Mavr Sports Nutrition Team
October 2, 2026. 10 min read.
Hyrox Relay is the most social way to race Hyrox. Four of you share one race: each person runs 2 km and does 2 of the 8 stations. Your own effort is short and very hard. Then you stand around for a long time while your teammates race. That mix is what makes relay fueling different from every other Hyrox format.
Most relay racers get the hard part right and the waiting part wrong. They eat a huge breakfast as if they were racing for 90 minutes, drink three coffees, then go cold and flat while they wait 50 minutes for their leg. This guide shows what to eat before, between, and after your leg, how to time caffeine for a short effort, and how to refuel if you race again the same day. If you are racing Doubles, we cover that in our Doubles guide, linked at the end.
Team
4 racers: 4 women, 4 men, or 2 women and 2 men (mixed)
Your work
2 x 1 km runs and 2 stations, chosen by the team
Order
Back to back (both your legs in a row) or split (one leg, then rest, then another)
Handover
A high five in the Transition Zone. Enter only shortly before your exchange
Weights
Open weights for your gender. Sled push 102 kg for women and 152 kg for men, sled included
Finish
Your teammates join racer four at the wall balls, and all four cross the line together
Food and drink
Carry your own from the start. Water at the Roxzone. Nothing from spectators
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Team | 4 racers: 4 women, 4 men, or 2 women and 2 men (mixed) |
| Your work | 2 x 1 km runs and 2 stations, chosen by the team |
| Order | Back to back (both your legs in a row) or split (one leg, then rest, then another) |
| Handover | A high five in the Transition Zone. Enter only shortly before your exchange |
| Weights | Open weights for your gender. Sled push 102 kg for women and 152 kg for men, sled included |
| Finish | Your teammates join racer four at the wall balls, and all four cross the line together |
| Food and drink | Carry your own from the start. Water at the Roxzone. Nothing from spectators |
There are three relay divisions (women, men and mixed) and no Pro relay. In mixed relay, the women use the women's open weights and the men use the men's open weights. Your age group is based on the average age of all four racers.
In the first lab study of Hyrox, recreational athletes took a median of about 86 minutes for a full simulated race, and they spent most of it at hard or very hard heart rates. The heavy sleds were among the quickest stations: about 2 minutes for the sled push and about 2.5 minutes for the sled pull. A relay leg is roughly a quarter of a full race. For most recreational teams that is something like 15 to 25 minutes of work, depending on your pace and which stations you have.
Sports nutrition guidelines say efforts under about 45 minutes need no carbohydrate during the effort, and efforts of 45 to 75 minutes need only small amounts or a carb drink swished in the mouth. So your leg needs no gel. What it needs is a body that starts fueled, hydrated, and warm. That job is done before your leg, not during it.
The rulebook lets the team decide who does which runs and stations. In practice teams use one of two patterns. Your pattern decides how long you wait, and that decides when you eat.
Back to back
How it worksRacer 1 does runs 1 and 2 and stations 1 and 2, racer 2 does runs 3 and 4, and so on
Your waitRacer 1: none. Racer 4: about three quarters of your team's time
Fueling focusLate racers need a snack 15 to 20 minutes before their leg
Split
How it worksEach racer does one run and station, rests, then does a second one later
Your waitAbout three legs between your two efforts
Fueling focusSip fluid and keep warm between efforts. Eat only if the gap is long
| Pattern | How it works | Your wait | Fueling focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back to back | Racer 1 does runs 1 and 2 and stations 1 and 2, racer 2 does runs 3 and 4, and so on | Racer 1: none. Racer 4: about three quarters of your team's time | Late racers need a snack 15 to 20 minutes before their leg |
| Split | Each racer does one run and station, rests, then does a second one later | About three legs between your two efforts | Sip fluid and keep warm between efforts. Eat only if the gap is long |
With back to back legs, you must still run through the Transition Zone after each station so your timing chip is read. Missing it means an automatic penalty. With split legs, your second effort will feel harder than the first, so give the strongest racers the stations that come late in the race.
Give the sleds to your strongest racers, the burpees and wall balls to the ones with the best engine, and the SkiErg and rower to those with good technique. For fueling, the sled and lunge legs cause the most muscle soreness, so those racers should put protein first after the race. The racer with wall balls also finishes the race, so they should keep something in the tank: their teammates will be standing under the rig cheering them on.
