When preparing for your first HYROX, there’s a lot of things to consider; you’ve got the training, the tactics, the nutrition, and more. But one major question that regularly comes up is what footwear should you wear for a HYROX race?
You see, HYROX isn’t just a running event; there’s a range of functional exercises required too which means the typical question in competitor’s minds is whether running shoes are best, or is it more of a CrossFit event (and so are CrossFit style shoes more appropriate)? And if it’s running shoes, which of the many available are best for an event like this?
There’s no doubt that having the right footwear is an important area to get right in HYROX. 8km+ is a lot of distance to cover in the wrong trainers, not to mention having the wrong footwear on some of the stations – such as the sled push – can really mess up your race.
In this article we will look at the main considerations when choosing your footwear for competing in HYROX. At the end I also share with you the specific shoes that some of the top athletes in the sport have been wearing. Let’s dive in…
Comfort
We’ll start with something that’s probably goes without saying, but is also the most important; you want something that you feel comfortable in. If a shoe meets all the other criteria mentioned below, but doesn’t feel comfortable to you, then it’s the wrong choice. Furthermore, it should be something that you’ll feel comfortable wearing whilst running for over 8km.
For this reason, I think CrossFit shoes – like the Puma Fuse or Nike Metcon’s – aren’t appropriate for HYROX. Whilst they are comfortable in general, have good grip, and would be great for the functional exercises, they just wouldn’t be comfortable enough for 8km+ of running, or perform as well as other trainers might. Running shoes are far more appropriate.
Some running shoes will be more rigid than others, some lighter in weight, some bouncier, and so on. Differing shoes have differing heel drop (which is the difference between the height of the heel and the height of the forefoot).
Those factors all come down to personal preference, so I won’t give too much specific direction on them here in relation to HYROX. I will say though, in general, the less weight the better (but don’t overthink it as a few extra grams won’t make much difference to your time) and people who run with their heel striking the ground first may benefit from a slightly higher heel drop (perhaps 5-10mm).
Simplistically speaking, if you’d be happy to run 5-10km in them, that’s a good starting point.
Grip
The shoe you wear for HYROX will need a sufficient amount of grip. This is primarily for the sled pull and sled push exercises, but can also be important for slippery areas on the floor (especially in places where water has been spilt).
If you have a lack of grip on your footwear when pushing or pulling the sleds, your feet can slip on the carpet, thereby making something very hard, much harder. This is certainly something that has caught out many HYROX competitors in past events.
The grip of your trainer is primarily impacted by the amount and texture of the rubber on the outsole. The outsole is the underside of the shoe, at the front end, from the mid foot up to under the toes. It is the part that will have the most contact with the carpet on the sled push. You don’t want the outsole to be completely smooth – some ridges (lugs) will help to add to the grip. As an example, here’s the underside of the popular Puma Deviate Nitro 2 Elite which have a really good amount of grip and feel very solid on the sleds…
In my experience it’s not something to stress over a huge amount if the lug height isn’t as big as in the picture above. I’ve also raced in those pictured below, which are the outsoles of the Nike Pegasus 37 Turbo 2 (which Nike no longer sell). The ridges are smaller but were still fine for HYROX (at the Men’s Open weights)…
However, I’ll add a disclaimer and say that lugs as small as those may not be appropriate on all shoes, I just know that they worked ok for me on those particular shoes. It’s also possible they may not have been appropriate at the Male Pro weights.
If you aren’t sure if your shoe has enough grip, the best thing to do would be to test it out on a sled push prior to the event. Tip – if you haven’t entered a HYROX before, when testing the shoes on a sled push, make it heavier than you’re expecting it to be.
Super Shoes
A lot of the more expensive racing “super shoes” being brought to the market are great for running but may not be appropriate for HYROX. One of the reasons for this is the lack of grip many of them provide. Often they are simply designed for running long distances in. Therefore, the companies minimise the amount the shoe weighs by sacrificing rubber on the outsole. It’s certainly something to check out before making an expensive purchase.
Heel Counter
The heel counter is at the heel of the shoe and helps to provide stability to the back of the foot. It can be an important consideration for HYROX as if the shoe you’re using doesn’t have a solid heel counter, which fits snugly and securely around your foot, your feet could slip out of the trainer when pushing the sled (even if it feels fine when running).
Again, this is something to preferably be testing out in training (or in the warmup area at HYROX, providing you have a backup pair of shoes with you!). If you do find you have an issue, then tightening your laces can help, and / or using “heel lock lacing”…
Heel Lock Lacing
Heel lock lacing can help to prevent your feet slipping out of the shoe. How to do this is explained well in this video…
Stack Height
Finally, we should discuss the stack height of the shoe. This basically refers to the amount of foam on the bottom of the trainer, essentially separating your foot from the ground. The more height / foam a shoe has normally makes it feel bouncier, and nice and comfortable for long distance runs.
