diff --git a/common.mk b/common.mk
index 9d322f00..6679457e 100644
--- a/common.mk
+++ b/common.mk
@@ -157,6 +157,30 @@ run-binary-debug: $(output_dir) $(sim_debug)
 
 run-fast: run-asm-tests-fast run-bmark-tests-fast
 
+#########################################################################################
+# helper rules to run simulator with fast loadmem via hex files
+#########################################################################################
+$(binary_hex): $(output_dir) $(BINARY)
+	hex_bytes=$(shell readelf --segments --wide $(BINARY) | grep LOAD | tail -n 1 | tr -s [:space:] | cut -f4,6 -d' ' | tr -d x | tr [:lower:] [:upper:] | tr ' ' + | sed 's/0000000008/ibase=16;/' | bc);\
+	power_2_bytes=`python -c "import math; print int(pow(2,math.ceil(math.log($$hex_bytes)/math.log(2))))"`;\
+	elf2hex 64 $$power_2_bytes $(BINARY) $(shell echo "ibase=16;$(LOADMEM_ADDR)" | bc) > $(binary_hex)
+
+run-binary-hex: $(output_dir) $(sim) $(binary_hex)
+run-binary-hex: run-binary
+run-binary-hex: override LOADMEM_ADDR = 80000000
+run-binary-hex: override LOADMEM = $(binary_hex)
+run-binary-hex: override SIM_FLAGS += +loadmem=$(LOADMEM) +loadmem_addr=$(LOADMEM_ADDR)
+run-binary-debug-hex: $(output_dir) $(sim) $(binary_hex)
+run-binary-debug-hex: run-binary-debug
+run-binary-debug-hex: override LOADMEM_ADDR = 80000000
+run-binary-debug-hex: override LOADMEM = $(binary_hex)
+run-binary-debug-hex: override SIM_FLAGS += +loadmem=$(LOADMEM) +loadmem_addr=$(LOADMEM_ADDR)
+run-binary-fast-hex: $(output_dir) $(sim) $(binary_hex)
+run-binary-fast-hex: run-binary-fast
+run-binary-fast-hex: override LOADMEM_ADDR = 80000000
+run-binary-fast-hex: override LOADMEM = $(binary_hex)
+run-binary-fast-hex: override SIM_FLAGS += +loadmem=$(LOADMEM) +loadmem_addr=$(LOADMEM_ADDR)
+
 #########################################################################################
 # run assembly/benchmarks rules
 #########################################################################################