What 'Hyrox' actually means after woman pooped herself and won race
If you've been keeping up with the headlines of late, it's likely you'll have seen the word 'Hyrox' somewhere.
As to why it's been a topic of discussion in recent days, it all stems from Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk's win in Beijing, China.
It wasn't necessarily her win that got tongues wagging though, but something that occurred in the lead up to it – that being that she soiled herself in front of the rest of her competitors and the crowd.
The incident has caused a lot of controversy, largely over how the whole situation was handled. Questions have been raised about whether Wietrzyk should have continued the competition and why Hyrox judges didn't intervene.
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The fitness competition has since apologized for the messy debacle. "To our community, as our sport continues to evolve we are encountering new and increasingly complex situations that challenge us and where additional clarity is needed," the statement posted on the official Hyrox Instagram page began.
It went on: "HYROX has clear biocontaminant and medical procedures in place. In this instance, an unforeseen situation arose in which protocols designed for elite competition and mass participation became blurred, creating ambiguity in how they were applied and understood."
What is Hyrox?
The official Hyrox website says that the high intensity competition 'combines both running & functional workout stations, where participants run 1km, followed by 1 functional workout station, repeated eight times'.
"Each race is hosted indoors in expansive exhibition halls, creating an immersive and electrifying race, where your spectators can support you from the very beginning to the very end," it goes on to explain.
"This race format remains consistent across the globe, enabling global leaderboards & a cumulative World Championships at the end of each race season.
"Accommodating both professional athletes, and everyday fitness enthusiasts looking to take their training to the next level, HYROX is for everybody."
Where the name Hyrox came from
Speaking on the Jake Dearden Podcast last month, Hyrox co-founder Mo Fürste explained how 'Hyrox' came to be.
"It definitely has nothing to do with hybrid rockstars," Fürste said. "Maybe we can solve this once and for all."
They wanted to name it 'QUROX' at first, inspired by a Latin term Fürste believed related to healing and running. However, they were sued five days before the first event was supposed to take place.
Then they came up Hyrox instead.
"We took basically 12 of the letters and did a legal test of what works," Fürste shred.
"Hyrox was the one that came out with the highest percentage of not being able to be sued again."
What the Hyrox founder has said about the Wietrzyk ordeal
Fürste has apologized for what happened in China last weekend.
"I apologise to all that were directly or indirectly affected, as well as to everyone who felt like we did not handle the situation like we should have," he said in a social media statement, adding: "Hyrox made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race."
Fürste continued: "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. We learn and try to get better everyday."
Niamh Shackleton