Guide
HYROX fuelling
Here is the honest version, and it may save you money: most HYROX races finish in 60–90 minutes, and under ~75 minutes you generally don't need mid-race fuel at all. The win is carb loading, the race-morning routine, and arriving at the start line fuelled — not a gel between the sled push and burpee broad jumps.
Why mid-race gels are risky in HYROX specifically
Unlike a steady road race, HYROX spikes your heart rate repeatedly across eight stations. Digestion effectively pauses at those intensities, so a gel taken before a max-effort station is more likely to sit in your stomach — or come back up — than to fuel anything. If you do fuel mid-race, it happens on the runs, in small doses, and it has been rehearsed in training that mimics race intensity.
Your plan by expected finish time
Sub-60 minutes
Pre-race fuelling only. No mid-race gel by default — your glycogen covers this comfortably if you arrive fuelled.
60–75 minutes
Optional pre-start gel or carb drink. Mid-race fuel is usually unnecessary; if anything, a few sips of carb drink between stations.
75–100 minutes
One gel or a carb-drink strategy during the runs is a reasonable starting point — practise it in compromised training first.
100+ minutes
Treat it like endurance-race fuelling: work towards a per-hour carb target with the calculator, tested in training.
The race-day timeline that actually matters
T-3h
High-carb, low-fibre meal. Familiar food, nothing heavy — you want glycogen without gut ballast during wall balls.
T-1h
Carb snack: banana, white toast and honey, or a sports drink.
T-30min
Optional top-up gel or carb drink. If you use caffeine: 3–6 mg/kg in this window, from measured doses, tested in training — never on race day for the first time.
During
Fluids to thirst — roughly 400–700 ml/h equivalent for longer races, and sodium 400–900 mg/h only if you are a heavy sweater in a warm venue. For most athletes under ~75 minutes, water is enough.
Doubles, relays and back-to-back events
Racing twice in a weekend (or doubles with short recovery) changes the maths: recovery carbs between efforts matter more than anything mid-race. Get carbs and fluids in within the first hour after finishing, and treat the second race's morning like the first.
If your race runs long, put numbers on it
The calculator's HYROX preset defaults sensibly by finish time — and tells you when the answer is "you don't need to buy anything".
Not medical advice — everything here is a training-tested starting point. See thedisclaimer for medical caveats.