FRANKFORT, Ky. – U.S. Army Col. Eddie Simpson and 1st Lt. Erik Thomas, both Kentucky Army National Guard Soldiers, have qualified for the 2025 CrossFit Games, one of the most elite distinctions in fitness.
Their achievement marks a milestone for personal performance and the future of Army readiness through the Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) program.
“These two Soldiers exemplify what the Kentucky National Guard stands for—discipline, resilience and total readiness,” said Maj. Gen. Haldane B. Lamberton, adjutant general of the Kentucky National Guard. “Their achievements reflect not only personal commitment, but the impact of the H2F program in shaping a more capable and lethal force.”
Thomas, the state H2F coordinator and a transportation officer with the 307th Support Maintenance Company, described the journey to the Games as grueling and highly selective.
“The road to the CrossFit Games starts with the worldwide CrossFit Open, the largest participatory sporting event on Earth,” Thomas said. “Hosted by local CrossFit gyms through the month of April, 109,000 men competed. Only 30 athletes in my age group from across the globe advanced to the games.”
Thomas, who discovered CrossFit during a deployment to Iraq and Kuwait in 2012, qualified for the games after surviving a series of five semifinal workouts within a condensed, high-pressure timeline. He credits H2F and the lifestyle it promotes for helping him reach this level.
“Sleep and nutrition are top priorities for me. They’re not just habits—they’re performance tools,” Thomas said. “During sleep is one of the only times for your body and mind to recover and reset. I made it a priority to follow a dedicated sleep routine not only during the stage of the competition but in the months leading up to it as well.”
The H2F system is built around five domains: physical, nutritional, mental, sleep and spiritual. Each domain plays a critical role in Soldier readiness. Physical training builds endurance and strength; nutrition fuels recovery and performance; mental fitness enhances decision-making and resilience; sleep supports recovery and cognitive function; and spiritual fitness helps Soldiers align actions with values and purpose.
While attending the Master Resilience Trainer (MRT) course in 2023, Thomas wrote down a SMART goal: qualify for the CrossFit Games by April 2025. Two years later, he met that goal. As both a Master Resilience Trainer and the state’s H2F coordinator, Thomas applied the same mental performance strategies in his training that he teaches to Soldiers.
“I’ve used MRT skills like performance imagery and energy management during competition,” he said. “Oddly enough, my SMART goal to qualify for CrossFit Games 2025 was written down back in 2023. It became my roadmap.”
Simpson, who has mentored Thomas in fitness and leadership, qualified for the CrossFit Games in 2018, finishing 16th in the world in the men’s 45–49 age group. During the past 15 years, he has continuously trained and competed to reach the Games—achieving that milestone twice.
“Physical fitness played a huge role in my career, not just to meet standards, but to connect with Soldiers as we challenged each other to do better,” Simpson said. “After a knee injury in 2009, I found CrossFit as a fun way to build back and strengthen muscle around my knee. I then began using it as a recruiting tool. It was challenging and built camaraderie.”
Simpson’s military career spans more than 34 years, including service as the 1-149th Infantry Regiment commander, deputy commander of the 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Virginia Army National Guard), and now as commander of Garrison Training Command. He also owns CrossFit Frankfort, where he coaches and trains others—blending his passion for fitness with camaraderie.
In 2016, Simpson’s passions played a key role in developing the Kentucky Army National Guard’s AXE Camp—a four-day intensive fitness and mentorship program designed to help at-risk Soldiers improve their physical readiness.
With the help of retired Master Sgt. Jay Taheny and Capt. Jeremy Mullins, the AXE program saw a nearly 50% improvement rate among participants who had previously failed their physical fitness test, Simpson said.
Simpson views AXE Camp as the foundation for what eventually became the Guard’s current H2F program.
“My greatest accomplishment in the Kentucky National Guard has been helping Soldiers avoid discharge by educating and mentoring them through holistic fitness,” Simpson said. “H2F is the number one building block for lethality. It’s not just about lifting weights—it’s about enduring hardship, recovering and doing it again.”
For both men, the CrossFit Games serve as a world stage for what they have been quietly building in Kentucky: a new standard for what Soldier-athletes can be.
“Qualifying for the CrossFit Games doesn’t define who I am,” Thomas said. “But it tells a story of perseverance and relentless pursuit. I want my fellow Guardsmen to know anything is possible.”
The 2025 CrossFit Games will be held in August in Columbus, Ohio. Thirty athletes will compete in each age bracket, representing countries worldwide.