April 19, 2026 was a big weekend for HYROX. HYROX Rotterdam and HYROX Cologne ran simultaneously — same weekend, same format, two very different courses across the Netherlands and Germany.
We pulled the data on every individual and doubles athlete from both the Rotterdam and Cologne April 2026 races to see how they compare. If you raced either event, your numbers are in here.
Key Takeaway
Rotterdam men were 30 seconds faster than Cologne on median, but Cologne women were nearly 2 minutes faster than Rotterdam women. The sled push was the biggest course difference — 35 seconds faster in Rotterdam for men. Wall Balls remained the #1 time sink for everyone.
HYROX Rotterdam & Cologne Results: The Numbers at a Glance
HYROX Rotterdam — April 19, 2026
| Men (3,063) | Women (2,000) | Doubles M (2,531) | Doubles F (2,276) | Doubles Mixed (2,211) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median finish | 1:25:59 | 1:35:58 | 1:14:43 | 1:25:47 | 1:23:41 |
| Top 10% | 1:09:59 | 1:18:56 | 1:02:41 | 1:13:44 | 1:09:29 |
| Top 25% | 1:17:02 | 1:25:48 | 1:08:04 | 1:18:57 | 1:15:50 |
| Bottom 25% | 1:36:55 | 1:48:05 | 1:22:46 | 1:34:09 | 1:32:05 |
| Fastest | 55:32 | 1:05:13 | 50:58 | 57:56 | 56:22 |
| Median run time | 41:04 | 47:10 | 41:30 | 48:30 | 46:31 |
| Median work time | 37:42 | 40:43 | 26:51 | 29:58 | 29:38 |
| Median roxzone | 6:48 | 7:53 | 6:14 | 7:18 | 7:00 |
HYROX Cologne — April 19, 2026
| Men (1,903) | Women (1,159) | Doubles M (1,661) | Doubles F (1,492) | Doubles Mixed (1,438) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median finish | 1:26:30 | 1:34:08 | 1:15:15 | 1:25:47 | 1:21:03 |
| Top 10% | 1:10:37 | 1:18:00 | 1:03:14 | 1:12:49 | 1:07:38 |
| Top 25% | 1:16:44 | 1:25:06 | 1:08:17 | 1:18:41 | 1:13:55 |
| Bottom 25% | 1:38:40 | 1:45:43 | 1:23:46 | 1:34:28 | 1:30:03 |
| Fastest | 55:55 | 1:03:49 | 52:30 | 58:24 | 55:37 |
| Median run time | 42:03 | 47:06 | 42:28 | 49:13 | 46:05 |
| Median work time | 37:33 | 39:25 | 26:56 | 29:32 | 28:35 |
| Median roxzone | 6:20 | 7:08 | 5:42 | 6:40 | 6:13 |
Fun fact: female doubles posted identical median times at both events — 1:25:47 across nearly 4,000 teams.
Quick read: Men were roughly the same speed at both events. Women were notably faster in Cologne, with a median 1:34:08 vs 1:35:58 in Rotterdam. More on why below.
Pro Winning Times: Rotterdam vs Cologne
| Category | Rotterdam | Cologne | Faster Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pro Men | 56:43 | 55:55 | Cologne by 48s |
| Pro Women | 1:05:14 | 1:03:49 | Cologne by 1:25 |
Cologne produced the faster pro winning times in both categories. The men's winner in Cologne clocked 55:55 with a dominant 5+ minute gap to second place. Rotterdam's men's race was tighter — four of the top five went sub-60, with just 71 seconds separating first and second.
On the women's side, the Cologne winner posted the fastest women's time of the weekend at 1:03:49. Rotterdam's women's pro race was one of the closest of the season — just 7 seconds between first and second place.
Station Times: The Rotterdam vs Cologne Sled Push Gap
Here's where it gets interesting. The biggest station time gap between the two events was the sled push — 35 seconds faster in Rotterdam for men, 24 seconds faster for women.
Station Times: Rotterdam vs Cologne (Men)
Median time per station in minutes — lower is faster
Data: 5,063 (Rotterdam) and 3,062 (Cologne) individual athletes, April 19 2026
Why? Carpet resistance. The amount of friction the carpet gives the sled varies between venues and is one of the biggest uncontrollable variables in HYROX. Rotterdam's setup gave less resistance, letting athletes push faster. This is a known factor — sled push times can swing by 30-60 seconds depending on the carpet and floor surface underneath.
For women, the pattern was similar but Burpee Broad Jump showed an even bigger gap — 45 seconds faster in Cologne. Course layout likely played a role here (distance between markers, floor surface).
Station Times: Rotterdam vs Cologne (Women)
Median time per station in minutes — lower is faster
Data: 5,063 (Rotterdam) and 3,062 (Cologne) individual athletes, April 19 2026
If you're comparing your sled push time between events, always account for the venue. A "slow" sled push at one event might be a great time at another.
