Guide
How do you save time in the Roxzone?
You save time in the Roxzone by knowing the route, by keeping running and by avoiding penalties. The Roxzone is the part of the course between the running loop and the stations. Even the top 100 Pro men lost an average of 4:10 there in season 2024/25, about 7% of race time. Taking the wrong arch costs a 2-minute penalty. Practise transitions in every sim, aiming for under 20 seconds per transition.
In short
- The Roxzone is the zone between the running course and the stations, with an IN arch and an OUT arch.
- Even in the Pro top 100, the Roxzone took over 4 minutes.
- Taking the wrong arch costs a 2-minute penalty.
- Check the athlete map beforehand and count your own laps.
- Practise transitions in every sim; never walk.
What is the Roxzone?
The Roxzone is the part of the course between the running course and the stations. According to the season 26/27 rulebook, every HYROX course has three parts: the running course, the Roxzone and the stations. You enter the Roxzone through the IN arch and leave it through the OUT arch. You pass through it at every transition between running and a station.
Your time in the Roxzone counts towards your finish time, but it belongs to neither a run nor a station. That is why it is listed separately in the results.
How much time does the Roxzone cost?
More than you think. Rappelt and colleagues (2026) analysed results from the Pro division over seven seasons. Even in the top 100, the Roxzone took a few minutes:
| Season | Top 100 Pro men | Top 100 Pro women |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 3:37 (6.1%) | 3:56 (5.8%) |
| 2023/24 | 4:09 (7.1%) | 4:09 (6.3%) |
| 2024/25 | 4:10 (7.3%) | 4:34 (7.2%) |
The figure in brackets is the share of total race time.
Where do you lose time in the Roxzone?
In three places:
- Walking. After a heavy station the urge to walk is strong. It costs seconds at every transition.
- Searching. Where is your lane, which kettlebells belong to your division, where is the OUT arch? Searching costs time.
- Penalties. The wrong arch costs 2 minutes, and so does leaving a station through the IN arch.
Brandt and colleagues (2025) saw that heart rate at the stations was higher than during the runs. So you enter the Roxzone with a high heart rate. The researchers call the transition between efforts an important point of attention for HYROX athletes.
Which rules do you need to know?
A few rulebook rules cost a lot of time if you miss them.
| Rule | Consequence if you miss it |
|---|---|
| Enter through the IN arch and leave through the OUT arch | 2-minute penalty each time |
| Use the lane or machine an official assigns you | 2-minute penalty each time |
| Pick the right weight yourself for farmers carry and lunges | Redo the station, otherwise disqualification |
| Put kettlebells and sandbag back in the right place | 30-second penalty, unless you fix it before leaving the Roxzone |
| Count your running laps yourself | A missed kilometre means disqualification |
| Chalk only at sled pull and farmers carry | 2-minute penalty |
How do you prepare for race day?
Study the athlete map for your race. It shows how the course runs and how many laps you run per kilometre. According to the rulebook, a kilometre can consist of 1 to 5 laps, depending on the venue. If you can, walk or look through the route of the Roxzone beforehand. Know which weight you pick up at which station.
If you run 4:00 per kilometre or faster, the rulebook says you must use the Fast Lane, the narrow inside lane. For the pace to run, read run pacing.
How do you train transitions?
In every sim. In the threshold phase of Benchmrk, the focus of the sim is: no walking between running and station. If you train alone, the goal is to keep every transition under 20 seconds.
| Drill | How |
|---|---|
| Keep running | After every station, go straight on at running pace, even when it feels heavy |
| Set up the station | In training, set everything up as in the race and run to it at pace |
| Count laps | Count your own laps in your sim, without a watch alarm |
| Dress rehearsal | Do the full sim in race kit with the transitions included |
How to build the sim itself is in building a HYROX simulation. After the sleds, running on is the hardest; tips are in a faster sled push.
How does the Roxzone count in your prediction?
Benchmrk estimates your Roxzone time separately, based on your threshold pace. In the engine example on predicting your HYROX finish time that is 5:25 for a man in Open with a threshold pace of 4:45/km. In Doubles the app uses 10% more Roxzone time.
How Benchmrk does it
Your prediction shows the Roxzone as a separate part next to runs and stations. In the sims of the threshold phase, the focus is on transitions without walking, aiming for under 20 seconds per transition. If you follow a gym template with more than 100% running distance, you get a note about the Roxzone as well.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Roxzone in HYROX?
It is the part of the course between the running course and the stations. You enter the Roxzone through the IN arch and leave it through the OUT arch.
How much time does the Roxzone cost?
In the Pro top 100 it averaged 4:10 for men and 4:34 for women in season 2024/25, about 7% of total time. In Benchmrk the estimated Roxzone time grows with a slower threshold pace.
What penalties can you get in the Roxzone?
Entering through the OUT arch or leaving through the IN arch costs a 2-minute penalty. The same applies if you leave a station through the IN arch.
Who counts the running laps?
You do. According to the rulebook you are responsible for counting your own laps; a lap screen is only an aid.
Can you train the Roxzone?
Yes. In every sim, practise the transition from running to station and back, without walking. When you train alone, Benchmrk sets a goal of keeping every transition under 20 seconds.
Sources
- HYROX Singles Rulebook, season 26/27 (accessed on 22 October 2026)
- Rappelt et al. (2026), Longitudinal performance development in PRO and ELITE HYROX competitions, Frontiers in Physiology (accessed on 22 October 2026)
- Brandt et al. (2025), Frontiers in Physiology (accessed on 22 October 2026)