An example of shoes with a high stack height are the Nike Vaporfly (40mm) and Nike Alphafly (39mm.) World Athletics have said the max stack height for road racing is 40mm (which is why a lot of companies – like Nike – are bringing their road running shoes close to that maximum). However, a stack height this high isn’t always ideal for HYROX as they can sometimes feel as if they lack stability. Stability is rarely a problem for a basic road race where there aren’t too many tight twists and turns. But in HYROX there are plenty of corners to get round when running the laps. You’d also potentially lose vital seconds getting your foot under the straps when getting on to the rower. This is another one of those areas that come down to personal preference.
I’ve used Hoka Clifton 8’s which are at 33mm, and the Puma Deviate Nitro 2 (more on that below) which have a 36mm stack height. Neither caused me any stability problems.
What Footwear do HYROX Recommend?
HYROX are sponsored by Puma, and currently recommend the Puma Deviate Nitros for the race. I have tried these. They are a great shoe which feel very comfortable and efficient for the running, and have an extremely solid grip for the sled push (as well as feeling good on the stations, especially lunges and wall balls). I can highly recommend them and know many of the sports top performers wear them, including the World Champion, Hunter McIntyre (pictured below).
What are the Top Athletes Wearing?
I questioned a few of the top HYROX performers on what they wear for a race. Remember though – just because that’s what they wear, it doesn’t mean it’s right for you, especially from a comfort perspective. Here’s what they told me…
Hunter McIntyre – Puma Deviate Nitro 2
Megan Jacoby – Puma Deviate Nitro 3 Elite
Lauren Weeks – Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 2
James Kelly – Puma Deviate Nitro 2 Elite
Kate Davey – Saucony Endorphin Pro
Mikaela Norman – Puma Deviate Nitro 3 Elite
Graham Halliday – Puma Deviate Nitro 3 Elite
Alexander Roncevic – ON Cloudboom Echo 3
David Magida – Saucony Endorphin Pro
Paul Gillingham – Puma Velocity Nitro
Vivian Tafuto – Saucony Endorphin Pro
Jon Wynn – Saucony Endorphin Pro
Mirjam Von Rohr – Saucony Endorphin Speed (“This shoe is good for short to middle distance running. For the workouts it isn’t the best shoe, but HYROX has more running than workouts and I prefer a running shoe.”)
Tobias Lautwein – New Balance 1500 V6
Beau Wills – ON Cloudboom Echo 3
Tiago Lousa – New Balance RC Elite 1
Viola Oberlander – Brooks Adrenaline or New Balance Fresh Foam
Tim Wenisch – In previous races I used Brooks Hyperion which is an absolutely beast because it is a light weight trainer with a very good grip for the Sleds. The stability is also very good. For Frankfurt I took the Saucony Endorphin Pro. It is a carbon shoe. For running it is an advantage. The grip and the stability isn’t as good as in the Hyperion but the effort of the shoe is very good for the running and the burpee broad jumps. Also I am little bit higher and that good for the Wall Balls 😂😅
Terra Jackson – New Balance RC Elite 1
Pelayo Menendez – Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 2
Dylan Scott – Saucony Endorphin Pro
Rich Ryan – Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 2
Greg Williams (that’s me, I figure if I call myself a “top athlete” often enough I’ll eventually become one!) – Puma Deviate Nitro 2 Elite or Saucony Endorphin Pro 3. I also use the Puma Velocity Nitro regularly in my training sessions (you can read a full review of the Puma Velocity 3 here).
Anything to Avoid?
Because of the potential issues with a shoe slipping on the sled push, I asked in various Facebook groups, and on our Instagram channel, whether there were any specific shoes that people had tried at HYROX but which proved to be a bad decision. So here are some of those I was told about, and ones you may, therefore, look to avoid…
Asics Duomax
Asics Novoblast 2
Adidas Takumi Sen 8
Inov8 F lite 245
Summary
Having written this article I will sum it up by saying that the right footwear for HYROX is important but try not to overthink it too much. If you have a pair of shoes that will be comfortable to run in for 8km+, have some grip on the bottom, tie your laces well, and have a stack height that feels good to you and your preferences, you’ll likely be fine. To be sure, try and test them out on a heavy sled push and sled pull, in particular, beforehand.
You can see from the above list of some of the sports top performers that there isn’t an obvious choice of footwear out there – there is a variety – and that’s because personal preference is so important.
In addition to this article, I’ve also recorded a video discussing the best footwear for HYROX over on YouTube – just click the link to view it.
Finally, it’s worth saying, doing well at HYROX is about more than just picking the right footwear. There’s the small matter of training for example! If you need any help with that check out our Personalised Coaching Plans or our 12 Week Training Plans (we have separate plans for Individuals and Doubles).
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