HYROX Doubles Strategy: How to Split the Work With Your Partner

Kalern Thomas

Oct 4

3 min read

Short answer: in HYROX doubles both of you run every kilometre together, and you share the work on the stations however you like. The fastest pairs split stations by strength, swap before either person slows down and run at the pace of the slower runner.

Kalern Thomas, founder of Kalective Fitness, raced mixed doubles at the 2026 HYROX World Championships in Stockholm (25–29 age group, 57:52). This is how he thinks about it.

How doubles works

The race is the same as a singles race: eight 1 km runs, each followed by a station. Both partners run all eight kilometres side by side. On each station only one of you works at a time, and you can swap as often as you want. Check the current HYROX rulebook for the weights and wall ball targets in your division.

Run at the slower runner's pace

You have to stay together on the runs, so your running pace is set by whoever is slower on the day. The stronger runner's job is to hold that pace steady, not to pull ahead and make their partner chase. If one of you is clearly the faster runner, they should take more of the station work so the other arrives at each run fresher.

Split stations by strength, not by halves

A 50/50 split is rarely the fastest. Go through each station in training and work out who is quicker and by how much.

SkiErg and row: short, hard efforts with quick swaps usually beat two long efforts. Practise getting in and out of the foot straps.
Sled push and pull: give more of the distance to the stronger partner, but swap before they grind to a stop.
Burpee broad jumps: swap in short sets so nobody drops into slow, heavy reps.
Farmers carry: grip is the limit. Swap before a put-down, not after one.
Sandbag lunges: steady, legal steps. Hand the bag over cleanly.
Wall balls: small sets with fast changeovers. One of you counts while the other works.

Agree the plan before race day

Decide who starts each station and roughly where you swap, and write it down. Racing is noisy and you won't want to negotiate when you're both breathing hard. Agree one word that means "I need to swap now" so nobody is being polite while the clock runs.

Practise the changeovers

Swaps are free time if they're slick and lost time if they aren't. Do at least two sessions together where you run a kilometre and then share a station with the exact split you plan to race. You'll find out quickly which splits work and which looked better on paper.

Pacing still matters

Doubles feels easier on the stations, which tempts pairs to run the first kilometres too fast. The same rule applies as in singles: start at the pace you expect to hold on run 6.

Want this built around your numbers?

Kalern coaches 1:1 and squads in Dubai, and online worldwide. The easiest first step is a free 30-minute call. If you'd rather start on your own, the free HYROX pacing guide has the full station-by-station plan and a race-day pacing card.

This is general training guidance, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, get the all-clear from your doctor or physio before racing or testing.