An Australian Hyrox athlete had a messy accident. It’s more common than you think

Hyrox, the world’s fastest-growing sport , made worldwide headlines this week for all the wrong reasons. At the centre of the media storm was Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk, who continued to compete in the indoor fitness race in Beijing on September 12 – going on to win – after soiling herself.

Videos of the world record holder using communal equipment, including sandbags and kettlebells, while excrement is visible on her legs and arms, have gone viral, sparking debate about health and safety standards and athlete responsibility.

On social media, many people raised their concerns, labelling the athlete “selfish” and citing the hypocrisy of Hyrox’s no-spitting or nostril-clearing policy.

Hyrox co-founder Moritz Fürste issued an apology to participants in an Instagram post on Monday, admitting the company made a mistake by allowing Wietrzyk to continue competing in the race.

“I apologise to all who were directly or indirectly affected, as well as to everyone who felt like we did not handle the situation as we should have.

“Hyrox made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race. In the end, it is my job to foresee these potential incidents – and I did not.”

Hyrox has now updated its rules to, as Fürste puts it, “prevent situations like this from happening again”. However, some people – including Wietrzyk, who posted “a win is a win” in a now-deleted Instagram post – see the incident differently.

Li Hongxin, associate professor of sports management at China’s Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, said athletes should not be criticised or judged for experiencing a physiological problem. “I think her determination and sportsmanship are very understandable,” he said.

In reality, for many athletes, this “physiological problem” is common. British athlete Paula Radcliffe won the 2005 London marathon after being forced to relieve herself by the side of the road in full view of cameras, and a recent study found that up to 96 per cent of ultramarathon runners experience gastrointestinal distress.

Two of the components of this gastrointestinal distress – the urge to defecate, and diarrhoea – are often referred to informally as “runner’s trots” and can occur immediately before, during or shortly after running or other exhaustive exercise, says Dr Vini Cruzat, a lecturer in food, nutrition and dietetics at La Trobe University.

“In the scientific literature, it is more commonly referred to as runner’s diarrhoea or exercise-induced diarrhoea, and it falls within the broader category of exercise-associated gastrointestinal symptoms.”

While the name is associated with running, runner’s trots can occur in many other sports, particularly during prolonged and/or high-intensity exercise.

“Examples include cycling and triathlon, but gastrointestinal symptoms can also occur during other strenuous forms of exercise, including weightlifting and powerlifting,” Cruzat says.

In running, the repetitive impact creates mechanical movement of the gastrointestinal tract, which may contribute to bowel urgency and changes in bowel function.