WE LEARNED SOME OF THIS THE HARD WAY. YOU DON'T HAVE TO.

1. The sled humbles everyone, not just beginners, elite CrossFitters included.
2. You run a full 1km between every single station, on legs that just did something else entirely.
3. Wall balls come last, when your shoulders are already done, that's not an accident.
4. Your grip goes before your legs do, farmers carry and sandbag lunges will find that out for you.
5. The station order never changes: ski erg, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jumps, rowing, farmers carry, sandbag lunges, wall balls, so you can actually train for what's coming instead of guessing.
6. Compromised running, running on legs that are already fatigued from strength work, is its own skill and most training plans skip it.
7. Roxzone (the transition area between stations) time adds up more than people expect, don't waste it.
8. Shoes matter more here than in a normal race, you need grip for the sled and cushion for the running, most people under-plan this.
9. Pacing the first two stations too hard is the single most common rookie mistake, the ski erg and sled push will happily let you blow up early.
10. Doubles and relay categories exist and are a great lower-pressure way to try the format for the first time.
11. Spectating is genuinely fun, unlike a lot of endurance races you can actually see your athlete multiple times on course.
12. The finish-line high is real, most first-timers are already asking about their next one before they've caught their breath.

Full training breakdown, station-by-station, lives on our HYROX training tips →

Tokyo Marathon, Japan. One of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors, a flat, fast course through the middle of Tokyo, with a finish line experience unlike anywhere else in the world.

Comrades Marathon, South Africa. The original ultramarathon, roughly 55 miles between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, alternating direction every year, one of the most legendary single-day races on the planet.

Great Wall Marathon, China. Over 5,000 steps on the Great Wall itself, brutal and unforgettable, not a course you run for a PR.

Patagonian International Marathon, Torres del Paine, Chile. Glaciers, granite peaks, and a finish line most people will never stand at any other way, also bookable as a fuller trip through Aire Libre.

Berlin Marathon, Germany. The fastest World Major course out there, more world records have been set here than anywhere else, a genuine bucket-list stop for anyone chasing a PR on foreign soil.

These are our current picks, not the whole world's calendar.

Distance means nothing if the walls are thin and the elevator line is twenty minutes deep on race morning. What actually matters: how many minutes on foot at 5am, not miles by car, whether you'll actually sleep or end up next to a wedding reception, how far you are from the airport for a brutal next-morning flight, and whether breakfast opens early enough to matter. And book it early: the second a race opens registration, check the official race site for a host hotel block, those discounted rooms are limited and go fast.

Your shoe should fit your foot AND your performance needs. A lot of runners buy on looks or a friend's recommendation and never actually get their gait checked, which means they're training in something built for a completely different stride, arch, or foot shape than the one they have.

Get fitted in person before you buy blind online, a gait analysis at Road Runner Sports, Fleet Feet, or REI catches things a size chart can't. Road Runner Sports gives you 60 days to decide if the shoe's actually working out (90 with their VIP membership), Fleet Feet gives you 30 days and will price-match other qualifying retailers, REI works well if you're already a member for their return window.

Once you know your size and model, check the brand's own website before you buy again. Brand sites often stock more sizes and colors than any single retailer carries, run their own first-time-buyer discounts, and deal with a defective pair directly instead of routing you through a store's return counter. Best sequence: get fitted in person first, then compare price and stock between the retailer and the brand's site before you actually check out.