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Every shoe we have assessed, in one table, sorted by what it is actually good at rather than by an overall score. A HYROX race punishes different shoes in different places, so a single ranking hides the thing you need to know.
Start with the question, not the shoe: if the sleds are where you lose time, read the School B rows. If the eight kilometres of running are what beat you, read School A. If neither stands out, read the all-rounders.
Running shoes — School A
Built for the eight running legs. They give up grip and lateral stability at the sleds.
| Shoe | Strongest at | Gives up | Price band | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saucony Endorphin Speed 5 | The run — 78.2% forefoot energy return, the highest published | Stability at the carries; tall 37.4 mm heel | Mid-range | Check price |
| HOKA Mach 7 | Grip for a running shoe — 0.62 CoF wet, 20% above average | Snug fit; stiff heel counter | Premium | Check price |
| ASICS Gel-Noosa Tri 16 | Forefoot traction — 0.79 CoF, 61% above average, and the lightest here | Upper longevity; unremarkable energy return | Budget | Check price |
| New Balance FuelCell SuperComp | Cushioning over distance | No independent lab data published | Mid-range | Check price |
| PUMA Velocity Nitro 4 | Flexibility — 41.1% more malleable than average | Thin review history; firms up in cold | Budget | Check price |
Trainers — School B
Built for the eight stations. They give up comfort and efficiency across the run.
| Shoe | Strongest at | Gives up | Price band | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nike Metcon 9 | The sleds — dense wrap-up rubber, wide flat heel | The run; holds heat | Premium | Check price |
| Reebok Nano X4 | No weakness anywhere | Wins no station outright | Budget | Check price |
| Reebok Nano X5 | Same, current generation | We have not trained in either generation | Budget | Check price |
| NOBULL Outwork | Breathability; flat grounded feel | Less protection over 8 km; firm ride | Premium | Check price |
| New Balance Minimus TR | Wall balls and lunges at the lowest commitment | Grip at the sled; minimal cushioning | Mid-range | Check price |
The PUMA x HYROX line
PUMA is the official footwear partner. The line is a ladder, not a set of variants — full breakdown in PUMA HYROX Shoes 2026.
| Shoe | Carbon plate | Built for | Price band | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PUMA Deviate NITRO Elite 4 | Yes | Race day, chasing a time | Premium | Check price |
| PUMA Deviate NITRO 4 | Yes | Training and racing in one shoe | Premium | Check price |
| PUMA Deviate NITRO 3 | Yes | The outgoing plated model | Budget | Check price |
| PUMA Velocity NITRO 5 | No | First race, general hybrid training | Mid-range | Check price |
| PUMA Velocity NITRO 3 HYROX | No | The only HYROX-branded shoe on Amazon | Budget | Check price |
| PUMA Activate NITRO | No | Gym work; wider toebox | Budget | Check price |
The published lab measurements, side by side
These are the figures that actually separate these shoes. Where a cell is empty, no independent measurement has been published for that model — and we are not going to estimate one.
| Shoe | Weight | Stack (heel/forefoot) | Energy return (forefoot) | Grip (CoF) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saucony Endorphin Speed 5 | 8.5 oz | 37.4 / 26.8 mm | 78.2% | — |
| ASICS Gel-Noosa Tri 16 | 7.7 oz | — | — | 0.79 forefoot |
| HOKA Mach 7 | 7.9 oz | — | 66.6% | 0.62 wet |
| PUMA Velocity Nitro 4 | 7.9 oz | 33.7 / 24.0 mm | 74.2% | — |
| Nike Metcon 9 | — | — | — | — |
| Reebok Nano X4 | — | — | — | — |
| NOBULL Outwork | — | — | — | — |
| New Balance Minimus TR | — | — | — | — |
Lab measurements published by RunRepeat, an independent testing lab. They are not our measurements and we cite them as theirs. Note the pattern: no independent lab publishes measurements for gym trainers the way they do for running shoes. That is a real gap in the category, not an oversight in this table.
How to read this table
- Energy return matters more in HYROX than in a continuous 10K, because you restart your running rhythm eight separate times and pay the acceleration cost each time.
- Coefficient of friction (CoF) is the single most useful published number for this race and almost nobody quotes it. It is what decides whether your forefoot holds or slips on the sled push.
- Stack height above roughly 38 mm starts trading stability for cushioning — and stability is what carries you through the farmers carry and the sandbag lunges.
- Price bands are our own editorial classification, not Amazon prices. We do not publish prices: they change constantly and a stale number on a review site is worse than no number.
Every assessment here is a research review: built from published measurements, construction and owner feedback, not from training in the shoe. Our full method, including what evidence is required before we will score something, is at How We Test.
Last updated: September 17, 2026.