You run every kilometer together and share every station, one partner working at a time. Most of a doubles race is decided before the start, in the plan you make together for all eight stations. The rest is decided in the back half, by how honestly you read each other and call an audible. This page is both.
Racing doubles? Pick the tier your team uses. Doubles Women: Women Open. Doubles Men, Mixed and Doubles Women Pro: Men Open loads. Doubles Men Pro: Men Pro. The table below has the detail.
Five doubles divisions, three load tiers. The buttons at the top of every page are the singles tiers, so pick the one your team uses and every station shows your team's numbers.
| Your team | Loads | Pick |
|---|---|---|
| Doubles Women | Women Open loads | Women Open |
| Doubles Men | Men Open loads | Men Open |
| Mixed Doubles | Men Open loads, for both partners | Men Open |
| Doubles Women Pro | Men Open loads, women's wall ball target | Women Pro |
| Doubles Men Pro | Men Pro loads | Men Pro |
Wall ball targets go by the athlete, not the division: in Mixed both partners throw the 6 kg (13 lb) ball, the woman to the 2.70 m (8 ft 10 in) target and the man to 3.00 m (9 ft 10 in). The Men Open button shows the men's target; the Women Pro button shows the same ball with the women's target. Mixed also means the woman pushes a Men Open sled, 152 kg (335 lb) including the sled, pulls 103 kg (227 lb) and lunges with the 20 kg (44 lb) bag. Plan for that in decision 3.
Every kilometer is run at the pace of whoever is slower that day. The faster runner cannot buy time on the course, only lose it with a 1-minute penalty. Coaches put it bluntly: you are only as fast as your slowest runner.
So: protect the slower runner's legs. They do less at the stations that hurt running most.Medians from 700,000 results: Doubles Men finish around 1:16 against 1:28 for Men Open singles, Doubles Women 1:28 against 1:36, Mixed 1:23. The gap is rest between turns, not strength. Short turns keep both heart rates where you can still run.
So: swap before it hurts, not after.A clean handoff costs a few seconds on the SkiErg and the most on the rower seat; a sloppy one costs far more. A partner who went too long and stalls costs a minute, and then runs badly.
So: agree swap points in numbers, not feelings, and rehearse the handoffs.Mixed Doubles uses Men Open loads for both partners. The sleds, the bag and the ball are a different job for the woman than for the man, and the wall ball targets differ.
So: the man takes more of the sleds, lunges and wall balls, but only as much as his next run can afford.Plan all eight stations. The front half usually goes as written, because you both still know what you have. By the rower you may not: one of you ran the last kilometer harder, one did more of the burpees, the heat is real. The best pairs keep the plan and are ready to change it together, on how each of them feels.
So: walking into every station from the rower on, each of you gives a number out of ten. The plan holds unless the numbers say otherwise.You will spend about half the race running at the slower partner's pace, so a pair with a similar easy-run pace wastes nothing, and the data agrees: doubles rewards pairs who are well matched at running even when one is much stronger at the stations. Pick the partner who runs well on tired legs, not fresh ones. Complementary strengths matter after that: one who moves sleds well and one who rows and skis well is a good pair; two who are weak at the same station is the pair that suffers. Then the goal. "Finish together and enjoy it" and "chase a time" are both fine, but they are different race plans, and you need to be racing the same one.
Our default: Partner with someone close to your easy-run pace, or decide now that the faster runner is racing for rest, not for time.
Doubles Women race at Women Open loads, Doubles Men and Mixed at Men Open, and the Pro divisions a tier above. Pro is a choice, not a promotion. A first doubles race at Open loads teaches you the format without a 202 kg (445 lb) sled in the way. In Mixed, remember that the woman is pushing and pulling men's sleds and lunging with the men's bag.
Our default: Open for a first doubles race. Mixed only with a plan for the sleds, which is decision 3.
This is the trade-off that decides the race, and coaches split into two camps. One camp, including former doubles world-record holders, says the better runner does the main part of each station and especially its last part, so the slower runner starts every run with a breath and both arrive at the run equally tired. The other camp splits by strength: sleds, carry and lunges to the stronger mover, ergs and wall balls to the better engine, while keeping the better runner's legs light. Both camps agree on two things. Never split 50/50 out of politeness, and decide the night before who starts and who finishes each station. Giving one partner a whole station is rarely right for a first race.
Our default: The better runner takes the bigger share of every station and finishes it. Inside that rule, the sleds go to whoever moves them well, and the slower runner takes longer turns on the SkiErg and the rower, where sitting down is recovery.
