To time the HYROX Roxzone on a Garmin, press LAP at the four chip-read points around each of stations 1 to 7: Roxzone in, station in, station out and Roxzone out. Official results time these 14 transitions, none around Wall Balls. As of October 2026, Garmin has no HYROX mode: use a copied Cardio activity or a Connect IQ app.
Key takeaways
- Without an app, a copied Garmin activity matches the official split points with 29 LAP presses for 30 laps, but has no lap undo.
- In Race Day, Hybrid Smash times a named Roxzone after every run and station except the final Wall Balls: 32 LAP presses in all.
- Hybrid Smash's extra Roxzone before Wall Balls makes its Run 8 shorter and its Roxzone total longer than on results.hyrox.com.
Do you press LAP entering or leaving the Roxzone on a Garmin?
Both. Press LAP four times around each of stations 1 to 7:
- as you enter the Roxzone
- as you start the station
- as you finish the station
- as you leave the Roxzone.
Those are the four points where official timing reads the chip on your ankle. After Run 8, press once as you reach Wall Balls: official results have no Roxzone split there.
The Roxzone is the transition area between the running course and the workout stations. Using its IN or OUT arch the wrong way costs 2 minutes. The HYROX 26/27 Singles rulebook (version of 14 September 2026) says chip reads detect many such penalties.
The arches sit wherever each venue's layout puts them, so the Roxzone is a different size at every venue.
Which transitions count as Roxzone Time in HYROX results?
Fourteen: one into and one out of each of stations 1 to 7. Some guides count 16 Roxzone passes or 8 transitions, but official timing counts 14.
Nothing around Wall Balls counts as Roxzone, so that walk sits in Run 8. The rulebook sets no Roxzone length: it depends on the venue.
| Split | Measured from → to |
|---|---|
| Runs 1 to 7 | Start (Run 1) or Rox Out → Rox In |
| Run 8 | Rox Out after Sandbag Lunges → Wall Balls In |
| Stations 1 to 7 | Station In → Station Out |
| Wall Balls | Wall Balls In → Finish |
| Roxzone Time (14 transitions) | (Rox In → Station In) + (Station Out → Rox Out), stations 1 to 7 |
From the race replay on results.hyrox.com, checked 4–5 Oct 2026.
How do you track Roxzone time on a Garmin without an app?
Copy a basic activity such as Cardio and keep its Lap Key on. On newer watches it sits under activity settings → Laps → Lap Key.
Press START on the start line. Press LAP at the four points around stations 1 to 7 and once at Wall Balls, then stop at the finish. That should give 30 laps from 29 LAP presses, split where official results split.
Check before race day that LAP records a lap, not a rest. Laps are numbered, not named, so one extra or missed press shifts every lap after it.
You can't fix a wrong press either. Garmin's fēnix 8 and Forerunner 970 manuals (September 2026 editions) say lap undo isn't available in gym activities. The Forerunner 970 manual lists Cardio under Gym.
The full steps are in the HYROX activity profile guide.
Can a Garmin app name and total every HYROX Roxzone?
Yes, and Hybrid Smash is one such app.
In Race Day and Hyrox Sim, its Rox Zones setting (on by default) times each Roxzone as its own named segment. That takes one LAP press in and one out, with no Roxzone after the final Wall Balls.
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.
During a run, the preview shows the Roxzone and the next station, such as ">Rx >SkiErg" in Run 1. Inside the Roxzone, the header reads "RoxZone".
Is a copied activity or an app better for timing the Roxzone?
It depends on what you want after the race. A copied activity costs nothing extra, while an app names each segment, totals your Roxzones and lets you undo a wrong press.
| Copied Cardio activity | Hybrid Smash, Rox Zones on | |
|---|---|---|
| Presses, full race | START, 29 LAP presses, stop at the finish | 32 LAP presses: 1 ends the warm-up, 30 changeovers, 1 finishes |
| Segment names | None: laps are numbered | Every segment, on screen and with each lap |
| Roxzone total | Add the laps up yourself | On the summary, and as Total RoxZone Time in Garmin Connect |
| Undo a wrong press | Not in gym activities | DOWN, instant |
Sources: Garmin's fēnix 8 and Forerunner 970 manuals (September 2026); Hybrid Smash as of October 2026. Checked 5 Oct 2026.
With either method, your presses won't match the chip times to the second.
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.
Other apps do this too. ROXZONE, RoxTrack and ROXFIT also list Roxzone tracking on their Connect IQ listings (checked 5 October 2026), and RoxTrack is free. Our app comparison sets out what each one does.
