HYROX SkiErg Station: 1,000 m Standards, Pacing and Technique

The SkiErg is station 1 of 8 in a HYROX race: 1,000 metres on a Concept2 SkiErg, completed straight after the first 1 km run. It is the same distance for every division, Open to Pro, men and women, and it is the station where most first-timers lose the race before it has started by going out too hard. Treat it as a controlled effort at roughly your 2,000 m pace plus 10 to 15 seconds per 500 m, and it sets up the sleds.

Independent guide; not affiliated with HYROX, DEKA or Spartan.

What the station is

Division	Distance	Load	Damper
Women Open and Pro	1,000 m	Bodyweight	Preset 6, adjustable
Men Open and Pro	1,000 m	Bodyweight	Preset 6, adjustable
Doubles (all)	1,000 m shared, "you go, I go"	Bodyweight	Working partner may adjust
Relay	1,000 m by one athlete	Bodyweight	Preset 6, adjustable

The monitor counts down from 1,000 m. A judge resets it before you start and confirms the finish. There is no load to choose, which is why the SkiErg and the row are the two stations where Pro and Open times are closest. Check loads for every other station in the station weights tool.

Movement standards (Season 26/27)

• Both feet stay on the base plate. Heels may hang over the edge but must not touch the floor. Jumping is explicitly allowed as long as your feet land back on the plate.
• The damper is preset to 6 for all divisions; you may change it yourself.
• When the monitor reaches zero, stay on the machine, raise an arm and wait for the judge's confirmation before leaving.
• Doubles: the working partner picks the split distance, then swaps. The resting partner must not touch the handles or the damper.

Penalties

• Feet off the base plate before you touch the handles: 15 seconds per infraction.
• Leaving early: every metre short of 1,000 m costs 15 seconds, and stopping below 980 m is a disqualification. Watch the monitor to zero.
• General stations 1 to 7 rule: one warning per station for a movement fault, then a no-rep plus a time penalty on the second.

Technique cues

Set-up. Stand close enough that your hands reach high without locking the elbows; feet hip-width, knees soft.

The pull. Reach tall, then drive the handles down with a hip hinge and a crunch of the lats and abs rather than an arm pull. Your hands finish beside or just behind your thighs, torso angled forward about 45 degrees. Think "fall into the handles."

The recovery. Stand back up and let the arms float up with the cord; do not fight the flywheel. Rhythm matters more than force.

Stroke rate. Most Open athletes settle between 32 and 40 strokes per minute. Lower, longer strokes at a damper of 5 to 7 keep the heart rate down for the sled push that follows.

Damper. 6 is fine for most people. Lighter athletes often prefer 4 to 5; heavy, strong athletes 7 to 8. Test it in training; never experiment on race day.

Pacing targets by finish-time bracket

Planning targets derived from published split data (men's results; women's station times are within a few percent, runs are slower). Use them as budgets, not standards.

Target finish	SkiErg 1,000 m	Approx. 500 m pace
Sub-60	3:35 to 3:55	1:47 to 1:57
60 to 75	3:55 to 4:10	1:57 to 2:05
75 to 90	4:10 to 4:30	2:05 to 2:15
90+	4:30 to 5:00	2:15 to 2:30

The spread between elite and mid-pack on this station is only about 30 seconds, compared with more than three minutes on the sled pull or wall balls. In other words, a hard SkiErg buys you almost nothing and costs you the sleds. Plan the whole race with the pace planner.

How to train it in a regular gym

If your gym has a SkiErg, these three sessions cover the station:

1. Pace work: 5 x 500 m at target race pace, 90 seconds rest. Learn what 2:05 per 500 m feels like.
2. Compromised SkiErg: 800 m run at race pace straight into 1,000 m SkiErg, 3 to 4 rounds. This is the actual race demand.
3. Technique volume: 20 to 30 minutes easy, focusing on hip hinge and relaxed recovery.

No SkiErg? Straight-arm cable pulldowns and rope slams build the pattern; a rower at 1,000 m substitutes for the aerobic demand. Many gyms in the directory list how many SkiErgs they have, and the sled-track and HYROX-affiliated filters surface gyms built around this kind of training.

Equipment needed

A Concept2 SkiErg (the race machine) or any ski ergometer with a distance countdown. For home set-ups see the SkiErg buying guide. Grips are not needed here; chalk is only permitted at the sled pull and farmers carry.

What comes next

After the SkiErg you run 1 km into the sled push, the first heavy station. Keep the first run honest: the SkiErg leaves your upper body fatigued but your legs fresh, and the sled will need both. Find an upcoming race in the events calendar.

Updated October 2026 for the HYROX Season 26/27 rulebook.