters most here). Wall balls benefit from the tallest athlete or the one with the best overhead capacity at high rep count. Burpee broad jumps benefit from the lightest and most agile team member. Farmers carry benefits from the athlete with the best grip endurance and consistent carry posture.

Two things must be established before race day: a clear verbal handoff signal and a pre-agreed warmup routine during waiting periods. The handoff in the transition zone is timed. A fumbled or unclear handoff costs seconds and creates confusion. Agree on a specific signal such as a clear word or a physical tap on the shoulder. Also decide who is responsible for timing cues and calling out station rep counts during each athlete's active elements.

Four errors that consistently cost relay teams time:

• Athletes sitting or standing still in the team area during waiting periods and arriving cold for their next element
• No practice of the handoff transition before race day, including the specific zone and timing protocol
• Ego-competing within the team, where one athlete tries to outperform others on their stations rather than pacing for the team total
• Incorrect station assignment, specifically placing a non-sled athlete on the sled push and pull combination

Example assignment for a balanced 4-person relay team:

• Athlete 1 (aerobic specialist): Run 1, SkiErg (station 1), Run 5, Rowing (station 5)
• Athlete 2 (strongest lower body): Run 2, Sled Push (station 2), Run 6, Farmers Carry (station 6)
• Athlete 3 (best agility and grip): Run 3, Sled Pull (station 3), Run 7, Lunges (station 7)
• Athlete 4 (best conditioning and overhead): Run 4, Burpee Broad Jumps (station 4), Run 8, Wall Balls (station 8)

Test this assignment in a training simulation before race day and adjust based on how the workload actually feels for each athlete.