The process of training for a race is grueling. So, of course, participants often push themselves to the limit to make sure that the process was all worth it. But one runner may have taken things too far during the recent HYROX race.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Joanna Wietrzyk soiled herself during the global endurance race in Beijing this past Saturday (September 12). Photos that quickly surfaced online showed the Australian runner with brown feces running down both legs during the age 16-24 elite race.
It all appeared to be worth the risk for Wietrzyk in the end. She was crowned first-place champion with a finish time of 1:01:23, beating the United States' Alyssa McElheny by 45 seconds (USA Today).
HYROX Under Fire For Allowing Race to Continue
However, this was far from a story of triumph in the eyes of several readers. Many users on social media expressed outrage over Wietrzyk being allowed to finish the race.
"They need to refund everyone. TOT think that nasty fool won too ... like what the hell is that? Why subject everyone to that??" one user asked on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"I mean, there's pushing through and wanting to seem strong, but that was unhealthy, unsanitary, and just disgusting. Both she and the staff at the event put others at risk," a second user chimed in.
"Mind you, she came in first, so literally EVERYONE ELSE had to come behind her and touch/run on everything she covered in s**t!!!" a third user remarked.
Amid the backlash, HYROX co-founder Moritz apologized to everyone who was affected. He also admitted that it was a "mistake" to allow the race to continue.
"HYROX made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race," Furste wrote in an Instagram post on Monday (September 14). "In the end, it is my job to foresee these potential incidents - and I did not. Of course, we started improving event processes, plus making rulebook changes immediately. As of this moment, there are new rules and procedures in place to prevent situations like this from happening again"
