Hyrox exploded onto the fitness scene in 2017, the brainchild of former Olympic grass hockey champion Moritz Fürste and Christian Toetzke. Today, athletes of all ages - as young as eight years old! - test their mettle in this indoor arena race. The Hyrox 2026 UK schedule lists five multiday events, two of which are YoungStars events.
When and Where are UK Hyrox Events?
- Hyrox Cardiff starts on 29 April and ends on 4 May.
- Hyrox Birmingham kicks off on 27 October, concluding on 1 November.
- Hyrox Birmingham YoungStars runs concurrently (31 October - 1 November).
- Hyrox London takes place 2 - 6 December.
- Hyrox London YoungStars fills the London event's last two days (5-6 December).
Hyrox 2026 UK Starts in Cardiff
Well, not exactly. Manchester hosted the Hyrox 2026 UK event in January, carrying on its 5-year tradition of Hyrox participation. Furthermore, that city that became the first in the UK to host two events in one season (November 2025 and January 2026).
But then, Cardiff is no Hyrox slouch. This city hosted the very first stadium-based UK Hyrox event in 2025, at Principality Stadium. It featured the high-profile Elite 15 hyrox competitions, which all the top fitness magazines covered1.
The event's success put the city's Hyrox gym, Dragon Athletic, on the map, turning it into THE Hyrox community hotspot. The club offers Hyrox training programmes, complete with coaching and all the equipment you need.
Of course, you should already be in top shape for the upcoming event; now is a bit late to get fit for this end-of-the-month contest. But it's good information to tuck away for when you do start training. Or if you're a Hyrox athlete visiting Cardiff and want to get your Hyrox on.
What to Know About Cardiff Hyrox UK 2026
This year's contest returns to Principality, and the schedule of events - well, groups, is already posted on the Hyrox website. If you're familiar with the Hyrox concept, you know that it is a consistent race: the elements don't change from one location to the next. However, the athlete divisions do. At the Cardiff event, the following divisions will compete:
- Open men/women
- Adaptive men/women
- Doubles men/women
- Mixed Doubles/ Relay
- Relay men/women
- Pro men/women
The timetable covers events from 7:30 in the morning to 8:30 at night, with each division claiming roughly 2.5 hours. It's a demanding schedule, to be sure, but one that top athletes are well suited to accommodate.
For this event, Hyrox introduces the flex add-on feature.
For athletes with uncertain schedules, it allows them to change their ticket or request a refund.
In this economy, £100 is a lot of money to lose. Should an athlete face unexpected circumstances that force them to withdraw from the race, the flex add-on option is a saving grace. It allows competitors to request a ticket refund or transfer it to another champion.
Birmingham's Hyrox UK 2026 Event
We now confront a trade-off. Birmingham's event is so far in the future that no timetable exists for it. Not even the organisers have a clue which divisions will feature! On the other hand, we do know where it will take place: at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) on Pendigo Way in Marsten Green, Solihull.
And we have dates: 27 October through 1 November. As it turns out, that's just when the Hyrox season starts heating up, even though Hyrox events take place nearly year-round, around the world. Except for June - September, when Hyrox athletes and organisers take a bit of a break from competition.
The Hyrox site touts the Birmingham event as the 2026-27 Hyrox season kickoff.
This will be Birmingham's sixth Hyrox event, the latest in a city known as a Hyrox premiere destination. To this day, Birmingham remains the home of Hyrox's largest-ever event, hosting more than 5,000 competitors (in 2023)2. Its 2025 event saw Irish athlete Sean Noble win the Elite 15 championship in less than one hour.
Hyrox Birmingham Youngstars Event
This year marks this division's international launch. The Hyrox team tested the concept in 2017, the same year Hyrox became a thing. In 2024, Youngstars made an appearance at the Singapore event, probably just to work out the bugs.
Now, the programme is ready for Brummie youths from 8 to 15 years old. Obviously, the exercise stops won't be as intense or demanding as for adults, but all of the stations will feature in the Youngstars contests. Furthermore, divisions exist within this group (8-10, and 11-15), where requirements are further trimmed to suit the age group.
