Guide
How to pace your first HYROX
Almost everyone sprints run 1. Don't. It's followed by seven more runs and eight stations, and you pay for a fast first kilometre all race.
Updated Sun, Oct 18, 2026
The one-question test
Could you repeat this pace seven more times, with a station after each one? If not, slow down.
A simple pacing plan
- 1Runs 1 to 3: controlled. Slower than you think. The SkiErg and both sleds are coming.
- 2Runs 4 to 6: steady. Settle into the pace you trained in compromised runs.
- 3Runs 7 and 8: race. Whatever is left goes here, before the lunges and the wall balls.
Station pacing
- SkiErg: smooth and sustainable. Long strokes, not a sprint.
- Sleds: keep them moving. Stopping and restarting a sled costs more than going slower.
- Wall balls: plan your sets before you start (see wall ball strategy).
- Roxzone: walk with purpose. Racing the transition just raises your heart rate before the next station.
Know your numbers
The Cheetah plans start with a 1 km time trial in week 1 and repeat it mid-plan. Your race pace for the runs is usually well slower than that time trial: the compromised runs in training will show you how much.
Find your plan in 60 secondsFour questions: your level, equipment and race date.Questions
How fast should I run the first km of HYROX?
At a pace you could repeat seven more times with a station after each. For most first-timers that is noticeably slower than their fresh 1 km pace.
Get a plan built for your first race
Answer four questions and Cheetah gives you a week-by-week plan for your level and equipment.
Read next
Compromised running for HYROXCompromised running means running straight off a station on tired legs. What it is, why it decides your HYROX time, and a simple workout to train it.Read the guideThe 8 HYROX stations, in orderAll 8 HYROX stations in race order with distances, 2026/27 weights and one first-timer tip for each, from the SkiErg to the 100 wall balls.Read the guideYour first HYROX checklistA printable first-HYROX checklist: what to do the night before, what to pack, race-morning mistakes to avoid, and your plan for run 1.Read the guide