As of October 2026, the HYROX 26/27 rulebook never says outright whether you can wear a Garmin during HYROX: it doesn't mention watches either way. It bans phones and headphones. Watches are widely worn, and HYROX's official wearable partner, Amazfit, sells race-mode watches. If you're unsure, ask your event's race director.
Key takeaways
- The HYROX 26/27 rulebook doesn't name watches, heart-rate straps or footpods on either its permitted or its forbidden list.
- Your official start time and your event wristband must stay visible on your arm, so don't cover them with your watch.
- You don't need a watch to race: the ankle timing chip records your official time, but counting your running laps is your job.
Can you wear a Garmin during HYROX?
The HYROX 26/27 rulebook never names watches, so it neither allows nor forbids a Garmin outright. Here is the evidence from the HYROX 26/27 Singles rulebook (version of 14 September 2026), HYROX's own FAQ pages and Amazfit's HYROX page, checked on 6 October 2026:
- Watches are on neither list. §10.1 permits seven items, such as knee sleeves, gloves and hydration packs, and §10.2 forbids nine, such as phones and headphones.
- Unlisted items are prohibited by default. "Any item not explicitly listed as permitted is, by default, prohibited", unless the Race Director gives written permission before the start (§10.1).
- HYROX's own FAQs are silent too. None of the 24 regional FAQ pages linked from HYROX's global FAQ mentions wearing a watch.
- Watches are widely worn. On 4 October 2026, a Connect IQ search for "hyrox" listed about 52 HYROX apps, data fields and watch faces for Garmin.
- HYROX's own partner sells race-mode watches. Amazfit, HYROX's official wearable partner, sells watches with a HYROX Race Mode, which Amazfit says gives real-time race tracking. If you're weighing a switch, see how Amazfit compares with a Garmin.
Read literally, that default rule would cover a watch too. So the accurate answer is "not named", not "officially allowed".
If you want certainty, ask your event's race director before race day, and get the answer in writing. The rulebook's route to a race director, given for medical devices, is your local HYROX customer support team.
Under §10.1, a prohibited item is confiscated, and you can collect it from the Customer Service desk after you finish.
Are watches allowed in HYROX? What the rulebook bans
Watches aren't on the HYROX 26/27 rulebook's forbidden list. It bans phones, headphones, ear plugs, VR headsets, body cameras and smart glasses, and it never names a watch, a heart-rate strap or a footpod.
| Item | HYROX 26/27 rulebook | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Watch or fitness band, any brand (Garmin, Apple Watch, WHOOP) | Not mentioned | §10.1–10.2 |
| Heart-rate strap or footpod | Not mentioned | §10.1–10.2 |
| Phone | Forbidden. Exception: a medical device that needs your phone nearby, approved by the Race Director in advance | §10.2 |
| Headphones and ear plugs | Forbidden | §10.2 |
| Smart or AI glasses | Forbidden, like any eyewear with a camera, audio recording, live streaming, data transmission or augmented reality | §10.2 |
| VR headset, GoPro or other body camera | Forbidden | §10.2 |
| Official start time | Required, clearly visible on your arm | §7 |
| Event wristband | Required, worn visibly on the wrist: it shows your start wave and division | §11.1 |
| Timing chip | Required on an ankle at all times while racing. Without it, the result is Did Not Start (DNS) | §7, §12 |
HYROX 26/27 Singles rulebook, version of 14 September 2026. The Doubles rulebook carries the same lists under the same section numbers, and the Relay rulebook under §8.1–8.2. Checked 6 Oct 2026.
Two of these rules are about your arm, so keep your watch from covering your start time or your wristband.
For gloves, belts and the rest of your kit, see what the HYROX rulebook allows.
Does your Garmin need your phone during HYROX?
No. A Garmin records the whole activity on the watch itself, which matters because phones can't come onto the race floor. Anything you use to track your own race has to run on your watch.
Without an app, you press LAP at each changeover in a basic built-in activity, such as a run with GPS off, and the laps carry no station names. Here is every Garmin method, compared.
A Garmin Connect IQ watch app can name every run, station and Roxzone for you. The Roxzone is the transition area between the running course and the workout stations.
