Ivy Ozimek

HYROX is loud, fast, and everywhere right now — and sitting down with Ivy Ozimek felt like talking to someone right at the heart of it. It’s a sport I genuinely love, and one that’s growing far beyond matching race kits and shirtless start lines.

Ivy is a HYROX athlete. HYROX is a global fitness race that blends repeated running with functional strength workouts under extreme fatigue. It’s fast, unforgiving, and rewards athletes who can think clearly while exhausted — exactly the kind of challenge Ivy thrives in.

Her relationship with sport began early in team environments: NetSetGo, netball and footy. But when COVID stripped away regular competition, Ivy turned to running & training alone – really anything to avoid sitting still and doing homework. At 15, a parental punishment became a turning point. After getting caught sneaking out (as so many do), her mum forced her to join F45 with her before school. Instead of resenting it, Ivy fell in love - the people, the energy, the idea of getting everything out of a short, intense session.

That environment changed her path. By Year 11, Ivy committed fully to fitness, completing her Cert III & IV and skipping Year 12 to work and coach full-time. The gym became more than a place to train — it became her foundation.

She tried her first HYROX class in early 2023 and raced for the first time a few months later. That Melbourne race didn’t go to plan; she faced penalties, small execution errors and missed the podium. But instead of shaking her belief, it sharpened it. Ivy went back to work, cleaned up the details and returned to Melbourne second in her age group. This begged the question: could she go Pro?

Stepping into the Pro division demanded more — structure, intention and a coach. Ivy began to lean into data, race execution and specificity, and the results followed. In her first Pro race, she finished second and qualified for the World Championships in Chicago.

Worlds, however, became the low point. Ivy fell sick before travelling, worsened on the flight, and raced nowhere near her best. Mid-race penalties crushed any chance of a result, and she crossed the line in tears — convinced she’d let herself and her family down after everything it took to get there. Later, the penalties were erased, but mentally, the damage lingered.

Three weeks later came Sydney.

With low expectations, minimal training and lingering doubt, Ivy lined up simply wanting to race freely again. Instead, she delivered the performance that changed everything. Sydney became her one percenters moment — proof that Chicago wasn’t the truth of her ability, just part of the process.

Today, Ivy trains around 14 hours a week: roughly 60 kilometres of running, HYROX-specific conditioning, strength endurance, sled work and aerobic sessions. The beautiful thing about HYROX is that there’s no real off-season meaning recovery is essential - sleep, hydration and heart-rate zones matter just as much as effort.

And just this weekend, all of that work paid off. Ivy finished first in her age group and alongside her partner Joel, broke the age group world record in mixed doubles — a huge achievement and a massive congratulations to them both.

This is Ivy Ozimek.
Chasing progress, not perfection.
And proving that the one percenters matter.