Pacing · 6 min read
How to pace your first Hyrox
Where first-timers lose the most time — and the simple pacing rules that fix it.
Almost every first-timer makes the same mistake: they go out too hard. The adrenaline of the start line, the first kilometre that feels easy — and then the wall arrives around the sled push. The good news is that pacing is the single most trainable, highest-return skill in Hyrox, and you don't need to be fit to get it right. You just need a plan.
Think in three thirds
Stations 1–3 (SkiErg, Sled Push, Sled Pull) are where races are lost, not won. Your only job here is to arrive at the Row feeling like you're working, not dying. Stations 4–6 are the grind — settle into a rhythm you can repeat. Stations 7–8 are where you spend whatever is left.
Runs are the hidden clock
There are 8 km of running in a Hyrox, and for most first-timers the runs — not the stations — decide the finish time. Every run starts on legs that just finished a station. Hold an easy, sustainable pace, and don't be too proud to walk the last 100 m into a station to drop your heart rate.
Break the stations before they break you
The wall balls are the classic blow-up. Plan your sets before you're tired: sets of 10 with a two-breath rest from rep one. Small, steady and unbroken beats fast-then-stopped every single time.
Turn this into a plan
Apex builds the counting-down plan that puts this into practice — with target splits and every station coached. Free for 7 days.
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