Hyrox Doubles Rules and Format

Hyrox Doubles is the team-of-two version of the race, and it is the format most people pick for their first event - it is social, it is a little less brutal than going solo, and it is genuinely fun. But the rules confuse almost everyone the first time. The single most common misunderstanding: doubles is not half a Hyrox. You and your partner share the station work, but you both run every single metre. This guide explains exactly how Hyrox doubles works - who runs, how you split each station, the weights, and how it differs from a singles race.

How does Hyrox doubles work?

In Hyrox Doubles, two athletes complete one race together: they run all 8 x 1km runs side by side, and they share the work at each of the 8 stations. The station volumes are the same as a singles race - 1000m of SkiErg, 100 wall balls, and so on - but two people divide that work however they want. That is the whole format in one sentence. The running is doubled-up (both of you do it); the stations are shared.

So a doubles race looks like this, in the same fixed order as every Hyrox:

1. Run 1km (both partners)
2. SkiErg - shared
3. Run 1km (both partners)
4. Sled Push - shared
5. Run 1km (both partners)
6. Sled Pull - shared
7. Run 1km (both partners)
8. Burpee Broad Jumps - shared
9. Run 1km (both partners)
10. Rowing - shared
11. Run 1km (both partners)
12. Farmer’s Carry - shared
13. Run 1km (both partners)
14. Sandbag Lunges - shared
15. Run 1km (both partners)
16. Wall Balls - shared
17. Finish

If you want the full distances and weights for every station, see the Hyrox station standards reference - the volumes there are the singles totals, which in doubles you split between the two of you.

The runs: you both run all 8 kilometres

This is the rule that surprises people. Both partners run every run, together. There is no splitting the running. You will each cover the full 8km over the course of the race, the same as a singles athlete.

What this means in practice:

• You run as a pair and must stay together on course (you cannot send your faster partner ahead to “save time”).
• Your running pace is effectively your slower partner’s pace, so a well-matched pair matters more than one fast runner.
• Because you are sharing the stations, you arrive at each run fresher than a solo athlete would - which is exactly why doubles run splits are usually faster than singles splits.

The stations: shared, and you choose the split

At each station, the total work is the same as a singles race, but the two of you divide it. Only one partner works the station implement at a time while the other rests, and you swap back and forth until the total is done. How you split it is entirely your tactical choice:

• 50/50 is the default - take turns in even chunks.
• Lopsided splits are common and smart: the stronger partner takes more of a station that suits them (the taller athlete does more wall balls, the heavier athlete does more sled).
• You can switch as often as you like on most stations, which lets you go in short, hard bursts and recover while your partner works.

There are some station-specific constraints on when you are allowed to swap - for example, on the sleds you generally change over at the turn rather than mid-length, and the burpee broad jumps and lunges swap at set points. These switch rules and the exact rep counts get adjusted between seasons, so confirm the current details in the official rulebook at hyrox.com before race day. The framework above (shared total, one works at a time, you pick the split) is what stays constant.

The weights: Open-division standard

Hyrox Doubles uses the Open-division weights - the same loads as an individual Open race, not the heavier Pro loads. The sled, sandbag, wall ball, and farmer’s carry weights do not change just because there are two of you; you simply share the reps at those weights. (There is no separate “Pro Doubles” weight tier for general entry - Pro is its own singles division.)

Because the loads are Open standard but you only do part of the volume, doubles lets you attack each station harder than you could solo. That is the core tactical difference, and it is covered in the Hyrox doubles strategy guide.

The doubles categories

Hyrox runs three doubles categories:

Category	Who
Men’s Doubles	Two men
Women’s Doubles	Two women
Mixed Doubles	One man + one woman

Mixed doubles has its own dynamics - pairing a stronger and a lighter athlete changes how you split each station. We cover that pairing in detail in the mixed doubles guide.

How doubles differs from singles, at a glance

	Singles	Doubles
Running	8 x 1km, you alone	8 x 1km, both partners together
Station work	All of it, you alone	Shared total, one works at a time
Weights	Open or Pro	Open standard
Total run distance per person	8km	8km (same)
Total station work per person	100%	Roughly your share (often ~50%)
Typical finish time	Longer	Faster (shared stations)

The headline: doubles does not reduce your running, it reduces your station load. Anyone telling you doubles is “the easy option” has not done the 8km.

Common doubles rules questions

Do both partners have to cross the finish line? Yes - you race and finish as a team; your time is the team’s time.

Can we split the running if one of us is faster? No. Both partners run every run, together.

Can we switch at the station whenever we want? On most stations you can swap freely; a few have defined switch points (notably the sleds). Check the current rulebook.

What weights do we lift? Open-division weights for all doubles categories.

Is doubles easier than singles? The stations are easier (shared); the running is identical. Most first-timers still find it humbling.

Doubles lives or dies on how well you split the work - and you cannot plan the split if you have never logged your station times. Track every training session, station by station, in the Hyrox Training Logbook so you and your partner know exactly who should take more of what on race day.

What to do next

1. Pick your partner and category - matched running pace matters more than raw strength.
2. Decide a rough split per station based on each person’s strengths, then test it.
3. Train the handover - swapping cleanly mid-station is a skill that saves real time.
4. Run a full doubles simulation before race day using the doubles training plan.
5. Read the official rulebook at hyrox.com for the current per-station switch rules and rep counts.

Related reading

• Hyrox Doubles Strategy
• Hyrox Doubles Training Plan
• Mixed Doubles Guide
• What is Hyrox?
• The Hyrox Glossary

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Part of the Kitaborn Hyrox series. Books born with purpose.