Four Statements in Three Days: HYROX Faces Backlash Amid Rapid Growth

Phoenix News — HYROX, the German-origin indoor fitness race, is facing a growing controversy after a female competitor suffered a fecal incontinence incident during a high-intensity race in Beijing but was allowed to continue and win, without the course being promptly sanitized.

During the HYROX Beijing women's elite race on September 12, Australian world record holder Joanna Wietrzyk experienced incontinence mid-race but completed all eight cycles and won with a time of 1:01:23. Organizers did not stop the race or close off the affected course areas, leading to contamination of tracks, sled pads, flooring, and station zones. Multiple participants accused organizers of negligence.

HYROX China issued a statement on September 14 outlining corrective measures, including updating competition rules — proposing new regulations for scenarios involving extreme physical distress and public health risks — and implementing full-site sanitization before events and equipment sanitization between competitor use.

In a previous statement, HYROX said the incident was an unforeseen situation where protocols for elite and amateur participants became blurred. It also warned that any threats or calls for harm against the athlete would result in a permanent ban from all HYROX events, a statement that drew further criticism.

In August, HYROX also apologized after commentators at its Chengdu event made inappropriate remarks about table tennis star Zhang Jike, and terminated its collaboration with the two commentators on August 1.

Founded in Germany in 2017, HYROX involves eight 1-kilometer runs interspersed with eight functional exercises. Its first event had just 650 participants; by 2025, that number had grown to 550,000. Since entering mainland China in November 2024, it has gained significant social media attention.