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The Best Shoes for Hyrox
- Nike Zoom Fly 6 Road Racing Shoes, $100 (was $180) at nike.com
- Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 42, $102 (was $145) at amazon.com
- On Cloudboom Echo 3, $130 (was $160) at on.com
- Puma x HYROX Deviate Nitro Elite 4, $260 at puma.com
If you’re not familiar with the fitness competition Hyrox, here are the CliffsNotes: The race pairs 8 kilometers of running with eight functional workout stations. You run 1 kilometer, complete a station—think sled pulls, burpee broad jumps, wall balls and sandbag lunges—then repeat until you’ve worked your way through all eight.
Because my job has turned me into a sneaker nerd and fitness is my hobby of all hobbies, I decided to marry the two and ask a handful of Hyrox finishers what they recommend wearing on race day. Nearly everyone I spoke with has completed more than one Hyrox race, so I was surprised by how unanimous their advice was: Wear a comfortable running shoe with seriously good traction.
“It’s predominantly a running race and the running course is concrete, so wear running shoes with some cushion to them,” said Spenser Bradley, who has competed alongside his wife, Meghan. The workout stations aren’t heavy enough to warrant switching to a cross-training shoe, Bradley explained.
But cushioning is only half the equation. As Audrey Farr learned firsthand, without enough traction underfoot, getting the grip you need for stations like the sled pull can be a challenge. So, what does that mean for your race-day shoe choice? Here’s what Hyrox finishers say to leave at home—and what to wear instead.
Leave at Home: Carbon plate spring without heel traction
Wear This: Nike Zoom Fly 6
Nike Zoom Fly 6 Men’s Road Racing Shoes
$180 $100 at Nike.com
“The best current available shoe is Nike’s Zoom Fly 6,” said Michael O’Neal, Owner of The Yard Gym Birmingham. It has a full-length carbon fiber plate, which O’Neal says is only worth investing in if you are naturally a fast runner. “If you’re capable of holding a low 4-minute pace per kilometer on race day, the energy return of carbon is worth it for most people at that speed.” And unlike some of the other carbon plate running shoes on the market, the Zoom Fly has a grippy rubber outsole, which he says is much needed for sled pulls.
Leave at Home: Cross-trainer style shoes
Wear This: Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 42
Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 42
$145 $102 at Amazon
“None of the strength segments are heavy or complicated enough that you’ll need a cross-trainer,” said Bradley. But if you want a shoe for more than just Hyrox, O’Neal recommends the Pegasus. “This is a great all-around option if you need a new running shoe for Hyrox, but also want to use the shoe for other training or casual wear,” he said.
Leave at Home: Thick-soled (aka high stack) running shoes
Wear This: On Cloudboom Echo 3
On Cloudboom Echo 3
$160 $130 at On.com
“I wear the On Cloudboom Echo for race day and tempo runs—the carbon plate is nice and fast but [the sole] still has a good enough grip,” says Meghan Bradley, who has worn this pair for multiple Hyrox races. “I would steer clear of thick/foamy-soled shoes. I like them for running, but they feel unstable for sleds, lunges, etc.” This is the last season for the Cloudboom Echo 3, so it’s a great time to get yourself a pair! Or, check out On’s new shoe designed for Hyrox-type races: the Cloud X Tempo Prowhich Bradley says she wants to try next.
Leave at Home: Highly-cushioned road-running shoes
Wear This: Puma x Hyrox Deviate Nitro Elite 4
Puma x Hyrox Deviate Nitro Elite 4
$260 at Puma.com
“The biggest thing is the grip,” said Farr. “I’ve read that some people wear trail running shoes because they have grippier soles.” For her first Hyrox race, she wore a well-known brand of cushioned running shoes—but they lacked grip, and the sleds were nearly impossible to get through. That’s why she purchased these Pumas: they have a carbon fiber plate to power your runs and a modified outsole to give you optimal traction for the sled.
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