Local world-class endurance coach claims HYROX victory

Beacon Health & Fitness Granger member Greg Mueller didn’t go to Phoenix in late January expecting to win. He went to run a smart race, push himself and maybe snag the HYROX “flag” he and his wife, Lisa, joked about before the start. Instead, he crossed the line in 1:08:30, a full minute faster than he’d targeted, and took first place in his age group at one of the largest HYROX events in the country with nearly 13,000 competitors.

“I mean, I was very pleasantly surprised,” he said. “Few people, if they’re honest, go into something like this thinking they’re going to win. I just wanted to get the most out of myself.”

Lisa has been part of Greg’s fitness journey for decades. In fact, they first met more than 20 years ago at the former Beacon Health & Fitness South Bend location. In Phoenix, she stood at the finish line, emotional and cheering him on, even though she still had hours before her own race start time.

“She’s my training partner and honestly the better pacer,” Greg said. “I tend to go too fast. She’s smarter and more steady.”

This coach knows his stuff
Greg’s HYROX win didn’t come out of nowhere — it sits on top of a career spent coaching at the highest levels of endurance sport.

For nearly three decades, he has coached elite triathletes, runners, cyclists and even a U.S. modern pentathlete. He travels constantly, touching down on four continents in seven weeks last fall alone, meeting athletes around the world, preparing them for international competitions.

While based in Granger, Greg has coached more than 20 international‑level athletes who moved to the area to train with him. He’s guided athletes to Olympic gold, silver and bronze, staying behind the scenes while others receive the spotlight.

“Most everything I do is for other people,” he said. “That’s my focus. That’s what I love.”

That’s part of why the Phoenix HYROX event felt so different. “It’s rare that I get to do something like this — train for months and then actually celebrate the result.”

HYROX – It just hits different
HYROX is brutally simple: run 1 kilometer, complete a strength station, repeat eight times. Greg rattles off the stations — SkiErg machine, a 305‑pound sled push, a 240‑pound sled pull, burpee broad jumps, rowing, farmer’s carry, lunges, wall balls. Nothing about them is easy.

Training with intention
Greg trained 10–12 hours a week leading into the race with two HYROX sessions, strength work, mobility and 30–35 miles of running. Due to the rigorous training, stretching and mobility work became mandatory.

The mental side? Simple: Stay focused on your effort.

“HYROX is basically a time trial,” Greg said. “If you go too hard at the start, you’re walking later, and who cares if you were ahead for a minute? It means nothing.”

Greg and Lisa Mueller at HYROX Phoenix

He teaches athletes to tune out competitors, watches and heart‑rate data and instead focus on breathing, rhythm and feel, skills he and Lisa practice together in nearly every workout.

Podium prep, close to home
Greg credits Beacon Health & Fitness Granger with giving him the environment he needed to prepare. “That functional training room has everything — turf, sleds, ropes. You can literally train for HYROX there without going anywhere else,” he said. Very few facilities in northern Indiana offer that.

But more than equipment, it’s community.

“When Beacon gives you the chance to get together with like‑minded people, that synergy is powerful,” Greg said. “When something is very hard, it helps.”

The HYROX‑style class at Beacon is, in his words, “the only class that directly correlates to an actual competition,” giving everyone — from beginners to veterans — a place to learn the stations, train together and chase their goals.

“And there’s really no reason someone can’t achieve whatever their goal is,” he added.

Learn more
Ready to try HYROX at Beacon Health & Fitness Granger?

• Visit beaconhealthsystem.org/services/beacon-sports-performance/.
• Download the sports performance schedule.
• Contact Sarah at sstrefling@beaconhealthsystem.org