The day before
Normal meals with carbs at each one. No big carb load
Target for 70 kgYour usual training-day intake
2 to 3 hours before your wave
Familiar breakfast or lunch, low in fat and fiber, with a drink
Target for 70 kgAbout 1 g carbs per kg: 70 g
30 to 60 minutes before your first leg
Caffeine, only if you use it in training
Target for 70 kgAbout 2 mg per kg, up to 100 mg
15 to 20 minutes before your leg
Small top-up if your last meal was more than 3 hours ago
Target for 70 kg15 to 25 g fast carbs
During your leg
Nothing, or a sip of water at the Roxzone
Target for 70 kg0 g
Between split legs
Sips of water or sports drink. Stay on your feet and keep warm
Target for 70 kg100 to 200 ml
After the finish
A snack or meal with carbs and protein within the hour
Target for 70 kg70 g carbs plus 20 to 30 g protein
| When | What to do | Target for 70 kg |
|---|---|---|
| The day before | Normal meals with carbs at each one. No big carb load | Your usual training-day intake |
| 2 to 3 hours before your wave | Familiar breakfast or lunch, low in fat and fiber, with a drink | About 1 g carbs per kg: 70 g |
| 30 to 60 minutes before your first leg | Caffeine, only if you use it in training | About 2 mg per kg, up to 100 mg |
| 15 to 20 minutes before your leg | Small top-up if your last meal was more than 3 hours ago | 15 to 25 g fast carbs |
| During your leg | Nothing, or a sip of water at the Roxzone | 0 g |
| Between split legs | Sips of water or sports drink. Stay on your feet and keep warm | 100 to 200 ml |
| After the finish | A snack or meal with carbs and protein within the hour | 70 g carbs plus 20 to 30 g protein |
Time your breakfast to your own leg, not just your team's wave. If you run first, eat 2 to 3 hours before the wave. If you run last in a back to back team, you can eat a little later, or eat at the normal time and plan the top-up. Good breakfast choices are a bagel with jam and a banana, oats with honey, or white toast with eggs. Keep it to foods you have eaten before hard sessions.
The rulebook says any racer who wants nutrition must carry it from the start of the race, and racers may not take any food or drink from anyone except the aid stations. Water is available at the Roxzone. The rulebook does not spell out what a relay racer may do in the waiting area between legs, so play it safe: bring your own small bottle and snack with you to the start, never take anything from friends or spectators, and ask the judges at the race briefing if you are unsure.
Standing still for 30 to 60 minutes undoes a warm-up. Hyrox venues have a warm-up area for racers. About 10 to 15 minutes before your exchange, do a short re-warm: a few minutes of easy jogging or rowing, some leg swings, and two or three short fast efforts. Then walk to the Transition Zone. You may only enter shortly before your exchange, and no waiting around is allowed inside it, so know where it is before the race starts.
Caffeine improves both endurance and strength performance, and the usual research dose is 3 to 6 mg per kg about 60 minutes before exercise. For a short relay leg, less is enough, and the small dose has fewer side effects like a racing heart or an upset stomach. We suggest about 2 mg per kg, up to 100 mg, if you already use caffeine in training. For a 70 kg racer that is about one mug of coffee.
Time it to your first leg, not your team's start. If you run last, your leg may start an hour after the wave, so take caffeine about 30 to 60 minutes before your own effort. Caffeine gum works faster than coffee, which makes it handy when you are not sure exactly when your leg will start. If you are racing again later that day, or your wave is late, keep the dose small, because caffeine can cut your sleep that night.
Many people race a relay with friends and a singles or doubles race on the same day. A relay leg costs much less fuel than a full race, so it is usually the easier race to recover from. Still, treat the time between the two races as part of your race. When there are fewer than 8 hours between hard efforts, guidelines suggest about 1 to 1.2 g of carbs per kg per hour for the first 4 hours, in small, easy feeds.
If your second race is Doubles, our Hyrox Doubles guide has a full table for refueling between two races on the same day, plus the doubles rules and station splits. The Doubles format itself needs more fuel than a relay leg: you run all 8 km and the race usually lasts 60 to 100 minutes, so the gel advice there is different from the advice here.
All four of you cross the line together. After that, eat a snack with carbs and protein within about an hour: around 1 g of carbs per kg and 20 to 30 g of protein. If you had the sleds or the lunges, put protein first and add a normal meal soon after. A team meal is a good habit here. Most relay teams finish, get photos, and forget to eat for two hours.
Want numbers for your weight? Pick Relay in our free Hyrox nutrition calculator to get a race-day plan sized to you, with no in-race gels and a lower caffeine dose for the short effort.
Four racers share one full Hyrox race. Each racer runs 2 x 1 km and completes 2 of the 8 stations, and the team decides who does which. Handovers happen with a high five in the Transition Zone. After the last racer starts run 8, the other three join them at the wall balls and all four cross the finish together.
No. Your leg is two runs and two stations, which for most racers is well under 45 minutes of work. Breakfast 2 to 3 hours before and, if your wait is long, a small 15 to 25 g carb top-up 15 to 20 minutes before your leg are enough.
Each racer uses the open weights for their own gender. Women push a 102 kg sled and use a 4 kg wall ball. Men push a 152 kg sled and use a 6 kg wall ball. Both weights include the sled.
The rulebook says nutrition must be carried from the start of the race and that you cannot take food or drink from anyone except the aid stations. Bring your own small bottle and snack, do not take anything from spectators, and check with the judges at the briefing if you are unsure.
If you already use caffeine, about 2 mg per kg of body weight, up to 100 mg, taken 30 to 60 minutes before your own leg. Larger doses add side effects without much extra benefit for such a short effort, and they can hurt your sleep if your wave is late.
Start with carbs and some protein right after the relay, then a light, low-fat carb meal, then a small top-up 60 to 90 minutes before the second race. Aim for about 1 to 1.2 g of carbs per kg per hour for the first few hours if the races are less than 8 hours apart.
General guidance for healthy adults, not medical advice. Talk to a doctor or registered dietitian if you have a health condition, take medicines or have special dietary needs. Caffeine advice is for healthy adults only. EFSA's safe limit is 200 mg in one dose and 400 mg in a day.
Mavr builds a race-day plan for Hyrox Relay, Doubles, Open, and Pro, and turns your synced training into daily carbs, protein, and hydration targets.
Ask Kai, the coach in the app