HYROX Dublin 2026: A First-Timer's Race Guide

HYROX Dublin 2026 takes place from Wednesday 11 to Sunday 15 November 2026 at the RDS (Royal Dublin Society) in Ballsbridge, Dublin. Each division races on set days, your exact start time appears on the HYROX event page about three days before the event, and you need a physical ID to check in.

If you are heading over from the UK for your first HYROX, this guide covers the parts that are different about Dublin: which day your division races, getting there by air or sea, getting across the city to the RDS, and how to use the five weeks you have left. Event details come from HYROX's own Dublin event page and its UK and Ireland FAQs at the time of writing. The schedule is marked provisional, so check the event page again in race week. Edge is not affiliated with HYROX or the RDS.

When is HYROX Dublin 2026, and which day is your race?

Racing runs every day from Wednesday 11 to Sunday 15 November. Each division has its own days and start windows, and HYROX publishes a provisional schedule. Here it is in plain English.

Based on HYROX's provisional Dublin schedule at the time of writing. Times show when start waves go off, not when the last racer finishes, and they can change, so check the event page before you book travel.

Two Dublin details are worth knowing. Pro singles and all three Relays race on Friday 13 November only. And if you were hoping for a weekend race, Saturday is for men's Open, Mixed Doubles and Pro Doubles, while women's Open, Women's Doubles and Men's Doubles race on the Sunday.

Your own start time is the one that counts. HYROX says it links individual start times on the event page about three days before the event, your race number shows your start time too, and start time changes are not allowed. On most days the last waves go off as late as 20:30, so do not book a flight or ferry home for the same evening until you know your slot.

How do you get to HYROX Dublin from the UK?

Dublin is one of the easiest overseas races to reach from the UK. There is no time difference to worry about, because Ireland and the UK both put their clocks back on Sunday 25 October, and there are short flights from many UK airports. A few practical points:

• By air: flights land at Dublin Airport, on the north side of the city. The RDS is in Ballsbridge, south-east of the centre, so give yourself plenty of time to get across town, especially at rush hour.
• By sea: ferries sail into Dublin Port from Holyhead in north Wales, which suits you if you want to drive and bring your own food and kit. Winter crossings can be disrupted by weather, so leave a buffer before your start time.
• ID for the journey: airlines and ferry companies set their own ID rules for travel between the UK and Ireland, so check what yours asks for before you book. If you are not a British or Irish citizen, check Ireland's entry rules as well.
• Money: Ireland uses the euro, so check what your bank charges for card payments abroad and how to pay for buses before you go.
• Where to stay: Ballsbridge and the streets around the RDS put you within walking distance of the venue. Dublin hotels get busy, so book early if you have not already.

One handy overlap: HYROX lets each racer drop one bag, no bigger than cabin size. If you are flying with hand luggage only, your travel bag can double as your race-day bag. Energy gels can count as liquids at airport security, so pack them in your liquids bag and check your departure airport's current limits.

How do you get to the RDS once you are in Dublin?

HYROX lists the venue as the RDS, Simmonscourt Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin D04 E6N6. The RDS has several halls, so follow the HYROX signs when you arrive. According to the RDS's own travel information:

• DART: the DART train stops at Lansdowne Road and Sandymount, both a short walk from the RDS. The RDS access guide puts Sandymount at about five minutes on foot.
• Bus: several Dublin Bus and Go-Ahead Ireland routes run between the city centre and the RDS, including the 4 and the 7.
• From the airport: Dublin Airport has no train station, so you will need a coach, bus or taxi into the city, then the DART or a bus out to Ballsbridge. Some airport coach routes pass through Ballsbridge itself, so check the current timetable before you land.
• Driving: the RDS lists a car park on Merrion Road, but its usual hours may not cover an evening start, so check before you rely on it.

Bringing supporters? Spectators need their own ticket from the HYROX event page, and HYROX cannot store bags for spectators, so they should travel light.

What actually happens on race day?

HYROX is the same race in every city: eight 1km runs, each followed by one workout station. The stations always come in this order:

1. 1,000m SkiErg
2. 50m Sled Push
3. 50m Sled Pull
4. 80m Burpee Broad Jumps
5. 1,000m Row
6. 200m Farmers Carry
7. 100m Sandbag Lunges
8. 100 Wall Balls

Each 1km run is made up of laps of a loop inside the hall. At the time of writing, HYROX lists the Dublin lap count as to be confirmed, so watch the briefing on the event page before you race, then count your laps carefully on the day. Here is how the day runs, based on HYROX's own guidance:

• About 3 days before: find your start time on the Start List on the event page, and have your ticket QR code ready.
• 90 minutes before your start: arrive and check in with your QR code and a physical ID. The Dublin event page says digital copies and photos are not accepted, nobody can check in for you, and you can only check in on the day you race.
• At check-in: you collect a wristband, a venue access wristband, an ankle strap with your timing chip, and your race number.
• 45 to 60 minutes before: drop your bag. One bag each, no bigger than cabin size, with nothing loose. There are changing rooms but no showers, so pack a towel and a dry layer for the journey back.
• After the finish: your time and splits go on the live leaderboard, and the official race photos usually appear online about 48 hours later.

