HYROX returns to Norway on 25–27 September 2026 at NOVA Spektrum in Lillestrøm — the second edition after a sold-out first year, with around 8,000 athletes expected across the weekend. If you've got a ticket, you have roughly two months of training left. Here's what the race actually looks like, and what to wear so your kit isn't the thing that slows you down.
The venue
NOVA Spektrum sits at Messeveien 8 in Lillestrøm, about 15 minutes by train from Oslo Central and only 10–12 minutes from Oslo Airport Gardermoen. If you're travelling in, staying near Lillestrøm station is more practical than central Oslo — early waves start early, and you don't want a transfer in your legs before the first run.
It's an indoor exhibition hall. That matters more than people expect: it will be warm, it will be loud, and there's no wind to cool you between stations. Dress for a heated indoor room, not for a September morning in Norway.
The format
Every HYROX race worldwide is identical: eight 1 km runs, each followed by one functional station. Eight kilometres of running total, broken into pieces, with your legs progressively destroyed between each one.
- 1000 m SkiErg — full body, sets the tone. Go out too hard here and you'll pay for it for the next hour.
- 50 m Sled Push — the one most first-timers underestimate. Quads and lungs.
- 50 m Sled Pull — grip and posterior chain, hand over hand.
- 80 m Burpee Broad Jumps — where races are won and lost. Slow and steady beats fast and blown.
- 1000 m Row — a chance to breathe if you pace it honestly.
- 200 m Farmers Carry — pure grip endurance.
- 100 m Sandbag Lunges — the point where most people's form disappears.
- 75–100 Wall Balls — the last station, with nothing left. Everyone's worst memory of the day.
Divisions run from Open through Pro, plus Doubles, Doubles Pro, Relay and Adaptive categories. Oslo 2026 also hosts HYROX Youngstars for ages 8–15 — the first Youngstars event in the Nordics.
What to wear
The kit problem in HYROX is specific: you need to run 8 km and also push a loaded sled, carry heavy, and do a hundred wall balls. Most running kit isn't built for the loaded work. Most gym kit isn't built for the running. That gap is the entire reason this brand exists.
Top
A fitted tee or tank in a fabric that doesn't hold water. Loose is a mistake — anything baggy catches on the sled straps and rides up during the sandbag lunges. A snug crew neck stays put through all eight stations. Avoid anything with a heavy chest print in a plastic-feeling finish; it traps heat exactly where you sweat most.
Shorts
5–7 inch, with a liner you already trust. Do not race in shorts you haven't run 10 km in. The sled push puts you in a deep forward lean for 50 metres and a bad inseam will remind you of it eight times.
Socks and shoes
Crew-length socks are effectively mandatory — the sandbag lunges will shred your shins otherwise, and many athletes get hit on the sled pull too. Shoes: a firm, low-drop trainer beats a soft max-cushion running shoe. You need stability under load more than you need plush on the runs.
Layers for before and after
This is the part people forget. You'll arrive at least 45 minutes before your wave, warm up, then wait. Lillestrøm in late September is cold and often wet. A heavyweight hoodie you can strip off at the start and pull straight back on at the finish is worth more than any piece of race kit. Bring one you actually want to be photographed in — you'll be wearing it in every photo from the day.
The last two months
If you're eight weeks out, stop adding volume and start rehearsing the race. Practise the transitions — the run out of a station is where your pacing falls apart, and no amount of fitness fixes that if you've never felt it. Run 1 km, do a station, run 1 km again. Three or four sessions like that will teach you more than another month of separate lift and run days.
Keep lifting. The stations are strength work under fatigue, and people who drop their lifting in the final block show up lighter and slower on the sled.
Kit list
- Race number and timing chip (collected at on-site registration)
- Fitted tee or tank
- 5–7" shorts with a tested liner
- Crew socks — non-negotiable
- Stable, low-drop trainers
- Hoodie or crewneck for before and after
- Spare dry shirt for the journey home
- Water bottle
- Bag for bag drop
We design in Oslo for exactly this: people who lift heavy and run far, and need one wardrobe that survives both. If you're racing in September, have a look at the tops and the hoodies and sweatshirts — the heavyweight pieces are made for standing around a cold venue at 7am.
Register and check wave times at hyrox.com. See you at NOVA Spektrum.
Iron. And distance.