- Two watches, one Hyrox race.
The author strapped a $749 Garmin Forerunner 970 on the left wrist and a $449 Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro on the right while completing a 1:36:48 Hyrox event. Garmin required the third‑party Roxfit app to simulate a Hyrox mode, while Amazfit offered a built‑in Hyrox setting that activated instantly. During the race, the Amazfit displayed icons for upcoming stations and had a more natural lap‑button workflow. After the finish, Zepp organized the split data by run and station, whereas Garmin Connect logged every segment as a generic run, forcing manual timestamp matching.
The implication is clear: for Hyrox’s structured format, a dedicated mode matters more than raw sensor specs. Athletes can track transitions in real time and review results without hassle, saving mental bandwidth that would otherwise be spent piecing together data. The price gap—about $300—makes the advantage even more compelling for anyone who regularly tackles functional‑fitness races.
Amazfit’s win is limited to Hyrox; Garmin still leads for pure running metrics. Still, the test shows that specialized software integration can outweigh hardware depth when the sport demands it.