For hybrid athletes
Races like HYROX
Deadly Dozen compared
If you have done HYROX, or you are looking for a HYROX alternative, Deadly Dozen will feel familiar: run, work, run again. The differences are where it is run, how many rounds there are, and what the work is.
SIDE BY SIDE
Same idea
Different race
Both are hybrid fitness races: running broken up by functional work, against the clock, open to everyone from first-timers to elites. HYROX is a great race and many Deadly Dozen athletes do both. Here is what changes when you line up for a Deadly Dozen.
| What | Deadly Dozen | HYROX |
|---|---|---|
| The runs | 12 x 400m on an athletics track (4.8km) | 8 x 1km |
| The work | 12 functional exercises: kettlebells, dumbbells and weight plates, 900m of carries and crawls, 320 reps | 8 workout stations |
| Where | Outdoors on an athletics track; Deadly Sprint indoors; gym formats in affiliated gyms | Indoors, in exhibition halls |
| Who you race with | Solo, pairs (share the exercises) or relay teams of four, with age groups | Open, Pro, Doubles and Relay |
| Time limit | None - every finisher gets an official time | Set by the event |
| Without running | Yes: the erg gym formats replace the runs with row, ski or bike ergs | No |
| Where in the world | Track and gym races across Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia-Pacific, one global leaderboard and a World Championship | Major cities worldwide |
HYROX is a trademark of its owner, which has no connection with Deadly Dozen. The HYROX column describes its publicly stated format; check the HYROX site for current details.
Why athletes switch, or add a Deadly Dozen
- Shorter, harder intervals. Twelve 400m efforts with heavy work in between is a different race from four 1km blocks: the pace is higher and the exercises arrive before you have recovered.
- Real weights, real reps. Deadlifts, snatches, push presses and devil presses with the loads in the rulebook - the same for every athlete in your division, in every country.
- A track, not a hall. Outdoors, on a 400m athletics track, with the whole field in view and your supporters on the infield.
- A race most weekends. Track races run through the year across four continents, so you are never far from your next one, and the World Championship is at Alexander Stadium, Birmingham, in 2027.
- No running at all, if you want. The erg gym formats swap the runs for row, ski or bike ergs and keep the twelve exercises. Same test, no track.
Read what a fitness race is, see every format with the exercises and weights, or pick a date below.
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YOUR NEXT MOVE
Try the other fitness race
Pick a date, choose solo, pairs or relay, and book through the official entry page. Your time goes straight on the global leaderboard.