The HYROX Doubles guide

By Dai Manuel (Coach Moose). Last reviewed 4 November 2026.

In HYROX Doubles, you and your partner run all 8 kilometres together and split each station however you like. The rulebook gives no allowed gap: one partner running ahead is a 1-minute penalty. Choose a partner who runs at your pace, agree your splits early, and practise your handovers.

Facts checked 4 November 2026 against the official HYROX 26/27 Singles rulebook and Doubles rulebook. Season: 26/27. CrossFit BC is one of Vancouver's official HYROX Training Clubs, but we are not affiliated with or endorsed by HYROX, and this is our coaching summary, not an official HYROX document. Judges and the Race Director make the final call on race day.

What Doubles is

HYROX Doubles is a two-person team: two women, two men, or one woman and one man in Mixed. Pro Doubles exist for women and men (Doubles 7.1). Both partners must be at the start line and start together. You cannot start with one racer (7.1).

The course is the same as Singles: a 1km run, then a station, eight times. The difference is that you share the station work. You decide who does what. The rulebook's own example is "you go, I go" on the rower: one partner rows a self-selected distance, say 250m, then you switch, and repeat until 1,000m is done (Doubles 7.2).

Running together (rule 7.3)

This is the rule that catches pairs out. Both partners must run together for the entire 1,000m between each station. If one runs ahead, it is a 1-minute penalty, because it changes the dynamic of a Doubles race. If a team picks up more than 3 penalties for not staying together, it is Out Of Competition and gets no ranking (Doubles 7.3).

The rulebook does not give a number of seconds or metres. So do not plan around one. Plan to run side by side, at the slower partner's pace, every kilometre. Judges oversee the race and the Lead Race Director's decisions are final (Doubles 7.4).

After each run, you enter the station together. The work cannot start until you are both there, and you leave together once every rep or metre is done (7.3).

Choosing a partner

This part is coaching judgement, not rulebook. Here is what we look for when members pair up:

• Similar running pace. You run all 8km together, so the slower runner sets the pace for both of you. A partner who runs close to your pace keeps that rule easy to follow.
• Stations that complement each other. If one of you loves the sleds and the other loves the erg, you have a natural split. Two people who both dread wall balls need a plan for wall balls.
• Someone you can talk to when it hurts. You will make calls mid-race: switch now, one more round, slow down. Pick a partner you can be honest with.
• Someone you can train with. Handovers and shared pacing need practice. A partner you see in class each week beats a fitter friend you never train with.

Splitting the stations

You can split each station any way you like, as long as you follow the handover rules below. A few approaches we use with pairs, again as coaching judgement:

• Short swaps on the ergs. Frequent switches keep both of you moving well. Agree the switch point before you start, by distance on the monitor.
• Lead with strengths on the heavy stations. On the sleds, the stronger pusher or puller can take more lanes, but the rulebook still requires every lane to be done in full.
• Plan wall ball sets. Decide your set size before race day so neither partner stalls. A clean handover beats a rushed one, since a flying handover is a no-rep.
• Leave something for the run. Whatever you split, you still have to run the next kilometre together.

Station by station: the handover rules

Throughout every station, the resting partner stays on their feet. Kneeling, sitting, lying down or a knee on the floor is not allowed (Doubles 7.2).

Training as a pair

Rehearse the race the way you will run it: side by side on the runs, with your agreed switch points on every station. Our 90-minute HX90 SIM-ilar classes string the stations together at race intensity, which is where pairs find out whether their plan holds up. Practise the awkward parts, too: the burpee handover, the kettlebell pass and the wall ball swap.