2 July 2025
Lieutenant Colonel Simon O’Regan flew the Aussie flag at the HYROX World Championships in Chicago from June 12-15.
Competing in the men’s 50-54 age group, Pro Division, Lieutenant Colonel O’Regan pushed, pulled, lunged and ran his way through the event in 79 minutes and 44 seconds, finishing 25th out of a field of 110 competitors from around the globe.
The indoor fitness event comprises eight one-kilometre running legs, each followed by a functional fitness station; ski erg, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jumps, rowing, farmer’s carry, sandbag lunges and wall balls to test strength, endurance, resilience and discipline.
Fitness has always been an important part of Lieutenant Colonel O’Regan’s life. With a 17-year background as an Army physical training instructor, and decades of running experience, he’s no stranger to hard work.
But HYROX is a unique challenge.
“I’m a runner at heart, but HYROX requires a unique balance of endurance for the running legs, as well as strength and conditioning to handle the different workout stations,” Lieutenant Colonel O’Regan said.
“My fitness background was helpful in preparing for the event, but it still had its challenges. I’m a bit tall and lanky, so burpees and weighted lunges are definitely my weaker stations – those tend to push me to my limits.
“Overall I am happy with the result but not satisfied. I did a grade-one calf strain two weeks out from the event, which impacted my final preparation, so I had to change my goal to just make the start line and finish.
“My initial goal was to be faster than 75 minutes and achieve a top-10 finish – I ended up doing 79.44 but was stoked to finish without injury, so I am taking a glass-half-full outlook.”
Lieutenant Colonel O’Regan credits his time in Defence with helping him prepare for the challenge.
“I'm currently the Senior Health Officer at 3 Brigade, where I'm responsible for advising command on the health readiness and fitness of the personnel within the brigade, among other roles,” Lieutenant Colonel O’Regan said.
“I’ve learnt a lot about fitness training during my career and had some really valuable professional development opportunities. I’ve also had some great mentors over the years who have guided my development and given me the skills and knowledge to train myself.
“More generally, Army has taught me the importance of resilience and given me the confidence that I can keep going when things get tough – you always have the ability to handle a lot more than you think.”
'Army is very supportive of these sorts of activities because it shows the wider community that our people are fit and resilient.'
While the lead-up training for the HYROX World Championships was challenging, Lieutenant Colonel O’Regan was able to juggle it with his role in Army.
“I wake up at 4.30am and get my first training session in from 5am to 6am. If work PT is on I’ll do that as well, before getting a second training session in after work,” Lieutenant Colonel O’Regan said.
“I generally run probably about 40 kilometres a week, then probably spend another five to six hours in the gym.
“Army is very supportive of these sorts of activities because it shows the wider community that our people are fit and resilient, and it makes us an attractive workplace for people with an interest in physical fitness and high-performance sports.”
HYROX is gaining momentum worldwide and Lieutenant Colonel O’Regan encouraged people to give it a try.
“The atmosphere on race day is incredible,” Lieutenant Colonel O’Regan said.
“Events I’ve raced in have had 10,000 participants over a weekend and 600,000 competed worldwide in the past 12 months.
“It’s accessible to anyone with an interest in fitness – if you can run, and have some experience in the gym, you can complete it.
“The weights aren't overly heavy and they're not complex movements.
“Have a go – whether it's HYROX or any sport – self-growth takes place when you put yourself outside your comfort zone.”