Each station has a natural swap unit: lengths on the sleds, meters on the ergs, reps on the wall balls. Agree the unit and the count before the race and write it on the plan card. The cheapest swaps are on the SkiErg, the sleds and the burpees; the most expensive is the rower seat, so the rower is the one station where your practised swap time sets the turn length. Shorter turns keep both heart rates low and cost more swaps; longer turns cost fewer swaps and more fatigue. First-race teams usually do better with shorter turns. The rower is the most individual call on the course, and the station list below has the variables.
Our default: The default splits are in the station list below. Change them in training; on race day, only by the audible in decision 6.
The most common doubles error is the first four kilometers too fast and the slower runner blowing up. The faster runner's job on the run is to sit at the slower runner's shoulder, never a step ahead, and to talk: time check, next station plan, breathe. The slower runner's job is honesty. Say early when the pace is too much, because a blown Run 5 costs more than a slow Run 4. The rulebook gives no distance for "running ahead"; reports for this season say the timing mats check the gap in and out of the Roxzone at about ten seconds. Stay at arm's length and it never comes up.
Our default: Slower runner sets the pace from the front or the shoulder, the faster runner never crosses them, and you both know four words: "slower", "hold", "breathe", "go".
Write the plan for the whole race, every station on the card. The front half usually goes as written, because you both start fresh. The back half is where the plan gets tested, because by the rower you no longer know exactly what your partner has left: one of you ran the last kilometer harder, one did more of the burpees, the heat and the crowd are real. So keep the plan for stations 5 to 8 and be ready to call an audible on it. Walking into each of those stations, each of you gives a number out of ten. If the numbers match the plan, run the plan. If they do not, the fresher partner takes more, no discussion. The rules let you change the split at any point, so agree beforehand that "take it" means the other partner does the next length, the next 250 m or the next ten reps. A bad station is not failure, it is the format. Coaches say the same thing in different words: pride costs time, and the resting partner should offer more work before being asked. Shorten the turns and swap more often rather than one hero taking the station over.
Our default: The plan holds unless the numbers say otherwise. A number out of ten from each of you walking into every back-half station, and when they differ the fresher partner takes the bigger share. "Take it" is a complete sentence.
The working partner has one job. The resting partner has three: count reps or meters aloud, watch the judge's hands for a warning or a no-rep, and call the swap early so the handoff is ready. On the wall balls the judge's count is the only count that matters; on the ergs, the screen. Agree one swap signal, a tap on the shoulder or "switch", and one signal for "I need longer", and agree which way you both exit the station.
Our default: Rester counts aloud every rep on the wall balls, calls "last five" before every swap, and says "mine" as they take over.
Starting points, not rules. Every pair is different, and the split that wins is the one you timed in training, swaps included. Plan all eight. From the rower on, be ready to call an audible on how you both feel walking in.
One partner skis at a time. The resting partner stays in the marked area at the machine. You may not pass the handles to each other, and only the working partner may touch the damper.
The handoffWorker lets the handles go and steps off. Rester steps on, takes the handles and starts. No words; the clock runs through the swap.
Worth knowingThe SkiErg swap is the cheapest on the course, which is why short turns work here. A clearly stronger skier can take 600 m or more of it. The faster partner skis first so the slower one starts the run rested.
One partner pushes at a time. The resting partner must walk immediately behind the working partner, not in the next lane and never ahead of the sled. The sled must fully cross the line before every turn.
The handoffSled fully over the line, worker steps to the side, rester steps in and falls into the sled without a pause. Swap while it still has momentum, never from a dead stop.
Worth knowingIn Mixed, the man taking three lengths and the woman one is common and legal, as long as his next run can afford it. Decide it before Run 2, not at the sled.
The working partner stays in the box and keeps the rope in the lane. The resting partner stays behind the worker and may not touch the rope with hands or feet, but may talk and may guide the worker as long as they stay off the box lines.
The handoffAt the end of a length the next puller runs to the far box and the rester follows behind. A mid-length swap is not forbidden: the worker lets the rope go, steps out, and the rester steps in and takes it. Agree which side of the rope you each stand on and keep it.
Worth knowingThe rester's best job here is rope management by voice: "rope's clear", "step back", "last two pulls".
The first partner starts with a burpee. The rester walks behind the worker, never alongside. On a takeover the rester places their hands where the worker's feet landed, toes and fingers in line, chest to the floor.