A few rules catch first-timers out. You cannot wear headphones while racing. You can only carry water or gels if they are on you from the start, and you cannot take drinks or food from spectators, although HYROX provides water at least once before or after each pass through the Roxzone (the transition area between the runs and the stations). And there is no time limit, so if it gets tough, slow down and keep moving.

For a fuller walk-through, from pacing the first run to getting through the wall balls, read your first HYROX race: everything beginners need to know.

Which HYROX division are you in?

HYROX does not allow division changes or transfers to other events once you have entered, so check which one you are in now. Here is what each one means in plain English:

• Open (Men or Women): the standard race, and where most first-timers start. As one example of the loads, the Open sled push is 102kg for women and 152kg for men, sled included.
• Pro (Men or Women): exactly the same race with heavier weights. In Dublin, Pro singles race on Friday 13 November only.
• Doubles (Men, Women or Mixed): you and a partner run every 1km together and split the work at each station however you like. HYROX lists Mixed Doubles at the men's Open weights, so agree who takes the sleds before race day.
• Pro Doubles (Women or Men): Doubles with Pro weights, racing on Saturday 14 November.
• Relay (Men's, Women's or Mixed): a team of four, where each person does two runs and two stations. All three Relays race on Friday 13 November, and HYROX lists the relay briefing details as to be confirmed.
• Adaptive (Men or Women): an inclusive division for people with an impairment, racing in the same start windows as the Open race.

For every weight in every division, see HYROX divisions and weights explained.

What should your 5-week countdown look like?

From early October you have roughly five weeks, depending on your race day. That is enough time to sharpen up, but not to build a lot of new fitness, so the aim is to arrive practised, confident and fresh. Count the weeks back from your own race day and keep it simple.

If you have never pushed or pulled a sled, try to get on one before race day. If you travel the day before, count the journey as part of your rest rather than adding a session to make up for sitting still.

HYROX suits people who can run and lift in the same week without one wrecking the other. That is how Edge is built: running, strength and HIIT in one plan, so your sessions fit together.

What should you eat in race week?

Nothing fancy. HYROX is shorter than a marathon, so most first-timers do not need a big carb-loading plan, but you do want to start with plenty of energy on board. General guidance that suits most people:

• Keep it familiar. A trip abroad is not the time to try new foods, new gels or a new pre-race breakfast.
• Lean on carbs the day before. Build your meals around rice, pasta, potatoes, bread or porridge, with a normal portion of protein. If your stomach is sensitive, go easy on very high-fibre, very fatty or very spicy dishes.
• Plan your travel-day food. Airport and ferry food can be hit and miss, so pack snacks you know, like sandwiches, bananas, rice cakes or cereal bars, plus an empty water bottle to fill after security.
• Match breakfast to your wave. For a morning start, eat a carb-based breakfast you know, roughly 2 to 3 hours before. For an afternoon or evening wave, eat a normal breakfast and lunch, then a small snack about 1 to 2 hours before you start.
• Drink steadily. Sip water through the day and have a drink with each meal, rather than downing lots just before your start.
• Caffeine only if it is normal for you. If you usually have a coffee before training, have one before the race. If you do not, race day is not the day to start.
• Save the celebrations for after you have raced, not the night before.

For a day-by-day plan, see HYROX nutrition: what to eat in the week before race day.

What should you pack for HYROX Dublin?

Everything needs to fit in one cabin-size bag for bag drop, so keep it tight:

• A physical ID for check-in, plus whatever ID your airline or ferry needs.
• Your ticket QR code, saved on your phone and printed as a backup.
• Race kit and shoes you have already trained in. Nothing new on race day.
• Any gels or water you plan to carry, since you need them on you from the start.
• A towel and warm, dry layers. There are no showers, and November in Dublin is usually cool and damp.
• Some euros or a card that works abroad, and a phone charger.

This article is general guidance, not medical advice. If you are new to exercise, returning from injury, pregnant, or managing a health condition, speak to your GP before starting, and see a physio for any niggle that does not settle.