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When competing in your first or next HYROX race, there are generally three big questions you ask yourself. One, am I seriously going to pay that ticket price? Two, am I ready to suffer for an hour? Three, what shoes should I wear for my HYROX race?
While I can’t necessarily help you with the first two questions, I can definitely help you with the third. HYROX is a race that combines running with various strength and conditioning asks, and not to be overly dramatic here, but your shoe choice can make or break your race time.
At this point, I’m sure we’ve all seen the videos of shoes popping off in sled pushes and ankles rolling during the lunges, for example. Spend a little time researching now, and you’ll save yourself issues during the race.
Not to mention, to pay that much to race and have your SHOES be the issue, not your fitness — no thanks, miss us with that. Here are three things to look for and consider in your next pair of HYROX shoes.
First and foremost, for your HYROX race, you’ll primarily want to look into running shoes. While you can race in training shoes and minimalist shoes (I’ve done so before), most people will want to consider running shoes since HYROX is a running-heavy race. Plus, training and minimalist shoes will require some acclimation and decrease overall ride comfort.
1. Outsole Tread and Grip
Outsole grip is one of the simplest and easiest details to get right on your shoes. The outsole is the rubber bottom material that covers your running shoe. In the world of HYROX, not every outsole is created equal.
Why It Matters: For HYROX races, you’ll want to explore running shoes that have outsoles with lugs. During the sled pushes and pulls, outsole lugs will give you better bite and grip to produce force into the ground.
Good outsole tread and grip will prevent you from sliding when pushing and pulling the sled. Sliding can negatively influence your time and cause you to waste energy. A slippery outsole is a great way to burn up your quads early in the race.
Two popular running shoe examples that vary drastically here include the Adidas Adizero EVO SL and the Puma Deviate Nitro. The Adizero EVO SL was making its rounds the other month on social media for its slippery outsole killing athletes’ times and performance.
The lack of lugs on the Adizero EVO SL (above on the left) doesn’t provide enough bite on turf when digging into the forefoot for sled pushes and the full foot for sled pulls. Not to mention, you’ll usually want some lugs for the concrete most races take place on, as it can get a bit slippery with people sweating (a bit gross, but it’s the reality).
What to Look For: Look for running shoes that feature raised lugs or textured rubber across the forefoot and heel. Most running shoes will deliver on this, but there are some popular models that will be misses, such as the Adizero EVO SL.
Some good options with quality tread and grip that have worked exceptionally well for my testing and other athletes include:
- PUMA Deviate Nitro: Relatively safe bet and known as a core HYROX-focused shoe with PUMAGRIP rubber across the forefoot and heel.
- Adidas Adizero Boston 12: Make sure you explore the 12, not the 13. The 12 is a well-rounded option with good Continental rubber traction across the base of the shoe.
- Saucony Endorphin Speed: Highly responsive with moderate outsole tread. People usually love these for their blend of speed and outsole bite.
- Nike Zoom Fly: Good forefoot lugs for bite and traction with a bias towards faster-paced running.
Should You Spend for Elite: Some of the “Elite” variations like the Adidas Adizero Dropset Elite and PUMA Deviate Nitro Elite cost north of $250. In my opinion, these can be overkill for most recreational racers, especially if you’re on a budget and want to get a feel for your first race.
My advice for new racers. Get a solid running shoe that’s cost-efficient and covers all of your bases, then after you have a race under your belt, decide if you want to spend on the more expensive pair. Regarding grip, trail running shoes can also suffice in many cases due to their aggressive lugs and tread patterns as well.
If you have questions about other shoes that I didn’t list above, feel free to drop a comment below. At the end of the day, as long as your shoe has lugs and a prominent or majority placement of forefoot and heel rubber, you should be well on your way.
2. Midsole Stability and Underfoot Feel
Midsole “stability” and feel are another component to consider for your HYROX shoes. Stability is a little more objective and entails how a shoe helps you stay stable and balanced when racing. Feel is more subjective and revolves around your preferences. The midsole of a shoe is the foam layer that separates the internal footbed from the outsole.
Why It Matters: Your HYROX shoe’s midsole is the secret sauce to comfort, bounce, and stability. There’s a lot of subjectivity in this section, and you’ll want to consider what you prefer, then blend those preferences with racing demands.
In terms of events, stability is going to most heavily impact your lunges, wall balls, and farmer’s carries. These are all parts of the race where you’ll want your shoes to feel planted. As you get tired and your knees are wobbling, you don’t want too much lateral squish and sway because that can take away from your time, power transfer, and performance.
