Matthew Ferguson

Brisbane HYROX 2025 - New PB 1:03:32 ⏰ Event no 1 for the year. All the focus has been on HYROX after a big Marathon season last year. This event meant a lot to me with the amount of hours and dedication poured into it. The men’s Pro event was absolutely stacked. The race was hot and the standard across the board is rising fast. My game plan was to let the front group go. Settle myself and try to claw back as many positions as possible. The 55 second improvement came from Running, burpees, lunges and wall balls. All things that have had a big focus in training. It was a nice reminder that hard work pays off. Weaknesses only stay a weekness if they don’t get the attention they deserve. It was exciting to race against Ironman legend @theplews who showed me what the standard will be like at Chicago World champions in June. Taking out 1st place by 2 mins. Had some epic battles out on the course and in training with @billygschilling7 . Exchanging the lead multiple times and definitely helped me fight to the finish. 👊🏼 A huge congrats to my training partner @rjbuttner who wiped an incredible 10 minutes off his last race coming in with a 1:08.30. Very excited to see what he can achieve in this sport and it was comforting to know our training systems are working well. I can’t thank my coach @danielbarry_aus enough. The level of detail he goes to, to make sure my engine is firing to the specifics of HYROX. So much respect 🫡 A huge thanks to all the support crew! Especially @bec_bfit solid WAG work. I’ve got more in me. Bring on Chicago 🚀 #hyroxanz

Chasing the NEW YORK Marathon. A big bucket list item and it lived up to all expectations. Over 50k people at the starting line. The planes, busses, cabs, ferries, sleep deprivation it was all worth it. Attempting Marathon PB’s is about attacking the race at the beginning and having faith in your training. Asking your legs if they’ll give you something you haven’t experienced before. When they inevitably give up you pray it’s close enough to the finish line that you can just grit your teeth and stagger home. There’s an unknown element of HOPE that it all comes together on the day. Getting into the open spaces at the starting line was a mission. Plenty of healthy body work was applied. Some harsh words were spoken but the stopwatch doesn’t care. Came away with a PB beating my Sydney time this year by 1 minute. Felt at home in the NY chill, it acted like a radiator cooling the engine. ⏰ 2:50:02 A massive thanks to my coach @danielbarry_aus When I started working him 10 months ago I couldn’t run 5km at this pace. The work he did behind the scenes to build and taper me for 3 x marathons, a half marathon and 3 x HYROX events in a 4 month period was nothing short of genius. Thank you to @bradriddle21 for inviting me to join the @hurtlockerrichmond crew and making this all happen. You’re always fired up and always hunting for the next challenge because you love seeing people elevate. It’s infectious. Thanks for igniting my own passion in helping others do the same. If you’re keen to step up your endurance game and would like to join the Running Strong Squad 📥 Be brave enough to start. Strong enough to finish. #newyorkmarathon

The early mornings, the huge training days, the sleep deprivation, the aching legs that feel like they’re rarely ever recovered, the hours upon hours in the pool staring at the black line. ⁣ ⁣ Literally so much blood sweat and many tears have gone into this moment. ⁣ ⁣ And I tell you what, it’s all worth it! ⁣ ⁣ It’s for that feeling of pure joy and satisfaction of hearing the voice on the mic say “Matty Ferguson you are Ironman”⁣ ⁣ Ironman takes your mind and body to places you can’t replicate. ⁣ ⁣ Even the best of the best have moments where they feel like quitting during the race. It’s all part of the hardest single day sporting event in the world. ⁣ ⁣ The 30km mark of the Marathon is a level of exhaustion hard to comprehend, you can’t train for it. It’s a moment where you’ve got nothing in reserve. No more energy to call upon. Nothing you can eat or drink does anything to fix the pain. The pain isn’t anywhere in particular it’s just feels deep.⁣ ⁣ It’s not about the body anymore because it’s given you all its got. It’s the point where you cross over to your heart ❤️. You ask yourself the most honest question and there’s no where to hide from the answer “What am I made of?” ⁣ ⁣ One more hour of running to go. Everything is slowing down. People are cramping, many are walking, some have stopped, some are in the bushes purging from either end. Paramedics have their hands full.⁣ ⁣ My heart beats strong from all the belief and encouragement from family and friends that has poured in over the last few months. I’m so grateful for how much of it I’ve received whether in person or through social media. ⁣ ⁣ In particular I want thank my best mate Macca who isn’t with us today. ⁣ ⁣ I felt him at Port Macquarie on Sunday running beside me in that last 10km. The steely competitive bastard wouldn’t accept anything less than a balls to the wall effort. We were chasing sub 11 hours and he towed me to the line just like he did for every other gruelling session over the last 6 months. Thanks Macca, I hope I did the no 3 proud for you and the boys. 🥺⁣ ⁣ 3.8km Swim 1:11 ⁣ 180km Bike 5:45⁣ 42.2km Run 3:47 ⁣ ⁣ Total 10:53 #ironmanportmacquarie #redcarpet @tri_fitathletic