How to time every Roxzone with Hybrid Smash
- Turn Auto-Pause off for running and for the Cardio activity type. It's a watch setting the app can't override, and it can cut slow stations such as the Sled Push from your times.
- Check that Rox Zones is on, the default: main menu → Settings → Rox Zones (settings reference). You can't change it mid-workout.
- Start Race Day: main menu → Race Day → View & Start, then press SELECT. At "Lap to Start", press LAP as your wave starts, so warm-up time stays out of race time.
- Press LAP four times around each of stations 1 to 7: in at the IN arch, at the station's start and end, and out at the OUT arch. A short buzz confirms every LAP press, so you don't have to look at the watch.
- After Run 8, press LAP into the Roxzone, at Wall Balls and at the finish. The last press stops the clock, and the watch shows "COMPLETED" and "Remember to Save".
- Press DOWN to undo a mistaken LAP press. The undo is instant, and with Touch Gestures on, a swipe up works too.
- Save the race: press LAP or SELECT for the menu and choose Save & Exit. The summary shows your run, station and Roxzone totals.
Choose Race Day, open View & Start, press SELECT, then press LAP at every changeover. That's the whole learning curve. The rest of race day is in our segment-by-segment walkthrough.
Why is my watch's Roxzone total longer than results.hyrox.com?
Hybrid Smash times a Roxzone before Wall Balls, and official results don't. So your watch shows a shorter Run 8 and a longer Roxzone total than results.hyrox.com, even with perfect presses.
To line them up, move that last Roxzone from your Roxzone total into Run 8. A copied Garmin activity pressed at the official points needs no adjustment: any gap comes from press timing.
Never compare these splits across venues. The timing mats are also why your Run 8 doesn't match your result.
How do you time transitions in a gym simulation?
Press LAP at fixed points in your gym, such as the door and a line before each station. A gym Roxzone is whatever your layout makes it, so fixed points keep your sims comparable.
With Rox Zones on, Hyrox Sim times each transition separately. It is Hybrid Smash's simulation mode, with every setting adjustable (recording a HYROX sim on a Garmin). Sim times aren't official results.
What is Hybrid Smash?
Hybrid Smash is a Garmin Connect IQ watch app that tracks and paces HYROX races, simulations and workouts while you do them. One press of the LAP button per changeover, and every run, station and Roxzone is timed, labelled and saved to Garmin Connect.
It is a one-time purchase on the Connect IQ store with no account, no subscription and no phone needed while you train. It offers Race Day (the official sequence of 8 × 1 km runs and 8 stations, with station targets for your weight class), Hyrox Sim, Free Training (pick the next station on the watch as you go), 8 ready-made HYROX workouts and 3 custom workouts.
It is built for the balance between simplicity and the right features: a clean screen, few options and a design nobody needs a tutorial for.
- Three controls run the session: LAP for the next segment, DOWN to undo a mistaken press, SELECT for the menu.
- Saved to Garmin Connect as Indoor Run, Outdoor Run or Cardio, depending on the Run Type you pick, with every segment as a lap.
- Works on most current Garmin watches, including Forerunner, fēnix, epix, Venu and vívoactive models. Check your model on the Connect IQ store.
FAQ
Is the Roxzone transition a rest in HYROX?
No. The race clock keeps running in the Roxzone, and Roxzone Time counts in your finish time, so don't pause your watch there. In Hybrid Smash, opening the in-workout menu doesn't pause the race clock either.
The Roxzone's share of your finish time changes with the venue, because the timing-mat positions decide how much movement counts as Roxzone.
Do you have to press LAP four times at every station?
No. Pressing only at the Roxzone IN and OUT points still matches official Runs 1 to 8, but each Roxzone then sits inside its station lap.
That takes 15 LAP presses for 16 laps in a copied Garmin activity, or 17 presses in Hybrid Smash with Rox Zones off.
Where does Roxzone time show in Garmin Connect?
In a copied Garmin activity, each Roxzone is a numbered lap you add up yourself. In Hybrid Smash, each Roxzone is a lap named in a Station field, and Total RoxZone Time is a session field.
As of October 2026, Garmin has no HYROX activity type, so Hybrid Smash saves the session as Indoor Run, Outdoor Run or Cardio, depending on your Run Type.
Sources
- HYROX Singles Rulebook 26/27 (EN), HYROX, version of 14 September 2026. Accessed 5 October 2026.
- HYROX official results, HYROX (timing by mika:timing), workout summary and race replay pages. Accessed 5 October 2026.
- How can I undo a lap button press?, Garmin, fēnix 8 Series Owner's Manual. Accessed 5 October 2026.
- Forerunner 970 Owner's Manual (PDF), Garmin, September 2026. Accessed 5 October 2026.