The handoffWorker lands and steps aside. Rester drops with hands on the landing line, chest to the floor, and jumps. Practice the takeover until it is one motion.
Worth knowingThe partner who limits the run pace takes fewer meters here. Burpees are the station that wrecks the next run, and waiting too long for a swap is the mistake coaches warn about most.
One partner rows at a time. Feet on the plates and seated before you touch the handle. The rester stays in the marked area behind the rower. You may not pass the handle, adjust the damper or do up the foot straps for each other, and the last rower stays seated until the judge confirms 1,000 m.
The handoffAgree before you sit which side you step off and on. The worker counts the last strokes down aloud, racks the handle, feet out, up and off to that side. The rester sits, feet under the loose straps, and rows. Tighten a strap yourself on the second stroke if you must. The partner with the bigger feet rows first so the straps need less loosening.
What decides itThe elite pairs at HYROX Hamburg in the 26/27 season were changing about every 300 m, and their seat change takes a few seconds. Experienced amateur racers say one change unless your changeover is slick. The rulebook's own example is 250 m. All three are right for the pair they describe. Time the full 1,000 m both ways in training, swaps included, and write the winner on the card. The rester gets the longest rest of the day here, however you split it.
The working partner carries both bells. At a swap the bells may be passed sideways or backwards, never forwards. The rester walks behind. Bells back in the box with the handles upright, or 30 seconds.
The handoffWorker sets both bells down under control; rester picks them up from the same spot or behind it. Swap before the grip goes, not after. Chalk before your turn, not during it.
Worth knowingIf the slower runner has the better grip, give them the carry. It costs the next run less than the lunges do.
The bag stays on the working partner's shoulders, never on the ground or any other surface. Passing it sideways or backwards between partners is allowed, never forwards. The rester walks behind.
The handoffShoulder to shoulder, the bag goes across without touching the floor. If you swap at a turn, the new worker starts with both feet behind the line.
Worth knowingLunges punish the next run more than any station except the burpees, and too many bag changes cost time. Give the slower runner fewer meters, not more swaps.
One partner throws at a time. The rester waits in the marked area under the rig, or every rep is a no-rep for as long as they are out of it. The ball changes hands by the floor or by hand, never by a flying catch out of the squat. In Mixed, each partner throws to their own target.
The handoffWorker catches the last rep and hands the ball over at chest height; rester starts standing tall. Hand over, breathe, ten reps. Call "last five" so the rester is already set.
Worth knowingBoth of you stand tall at the start of every block. A rep that starts from the floor does not count. A much stronger thrower can take 60 or 70 of the 100, but the better runner still throws the last block.
Set up each station and practice the handoff until it is one motion, then time ten of them. The rower seat change, the sandbag pass and the burpee takeover are the three worth the most practice. Write your average swap time on the plan card; it decides how many turns you can afford. The elite pairs' seat change takes a few seconds; under ten is the target.
An easy run, side by side, at the slower partner's conversational pace. The faster runner practices sitting on the shoulder and talking; the slower runner practices saying "slower" early. Agree the pace per kilometer you will run on race day and write it down. Once in the block, flip it: the slower runner holds the faster runner's tempo for a few kilometers, so race pace feels familiar.
The first half of the race, at race effort, with the split written on the card and nothing improvised. If you only have a sled, do it as bricks: 400 m at race pace into 25 m of pushing with the agreed swap, 90 seconds easy, four or five rounds. Note where the plan held and where it did not, and change the card that night. Nothing heavy in race week.
Fitness wins singles. Decisions win doubles. The pair that has rehearsed every handoff and knows who takes the next length does not stall, argue or stand still, and standing still is the only way to lose time you already had. Then, from the rower on, the pair that tells each other the truth about how they feel, and changes the plan together when it calls for it, beats the pair that sticks to the card no matter what.
Cannot train together? Each partner rehearses the handoffs alone, and you run together once, at the slower pace, before race day.
Every decision above fits on one card. Fill it in together the week before the race and bring it to the start.
| Station | Who starts | Swap at | Who finishes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front half: run the plan | |||
| 1 · SkiErg | |||
| 2 · Sled Push | |||
| 3 · Sled Pull | |||
| 4 · Burpee Broad Jumps | |||
| Back half: run the plan, check in walking into each one, audible if the numbers say so | |||
| 5 · Rowing | |||
| 6 · Farmers Carry | |||
| 7 · Sandbag Lunges | |||
| 8 · Wall Balls | |||
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