Where Rotterdam & Cologne Athletes Lost the Most Time
Wall Balls is the station where everyone suffers. For men at HYROX Rotterdam, it ate up 19.1% of all work time — nearly 1 in 5 minutes spent working was on Wall Balls alone. That's 7:15 for the median male athlete.
Where Athletes Spend Work Time (Men)
% of total work time per station at Rotterdam — red = biggest time sinks
For women, Burpee Broad Jump and Wall Balls were almost tied as the biggest time sinks at 17.2% and 16.9% respectively.
Where Athletes Spend Work Time (Women)
% of total work time per station at Rotterdam — red = biggest time sinks
The takeaway for training: If you want to cut your finish time, Wall Balls and Burpee Broad Jump are where you have the most room. Farmers Carry and Sled Push are over quickly — it's the longer stations that separate fast from slow.
Check out our station performance analysis for training strategies on each station. If you want a structured plan to improve these stations, our 12-Week HYROX Training Program targets exactly these weaknesses, and our Running Program helps you hold pace across all 8km. Make sure you have the right gear to match.
Run Pacing at Rotterdam & Cologne: The Slow Drift
One of the most consistent findings across HYROX data is how much athletes slow down across the 8 running segments. The median male athlete at HYROX Rotterdam ran their first kilometer in about 4:50, but by Run 8 it was 6:00 — a 24% slowdown.
Run Pacing Over 8 Segments (Men)
Median run split per 1km segment — watch the drift upward
Data: Median run splits from open + pro divisions, April 19 2026
The HYROX Cologne pacing curve tells a different story. Run 1 was noticeably faster in Cologne (likely a shorter or faster initial stretch from start pen to Station 1), but the middle runs were slower. The Rotterdam course seemed to keep athletes more consistent through runs 2-7, then a tough final kilometer.
Run Pacing Over 8 Segments (Women)
Median run split per 1km segment — watch the drift upward
Data: Median run splits from open + pro divisions, April 19 2026
Women showed the same pattern — consistent through the middle, then a significant slowdown on the final run. Rotterdam women dropped from 5:36 on Run 2 to 6:49 on Run 8.
The runners who paced best were the ones who finished fastest. If you want a faster time, hold back on Run 1 and save energy for the back half. Read our pacing strategy guide for a detailed breakdown.
The Time Split: Running vs Working
How do athletes actually divide their race? The breakdown was remarkably consistent:
| Run % | Work % | Roxzone % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rotterdam Men | 48.1% | 43.9% | 7.8% |
| Rotterdam Women | 49.1% | 42.6% | 8.1% |
| Cologne Men | 48.9% | 43.7% | 7.3% |
| Cologne Women | 50.2% | 42.2% | 7.6% |
Running takes up roughly half the race. Work takes about 43%. And those roxzone transitions? 7-8% of your total time — that's 6-8 minutes for most athletes just walking between stations. (See our roxzone efficiency analysis for how to cut this down.)
Cologne athletes were slightly more efficient in transitions (6:20 vs 6:48 for men), possibly because of a more compact venue layout.
Sub-60 and Sub-70 Finishers: Rotterdam vs Cologne April 2026
| Milestone | Rotterdam Men | Cologne Men | Rotterdam Women | Cologne Women |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sub-1:00 | 24 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Sub-1:10 | 308 | 170 | 36 | 14 |
| Sub-1:20 | 1,024 | 626 | 234 | 161 |
| Sub-1:30 | 1,857 | 1,134 | 710 | 469 |
24 men went sub-60 at HYROX Rotterdam in April 2026. That's nearly 1% of the male field. HYROX Cologne had 9 sub-60 finishers. On the women's side, nobody broke 60 minutes at either event, but 36 women went sub-1:10 at Rotterdam — a fast field.
If you went sub-1:30 as a man, you were in the faster half of the field at both the Rotterdam and Cologne races. For women, sub-1:35 put you in the top half.
What the Rotterdam & Cologne Data Means for Your Training
If you raced HYROX Rotterdam or HYROX Cologne in April 2026, here's how to use this data:
- Find your percentile. Check the tables above — were you top 25%, median, or bottom 25%? That's your baseline.
- Check your Wall Balls. If your Wall Ball time was above the median (7:15 for men, 6:52 for women), that's your biggest training opportunity.
- Evaluate your pacing. Did your runs slow down more than 20% from first to last? Practice negative-split runs in training.
- Don't stress the sled push. If your sled push was "slow," check if the venue was the issue before changing your training.
Ready to improve for next season? Our 12-Week HYROX Training Program is designed around exactly this kind of race data, and our Running Program targets the pacing problems we see in the data.
Make sure you're training with the right shoes and gear — it makes more difference than you'd think on race day.
Related Articles:
- What is a Good HYROX Time? — Benchmark your performance
- Station Performance Analysis — Deep dive into every station
- The Hidden 3 Minutes — Optimize your transitions
- HYROX Running Strategy — Nail your run pacing
- HYROX Gear Recommendations — Shoes, watches, and recovery tools
Data source: Race results from HYROX Rotterdam and HYROX Cologne, April 19 2026, Season 8.