A good example here is comparing a shoe like the Adidas Adizero Dropset Pro to a Nike Vomero 18. The Adizero Dropset Pro has a midsole that runs denser as it’s a hybrid-focused training shoe, so it doesn’t compress as easily, whereas the Vomero 18 is a cushioned maximalist shoe that has a lot of squish and give to its foam.
While the Vomero 18 can certainly work for HYROX, it might be a little too squishy for some who want a little more base to perform on. A ton of squish can lead to rolled ankles and loss of power. This is why most HYROX-focused running shoes, or running shoes that work exceptionally well for HYROX, have “faster” midsole foams.
An added note on maximalist running shoes. Another thing to think about with them, and why they can be sub-optimal, is that sometimes they can lack adequate forefoot flex for digging into sleds. This is why you see a lot of the HYROX-tuned running shoes feature aggressive toe spring (the curling up of the forefoot).
What to Look For: Explore running shoes that have foams that are a little more responsive and dense to the touch. This means running shoes that most associate with track and speed workouts and faster-paced running.
Midsoles with this type of feel and foam will give you a better base to drive through and balance on. You’ll be less likely to roll your ankles when using them and pushing deep to finish off your lunges and wall balls. Plus, the foam will “give” you more ground feedback and bounce when putting power into it and driving into the floor.
A lot of options above can work great for this context, but a few other options to explore include:
- Nike Pegasus: Good daily trainer option that toes the line between dense and too soft. It’s a good entry option for most recreational racers racing for the first time and won’t be too soft.
- Mizuno Wave Rebellion Flash: Good option for those wanting something safe and consistent. Works great for daily training and racing.
- Adidas Adizero Dropset Pro: Pure hybrid training shoe option that toes the line between trainer and running shoe. Good stability and outsole grip. These will have a bit more of a dense midsole compared to the options above.
- HOKA Mach: A relatively “safe bet” for someone who wants a cost-efficient daily trainer that can work for HYROX races. It has decent tread and a softer midsole that walks the line between soft and responsive.
Do You Need Nylon and Carbon Plates: While there’s no denying that carbon plates can help you run faster, they’re not needed to run a HYROX race. In fact, I always suggest racers think carefully about the use of plates when considering their next running shoes.
Why? Well, a carbon plate or nylon material, whether a full plate or partial, will change the running economy of a shoe and alter a shoe’s stiffness. When implementing tech like this in your shoes, you’ll want to acclimate to them slowly and call your shots as to when you’re using them.
Don’t just buy a pair of carbon plated running shoes and switch full-time to them.
An easy way to accomplish this is to use your carbon-plated running shoe for your HYROX sim days, speed workouts, and peaking workouts, and opt for a non-plated shoe for your daily training. This can help provide your foot and ankle with a variety of stimuli and prevent the classic overuse issues we’re currently seeing with carbon-plated shoes used at high volumes, AKA more cases of shin splints, foot discomfort, and so forth.
Should You Spend for Pro/Elite Midsoles: Like my note above, the Elite and Pro options can work great, but you can definitely get by with other options if you don’t want to spend $200+ on a pair of shoes.
My advice to anyone who wants to save but wants an “Elite” feeling shoe. If you live by a running shoe store, go in and try on some of their Pro, Elite, and race-day running shoes to get a feel for what the midsole is like.
Once you get a brief idea of the underfoot feel and the midsole squish, you’ll be better poised to explore more budget-focused options that can rival that feeling. It’s not going to paint the full picture of how an Elite/Pro level shoe will feel. However, for recreational and first-time racers, it should be enough to get the job done and point you in a good direction.
That said, if you don’t mind spending more and you’re that “all in” type of person (this is me, too), some commonly used “pro/elite” options include:
- Adidas Dropset Elite: These are Adidas’ answer to a HYROX-focused shoe featuring a responsive Lightstrike Pro foam midsole. They have a heavy bias for faster-paced runs, with features tuned for each event.
- Saucony Endorphin Pro: Lightweight and a good blend of stability and responsiveness. If you’re trying to save money, look into the 4, it’s a great option with some sweet discounts right now.
- PUMA Deviate Nitro Elite: This model features a bouncy and responsive PUMA Nitrofoam Elite. It has enhanced grip for sled performance and max traction.
- Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro: Mizuno’s signature Wave Plate provides a fast ride in this model and the engineered mesh upper locks the foot down promoting stability.
As you race more and dial in your training runs with your HYROX sims and speed-focused workouts, you’ll naturally gravitate towards different midsoles. This is the beauty of learning and trying different running shoes.
From my experience and from talking with others, the best way to learn this when focusing on running shoes for HYROX is by simply doing, trying, and keeping track of your experiences. There’s no “one-size-fits-all” midsole feel. Everyone has their own “optimal” based on their running mechanics and feel preferences.
