21 July 2025
The crew of HMAS Sydney made themselves heard over a crowd of thousands on a rainy day in Singapore, cheering on seven shipmates competing in a gruelling international challenge – the AIA HYROX Open Asian Championships 2025.
Crew members Lieutenant Amy Luke-Paredi, Leading Seaman Marcus Dawson, Able Seamen Ben Mohr, Filipe Crispim dos Santos, Louise Schutz, Luke Handley and Toby Young took advantage of Sydney’s stopover on a regional presence deployment to represent their ship in the tournament.
HYROX is an indoor fitness competition that combines eight one-kilometre runs and eight workout stations, alternating between running and functional exercises.
Each workout is different, from sled pulls, to rowing machines, to wall balls and more. It was a fast-paced atmosphere, with little time to slow down or rest.
Avid runner Lieutenant Luke-Paredi finished 11th of the 60 athletes in her category.
“It’s not every day that we have the opportunity to participate in this kind of event while on a deployment. It’s exciting,” she said.
'It was a great way to expose myself to new things and experiences.'
Able Seaman Young enjoyed himself after signing up to “have a red hot crack at HYROX”.
“I didn’t have to ramp up my regular training because it was no different to what I usually do, but it was a great way to expose myself to new things and experiences,” he said.
The average finishing time is about one-and-a-half hours, while world-record holders finish within an hour.
Able Seaman Crispim dos Santos was honoured to represent Sydney in the competition, and finished before the average time.
“I was a little wary about the sled push because it weighed twice my body weight, but I handled it well,” Able Seaman Crispim dos Santos said.
“My best station was the 200m farmer’s carry with 24kg kettle bells, because after my training at the Federation Guard, I felt comfortable enough to run some of it.”
After accidentally running an extra lap around the arena, Able Seaman Schutz still finished sixth in her category, but she is looking forward to competing in the next HYROX competition to see what her timing would be without the extra kilometre.
