Hyrox athlete sparks debate for continuing race after soiling herself
Some have raised concerns around hygiene while others saluted her resolve to finish the race.
Hyrox athlete sparks debate for continuing race after soiling herself
An athlete’s Hyrox performance has prompted debate after she finished a race in Beijing even though she soiled herself partway through the event.
Video of the woman taking part in the indoor fitness competition with soiled legs has spread widely online, with some people voicing hygiene concerns and others praising her determination to keep going. Some also blamed race organisers for allowing her to continue.
Hyrox said it carried out a “major cleanup operation” after Saturday’s event, including sanitising equipment and replacing sections of carpet.
The German fitness company said it understood the “legitimate concerns” but urged people not to direct their anger at the athlete herself.
The company did not disclose the woman’s identity, but it was later revealed online and she then received threats of violence.
“There is no place in our community for threats of violence or encouragement to harm an athlete,” Hyrox said in a statement early on Monday.
“Any person identified as engaging in this behaviour – whether through comments, direct messages or social media – will be permanently banned from all Hyrox events,” it said.
Some competitors at the same event reportedly demanded an apology and a refund, saying they had been forced to come into contact with contaminated equipment, Chinese media reported.
In each Hyrox race, competitors alternate between running one kilometre and completing fitness exercises such as the sled push, burpee jumps, indoor rowing and lunges while carrying a sandbag.
The competition has surged in popularity since it was founded in 2017 in Hamburg, Germany, and is now staged around the world.
Some have questioned why officials in Beijing did not step in when the athlete soiled herself, given that Hyrox penalises actions including spitting and littering.
“From a basic health and sanitation standpoint, the athlete should have been stopped immediately, and any contaminated areas should have been closed off and properly cleaned before other athletes were allowed through,” Erica Dodge, a US-based nurse, wrote in a comment on Instagram.
Joe Ho, who also competed in Hyrox Beijing over the weekend, criticised Hyrox’s response and urged the organisation to “take responsibility when its own procedures fail”.
“If the organisation accepts that something went wrong, why not offer affected participants refunds, credits, or some meaningful form of compensation?” he wrote.
Others in the fitness community have said this is not unusual for endurance athletes.
One Facebook comment, whose author noted that marathon runners have similar experiences, said: “They’ve trained too long and too hard to give up just like that.”
In 2005, British marathoner Paula Radcliffe famously stopped at the 22-mile mark during the London Marathon to relieve herself by the side of the road in full view of cameras and then went on to win the race.
Earlier this year, Chinese marathoner Li Meizhen made headlines after crossing the finish line at the Hengshui Lake Marathon with menstrual blood on her legs.