For HYROX race day on a Garmin, Hybrid Smash's Race Day mode times every run, station and Roxzone with one LAP press per changeover, using the race format and the station targets for your weight class, and saves the race to Garmin Connect.
No phone needed to track. Your phone is only used afterwards, to sync and to open the share link.
Hybrid Smash doesn't detect stations automatically: you press LAP at every changeover. The app already knows what comes next, so each press closes one segment and names the next. A short buzz confirms every LAP press, so you don't have to look at the watch.
Choose Race Day, open View & Start, press SELECT, then press LAP at every changeover. That's the whole learning curve. Here is every press on race day, segment by segment.
Do you need a watch for HYROX?
You don't need a watch for HYROX: the timing chip on your ankle records your official time and splits, and HYROX publishes them on results.hyrox.com.
A watch adds what the chip can't: live pace, segment times and heart rate while you race.
Whatever you wear, counting your running laps is your job. The 26/27 Singles rulebook says a venue lap screen "serves only as a non-official aid" (§7). A missed lap costs 3, 5 or 7 minutes, or disqualification on a 1-lap set-up (§12).
For the official side, see how HYROX timing works, from the chip to your results.
Watches in HYROX: two claims checked
Neither claim holds up against the 26/27 rulebook or Garmin's manuals.
| Claim | Fact | Source |
|---|---|---|
| HYROX officially allows, or bans, smartwatches | The 26/27 rulebook doesn't mention watches either way. Unlisted items are prohibited by default, unless the Race Director gives written permission | Singles rulebook §10.1–10.2 |
| "Garmin has an official Hyrox activity profile (jointly developed with Hyrox HQ) available on Connect IQ" | As of October 2026, no Garmin watch has a HYROX activity, profile or mode: why Garmin has no HYROX mode | 27 Garmin owner's manuals, full-text search on 5 Oct 2026: 0 mentions of HYROX |
Claims seen in Google autocomplete and a hyroxvault.com post of 3 Mar 2026. Checked 6 Oct 2026.
About Hybrid Smash: Hybrid Smash is a one-time-purchase Garmin watch app that times every run, station and Roxzone of a HYROX race, simulation or workout: one LAP press per changeover, no account, no phone needed. Connect IQ store · User guide
FAQ
Can you wear a watch, a smart watch or an Apple Watch in HYROX?
Not by name. HYROX's 26/27 rulebook doesn't mention watches or fitness bands, so an Apple Watch, any other smart watch, a WHOOP band and a Garmin are in the same position. The only item it calls smart is smart or AI glasses, which it forbids along with headphones, VR headsets and body cameras. If you're unsure about your watch, ask your event's race director.
Can you wear headphones in HYROX?
No. Headphones, earbuds included, and ear plugs are both on the forbidden list of the HYROX 26/27 rulebook (version of 14 September 2026), which calls them "strictly forbidden at all times". So you can't listen to music through headphones during the race, whatever plays it.
Can you bring your phone to a HYROX race?
Not onto the race floor. The HYROX 26/27 rulebook lists mobile phones ("cell phones") as strictly forbidden. The one exception is a medical device that needs your phone nearby, approved by the Race Director before the race. To arrange it, the rulebook says to contact your local HYROX customer support team before race day.
Can you wear a heart-rate chest strap in HYROX?
No rule names one. Like watches, heart-rate chest straps and footpods are on neither list in the HYROX 26/27 rulebook. Read literally, its rule that unlisted items are prohibited by default covers them too. They pair with your watch, so they don't need your phone on the race floor. If you want certainty, ask your event's race director before race day.
Sources
- HYROX Singles Rulebook 26/27 (EN), HYROX, version of 14 September 2026. Accessed 6 October 2026.
- HYROX FAQ, HYROX, with links to 24 regional FAQ pages. Accessed 6 October 2026.
- Amazfit HYROX Watches, Amazfit UK. Accessed 6 October 2026.
- HYROX Doubles Rulebook 26/27 (EN), HYROX, version of 14 September 2026. Accessed 6 October 2026.
- HYROX Relay Rulebook 26/27 (EN), HYROX, version of 14 September 2026. Accessed 6 October 2026.