Understanding the Hyrox calendar: categories, levels, registration
Open, Pro, Doubles, Relay, age groups: what each category really means, and how to read a race listing before you register.
A Hyrox race listing shows several categories without always explaining what sets them apart. The choice doesn't change the course (always 8 kilometres, eight stations) but it changes the loads used and, for some, how many people run together.
Open: the entry point
Standard weights, individual, this is the category designed for a first race. Wall ball reps are 100 for men and 75 for women, and sled, farmers carry and sandbag loads stay within a range accessible to anyone who's been training for a few months. An age-group sub-category (10-year brackets) lets you compare yourself against people in the same group rather than the whole field.
Pro: for someone already experienced
Same stations, same distances, but noticeably heavier loads on the sled, farmers carry and sandbag. The informal benchmark many athletes use before considering the move: a sub-65-minute Open time for men. It isn't an official registration rule barring direct entry, more a realistic indicator of readiness before taking it on.
Doubles: every kilometre together
Both partners run each one-kilometre segment together and split the reps at each station: 50 wall balls each instead of 100, for example, rather than one after the other. The strategic point that's often overlooked is splitting the stations according to each person's strengths before the race, not sharing everything equally on principle.
Relay: the most accessible group format
A team of four splits the running kilometres and the stations, with each member only running a portion of the full course. It's the simplest category for getting started as a group without everyone needing complete individual preparation.
Reading a race listing
Every race listing states the city, the date, the official registration link and the categories actually offered for that edition (not every race opens Doubles and Relay). The registration link goes straight to the official ticketing site: Traxrace doesn't handle any bookings itself, only tracking the dates.
Before choosing your category
A first race is almost always run in Open, solo or in relay if the main goal is discovering the format as a group. The full beginner's guide covers what comes next: preparation, gear, where to train. To structure the weeks before the race, head to the 8-week beginner programme.