3. Shoe Fit
I’d suggest treating the fitment of your HYROX shoes as similar to your running shoes, but with a few caveats to consider. Keep in mind, fit can be highly individual and the goal is understanding your foot, then puzzle piecing how it will work with different models.
What to Look For: A safe bet for most is to use the rule of thumb. At the end of your toe box, you’ll generally want a thumb’s width of space off your longest toe. This typically is the sweet spot to give your toes a little room to naturally move without feeling overly cramped.
The only caveat to consider here is that some racers like a slightly snugger fit when tackling the faster-paced 1km runs and strength-focused events. I think a better new-age rule is to have anywhere between a half-thumb’s width and a full-thumb’s width of space at the end of your toe box off your longest toe. This allows for more variance and accounts for individual fit preferences. It’s also how I suggest folks size their training shoes.
Finding Your HYROX Shoe’s Fit
If you’re trying to figure out your fit in the day and age of buying online, I have two tips you can implement and try.
I spend most of my days answering sizing and fit questions on reviews and also about the shoe I built and these are two ways to figure out your foot width and length so you can cross-reference sizing guides.
Method 1: Trace and Measure
- Step 1: Grab a piece of paper and pencil.
- Step 2: With the socks on that you normally wear for running and racing, step on the paper and stand so your foot spreads.
- We do this because the foot naturally spreads when we load it. If you trace your foot without doing so, you may be getting an improper measurement.
- Step 3: Once you’ve loaded your foot, trace around your foot. Try not to angle the pencil a ton. There’s a happy medium to get the most accurate measurement. Then repeat this for your other foot.
- Step 4: Measure the width of your forefoot, midfoot, and the length of your foot from the back of the heel to your longest toe.
From here, you’ll have key measurements to help you cross-reference company’s sizing guides. DO NOT assume every company uses the same sizing; they do not.
You’ll take your foot’s length and match it with the corresponding number on a company’s sizing chart. Most companies naturally build their sizing guide to accommodate a little wiggle room, so you shouldn’t have to add any additional length at the end of your length measurement. Always go off of your longest foot. Yes, it’s normal to have asymmetrical measurements.
As for width, it gets a little more nuanced. Some companies provide width measurements, but most do not. Your best course of action here is to look up your foot’s width and figure out if it’s D, E, EE, etc. From here, you can then look at a product’s page to assess if there’s any mention of a “wide” fit and look up other reviews to see what others are saying.
Method 2: Go Into a Shoe Store (Preferably Running)
Most shoe stores, especially specialty shoe stores like running shoe stores, will have either Brannock scales or foot scanners. These can be easy tools to help you determine your foot measurements and be a little more accurate.
You can also then try on a variety of brands to start getting data on which brands fit your feet best. The culmination of having your foot data and trial and error will always be your best bet for finding the perfect fit. It’s normal to have some shoes that just “don’t work” for your feet even though others may love them. This is normal.
HYROX Event Details
Here is a breakdown of the standard flow for a HYROX race. Every race follows the exact same structure regardless of division: eight 1 km runs alternating with eight functional workout stations. The main variables across divisions are the loading weights used for Open and Pro, as well as division-specific standards like wall ball reps and doubles team setups.
| Segment | Event | Distance/Volume |
| Run 1 | Run | 1km Run |
| Station 1 | Ski Erg | 1,000 meters |
| Run 2 | Run | 1km Run |
| Station 2 | Sled Push | 50 meters (4×12.5m) |
| Run 3 | Run | 1km Run |
| Station 3 | Sled Pull | 50 meters (4×12.5m) |
| Run 4 | Run | 1km Run |
| Station 4 | Burpee Broad Jumps | 80 meters |
| Run 5 | Run | 1km Run |
| Station 5 | Rowing | 1,000 meters |
| Run 6 | Run | 1km Run |
| Station 6 | Farmer’s Carry | 200 meters |
| Run 7 | Run | 1km Run |
| Station 7 | Sandbag Lunges | 100 meters |
| Run 8 | Run | 1km Run |
| Station 8 | Wall Balls | 75-100 reps |
Final Remarks
I know it can feel daunting when looking into new HYROX shoes. I promise if you spend a little time researching, you’ll save yourself from feeling like you “wasted” money due to shoes holding back your performance.
At the end of the day, if you make sure your shoes have good grip and responsiveness, then you’ll be well on your way. These will be the biggest factors that influence a shoe’s output and performance. As you get a race under your belt, dialing in things like underfoot feel and sizing will also get easier.
If you have questions about shoes you’ve been debating on grabbing for HYROX and need someone to bounce thoughts off of, drop a comment below.
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