Practical guide 2 min read
How to cut your HYROX Roxzone time
Fifteen transitions add up. Measure your Roxzone time, see what a few seconds per transition is worth, and find where the seconds go.
What the Roxzone is
The Roxzone is the transition area between the HYROX running track and the workout stations. Your Roxzone time is everything between finishing a run and starting a station, and between finishing a station and starting the next run. It shows up on your result as its own split, and it counts toward your finish time like everything else.
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Why it adds up
A race has eight runs and eight stations, so there are 15 changeovers between them. Small savings multiply:
| Saved per transition | Saved over the race |
|---|---|
| 2 seconds | 30 seconds |
| 5 seconds | 1:15 |
| 10 seconds | 2:30 |
Saving five seconds per transition is worth as much as running every kilometre about 9 seconds faster. For most people it's far easier to find.
Measure yours
Enter your time per transition in the HYROX Pace & Finish Time Calculator as Roxzone time. The results show the total next to your running and station time, and the timeline shows where every transition falls.
If you have a past result, divide your Roxzone split by 15. If you don't, time yourself in training walking from a run into a station, getting set, and back out again. The planner's example uses 25 seconds each, 6:15 for the race.
Where the seconds go
- Walking when you could jog. Jog the Roxzone in, even slowly. Walk only if you've planned to recover there.
- Setting up the station. Know the setup before race day: where to stand on the SkiErg, how the rower's foot straps work, how to pick up the kettlebells.
- Drinking and chalk. Decide in advance which transitions you'll drink in. Stopping at every one adds up.
- Hesitating at the exit. Know the route out of each station, so you're running as soon as the work is done.
Should you lock it?
In goal mode, the planner speeds up the Roxzone along with everything else. If your transitions are already quick, tick Lock Roxzone time so the goal is shared between the runs and stations instead. If your Roxzone time is long, leave it unlocked: it's often the cheapest time in the race.