Hyrox 2026 London
Last year's Hyrox London event holds the record for the largest Hyrox event in the sport's history3. Between December 4-7, more than 40,000 athletes descended on the city to take their place at the starting line. Over 30,000 spectators turned out to witness the spectacle.
Last December's event, at the ExCel London, testifies to this sport's popularity.
The ExCel and our capital city are gearing up to testify again. Granted, they'll do so at the end of the year, once again in December. And if Birmingham's event is too far out to finalise a timetable, we can't expect one for Hyrox 2026 London.
Hyrox London events for Youngstars
However, we can announce London's debut Youngstars event, scheduled for the last two days of the adult's event (5-6 December). Like the Birmingham Youngstars event, little is known about timetables, divisions, or other particulars.
UK Hyrox Events: What to Expect
What one might expect from a Hyrox event depends on your role in it. As a participant, you can expect equal parts of fierce competition and warm comeraderie, along with healthy doses of respect.
As a spectator, you may anticipate displays of fortitude and physical prowess. You should plan on a high-energy atmosphere that may inspire you to become a Hyrox athlete yourself.
Upon entry into the hall, you'll encounter a wall of sound - loud, pumping music to hype the excitement. Cheerful volunteers will be standing by to direct you, either to your visitor stands or to the athlete in-processing areas. In other words, expect a festival-like atmosphere.
Competitors should arrive at least 90 minutes before they're scheduled so they will have time to check in, collect their bib and their timing chip.
That gives you time to warm up, too. Every Hyrox venue features a warm-up area, complete with rowers, cycles, treadmills, sleds, and other equipment.
Keep an eye on the time! You'll want to be optimally positioned when your wave starts, so make sure you leave the warm-up area in plenty of time to get to the starting line. If you've run a Hyrox course before, you likely know what's ahead of you. For those who don't, these are the stations every Hyrox course features, in their specific order.
1. SkiErg (air-resistance cardio machine)
2. sled push (pushing a weighted sled)
3. sled pull
4. Burpee broad jumps
5. rowing (machine)
6. Farmer's Carry (2 kettle bells)
7. sandbag lunges
8. wall balls (squat-throw a heavy ball)
Athletes should move quickly through the Rox-zones - the transition areas between the running segment and the workout stations. Lingering or slowing down here adds to your race time.
Many Hydrox first-timers treat the transition areas as rest breaks.
The running track generally runs along the venue's perimeter, and the stations are typically in the arena's centre. Depending on the venue's layout, you may have to travel an additional 500-700 metres to arrive at the station. The clock doesn't stop as you make your way there.
You will have all the time you need to finish your course.
Of course, you don't want to dawdle too much. Elite competitors generally run the course under one hour; Open athletes finish in 90 minutes. If this is your first time, either as a Hyrox athlete or spectator, this titbit might help clear up some confusion over the seemingly uneven pace.
As soon as you finish the course - once you cross the finish line, you will receive a medal and a T-shirt. Then, you're free to head to one of the venue's recovery areas to rehydrate and recover. After that, post-race community areas await or, alternately, you may join your loved ones who came to cheer you on.
Unlike other high-intensity athletic events, Hyrox enjoys overwhelming popularity around the world. To be sure, there's nothing wrong with Crossfit or High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT); in a sense, they don't even compare. Where those are training methodologies that offer elite-level competitions, Hyrox is a standardised competitive race that anyone, even children, can participate in. Maybe even you?
More Information About Hyrox Events UK
- Neudecker, Kate. “Hyrox Announces First Event in Cardiff — Here’s How You Can Watch the Elite 15 Races.” Men’s Health, 12 Mar. 2025, www.menshealth.com/uk/fitness/a64145394/hyrox-cardiff/. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
- Davis, Matt B. “HYROX Birmingham – Fall 2023 Results.” Hybrid Fitness Media, 23 Oct. 2023, hybridfitnessmedia.com/2023/10/23/hyrox-birmingham-fall-2023-results/. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
- Adams, Greg . “HYROX London 2025 Kicks off with 40,000 Athletes in the Largest HYROX Event in History | BOXROX.” BOXROX - Competitive Fitness Magazine, 5 Dec. 2025, www.boxrox.com/hyrox-london-2025-kicks-off-with-40000-athletes-in-the-largest-hyrox-event-in-history/. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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