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If you're looking for the best shoes for Hyrox, you probably already know what it is. But for the uninitiated, Hyrox is a race series that combines running with functional fitness movements like sled pushes, sandbag lunges, and farmer’s carries—and has become one of the fastest-growing sporting events globally, with an estimated 650,000 people having competed across 83 races in 2025.
“It’s grown something like 2,000 percent year-over-year for the last two years. And it's just going to keep exploding,” says Bret Gornik, a Chicago-based trainer and Hyrox athlete who’s no stranger to the podium himself.
The event’s recent spurt in popularity has been so rapid, in fact, that shoe brands have barely had time to react, leaving us in an unprecedented predicament. Simply put, there is not a shoe—not a single pair—currently in existence that was designed with a hybrid race like this in mind.
“The biggest misunderstanding among people who have never done a Hyrox race before is that this is primarily a running race. You are running about five miles on what feels like the equivalent of a track,” says Gornik, who recommends going for a running shoe with benefits, so to speak. “From there, you’re kind of just figuring out the best option." That is, the best running shoe that’s also capable of finding traction on turf, providing stability under weighted movements, and generally handling Hyrox’s varied gauntlet of pace, power, and plyometrics.
After weeks of rigorously testing dozens of shoes, here are the best options available as of this writing.
The Best Shoes for Hyrox, According to GQThe Best Shoe for Hyrox OverallAPL Euphoria
Read moreThe Best Value Shoe for HyroxNike Pegasus 42
Read moreThe Best Plated Shoe for HyroxSaucony Men's Endorphin Speed 5
Read moreThe Best HIIT Shoe for HyroxOn Cloud X 4
Read moreThe Best Stability Shoe for HyroxNew Balance Fresh Foam X 860v14
Read moreThe Best Low-Drop Shoe for HyroxHoka Mach 6
Read moreLooking for Something Specific?
The Best Shoe for Hyrox Overall: APL Euphoria
If you can look past the nearly $300 sticker price, you will find the best shoe for Hyrox. I’ll admit, I did not see this coming. (This is why we test things.) For one, I don’t think I’ve seen a single person wearing APLs for Hyrox—and it’s got nothing to do with price, as evidenced by the popularity of top-tier supershoes at these events. But, as I said up top, that’s part of the fun in searching for the best shoes for Hyrox: The best option can come from anywhere. And it has. Ultimately, it came down to APL’s Euphoria and Nike’s Pegasus 41—two shoes with nearly identical silhouettes (albeit very different price tags). While both shoes aced every station and, needless to say, took the run portions in their stride, it was APL’s Heavenly Ride midsole that edged out Nike’s slightly softer ReactX cushioning when it came to comparing these models under the heavy loads of the farmer’s carry and weighted lunges. Similarly, this minor discrepancy resulted in the Euphoria having marginally, but noticeably, less energy leakage on the rower. I was initially concerned that the Euphoria’s minimalist Naked Net upper would detract from stability, but that wasn’t the case at all. The shoe provided excellent security across the midfoot, and this was especially apparent during wall balls and broad jumps. It also performed surprisingly well on the sled push, thanks to the outsole’s deep and diverse tread pattern. I can assure you that appearance did not factor into my testing whatsoever; that said, of all the shoes on this list, this is the one I’d be most likely to wear beyond race day and outside the gym altogether
Heel-to-Toe Drop8mmStack Height24.5mmWeight9.3 ozThe Best Value Shoe for Hyrox Overall: Nike Pegasus 42
The Nike Pegasus 42 would have certainly topped this list as the best shoe for Hyrox overall, were it not for the Euphoria’s slightly firmer midsole, which translated to better output on the rower and more sure-footed performance during the weighted stations. But I’d comfortably flip a coin to compete in either one of these shoes, as both are outstanding options. Speaking of comfort, the Pegasus was undeniably the most comfortable shoe I tested. The cushioning in the tongue and collar is deliciously plush, and the midsole’s combination of ReactX foam and dual AirZoom units is pure luxury. So much so that it created just a touch too much squishiness for my taste in the aforementioned scenarios. That said, at no point did I feel unstable or anywhere near in danger of rolling an ankle or compromising my form. This is a first-class shoe. That’s why we have to talk about the price. Of course, $145 is not an insignificant amount of money to drop on a shoe, but when you consider this is just about the best shoe for Hyrox—and hands down one of the best running shoes you can buy right now—I’m not sure you will find better value for your money elsewhere.
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