Stuck to Unstoppable ❤️ Big few days ahead with a great crew 🙌 Link in comments 👊 #StuckToUnstoppable #MentalHealthMatters #AFL

After having some time to digest the Ballarat Marathon, seeing all the DNF’s and the common theme of most runners wheels falling off after half way. The day itself really was a big trap and we walked straight into it. All the talk coming in was “Flat and fast, fastest marathon in the world, big PB” we were licking our lips. The amount of effort it took to hold the goal marathon pace was higher than normal. Not by much, but enough to derail most race goals. The earlier that we realised this, the better we could salvage the back half of the run. I’ve read a lot about people trying to figure out why they blew up. The most likely reason is running a little bit too hard for the conditions. If the body revs too hard for too long you’re done. And there’s no coming back. Knowing when to back it off is a hard decision to make, because it means saying goodbye to your PB. A DNF is even harder to stomach. It doesn’t matter how good your prep is. Mother nature always has the last say. And if you don’t respect her. She will make you pay. #ballaratmarathon2026

Ballarat Mara! Wowie that was tough. I’m pretty proud of this result all things considered. I think a lot of runners came out with a PB in mind, the wind on the second lap had other ideas. I stayed with the 2:50 pacer until about the 28km mark. I knew for each minute I held on longer the slower I was going to finish. It was a brutal grind home. My photo’s from the day are limited. I just have 7 angles of me clutching my hamstrings. These pics sum up the day pretty well. Tried to accelerate in the last 200m, ended up with a double hamstring cramp for my efforts. Thanks to everyone who had big belief in my PB. I had a massive crack. Congrats to @mollie_fkiaras for being closest to the 📍 ⏰ 2:55.43 #ballaratmarathon

GUESS my marathon time ⏰ $100 cash nearest to the pin. Down to the second. This Sunday I’ll be lining up at the Ballarat Marathon and I can’t wait. I love marathon running and everything involved. For some context my last 3 marathon times are below. Sydney 9/24 - 2:51.02 New York 11/24 2:50.02 Melbourne 10/25 2:49.42 I haven’t experienced any injuries. Training has been consistent but more HYROX focused since Melbourne Marathon. My running mileage is listed above. Certainly lacking there. Also lacking in the long run department compared to other marathons. I’m going to give myself a chance at a PB on the flat and cool Ballarat course. Need to average sub 4 minute Km’s for the first time. Will the legs last at this pace? Or am I delusional 🫣 #ballaratmarathon #runningstrong

3 old blokes + Billy. Race action breaking records 40+ Relay. Pic of the day 📸 . Bloody good fun from pre game to the final siren. #brisbanehyrox #recordholders @nuathleteofficial

Hyrox Veteran - Pro race no 10. This one landed me somewhere in the middle time wise. My running is feeling great. Not so great after pushing these sleds. Like most people my biggest challenge is expressing that fitness while managing the deep seeded sled push trauma. I have dreams about pushing heavy sleds over hot coals in bare feet now. I need to see someone about it. 3rd 🥉 place 40-44 AG #brisbanehyrox #runningstrong

APAC Age Group WR! Fastest any 40+ men’s relay team have ever done in APAC region We beat our current record from Melb by 2 minutes. And think we can go even quicker too What a race Relay is: Zone 5 from the warm up to the the finish line! Wouldn’t have it any other way

This sport gives me that fix. It’s the build up, the nervous energy, the love of competing and the hunger to do better. After a lifetime of playing sport I’d be a bit lost without it. Everyone finds their fix in a different way. This one is healthy for me and I’m so grateful my body can still play. #brisbanehyrox #runningstrong #sport #play

Another year of running down. Same mission, same gameplan. Do the work and be patient. Huge thanks to @harleyclark4 for the push. Run for the kids is one of my favourites on the calendar. Incredible scenery, tough hills. Smart pacing required. Big few months of racing ahead. Ready for it. Key take away - you can get faster in your 40’s. #runningstrong @charliemikecollective #runforthekids #melbourne