How far would you go to secure an impressive marathon time, or a Hyrox personal best? Maybe you\u2019d turn down a boozy night out in favour of eight hours\u2019 kip the night before? Or perhaps you\u2019d swap sugary treats for protein shakes, and commit to a gruelling training plan in the run-up? It\u2019s not uncommon for athletes to want to give it their all come race day \u2013 but few of us would go as far as the Australian Hyrox competitor Joanna Wietrzyk, who continued to take part in the hybrid fitness event a little over a week ago, despite having noticeably soiled herself.<\/p>\n
Wietrzyk\u2019s immediate response appeared to be one of defiance. \u201cGo hard or go home \u2026 a win is a win,\u201d she said in a now-deleted Instagram post<\/a>, having been allowed to finish and win the event in Beijing. Hyrox organisers initially seemed to back her position, posting a statement<\/a> (also now deleted) which said: \u201cWe ask our athletes to push themselves to the highest levels. At times, they will go beyond what even we thought was possible.\u201d<\/p>\n But as images of faecal matter dripping down Wietrzyk\u2019s legs \u2013 while she continued to use communal equipment \u2013 circulated online, few appeared to admire her commitment. Rather, some raised concerns that her bowel incontinence posed a health risk to other competitors.<\/p>\n Both parties quickly pivoted to apologies<\/a>, with Wietrzyk admitting that she should have \u201cstepped off the track\u201d and that there was \u201cmore to life than racing\u201d. Hyrox co-founder Moritz F\u00fcrste stated<\/a> that \u201cHyrox made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race\u201d, before going on to confirm that, \u201cthere are new rules and procedures in place to prevent situations like this from happening again\u201d.<\/p>\n To the limit \u2026 Joanna Wietrzyk in action in the Hyrox event in Beijing. Photograph: Fred Lee\/Getty Images<\/p>\n But could the viral moment mark a turning point in what is considered aspirational or acceptable when it comes to fitness goals? Hybrid training, which combines cardio with strength exercises, has been growing in popularity over recent years<\/a>, alongside associated competitions such as Hyrox, ATHX<\/a> and the CrossFit Games. But among the fitness community, attitudes towards the benefits of an unrelentingly competitive mindset may be starting to shift.<\/p>\n \u201cRecently I have noticed individuals showing more consideration for their wellbeing,\u201d explains Harvey Smith, a sport and exercise psychologist<\/a> whose work focuses on supporting athletes with the psychological demands of performance, training and competition. A number of his clients take part in endurance and hybrid events such as Hyrox, as well as other sports. \u201cThere is a growing awareness that chasing extreme performance markers does not always align with long-term physical or mental health, and more people are actively reflecting on that trade-off rather than assuming harder is always better,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Even so, he acknowledges that competitive culture can be slow to change, and extreme effort is still often celebrated, \u201cso I would say we are in a transition rather than a complete shift\u201d. He believes the incident in Beijing has opened up an important conversation about where the line sits between admirable resilience and a culture that pushes people to ignore their body\u2019s signals at real cost.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it should be obvious that doing Hyrox is not about health, it\u2019s about competition,\u201d says Daniel Lieberman<\/a>, a paleoanthropologist at Harvard University and author of books including Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do is Healthy and Rewarding<\/a>. \u201cWhile we have capacities to do extreme things, we never evolved to stand on one line and run as fast as possible to another line 26.2 miles away, or \u2013 even more bizarrely \u2013 to eight times over run a kilometre and then push sleds, carry weights, do burpees, and so on\u201d \u2013 as athletes do as part of Hyrox competitions.<\/p>\n double quotation markIt\u2019s important for people to challenge themselves … but extreme competition can also be toxicMatteo Massaini, fitness coach<\/p>\n \u201cWe now have hundreds of studies which show that you don\u2019t need a lot of physical activity to promote health,\u201d Lieberman adds. \u201cMore can bring greater benefits but only up to a point, at which the benefits tail off and possibly reverse.\u201d It is easy to see why even the most devoted gym-goer might question the merits of pushing themselves to the limit \u2013 especially if in doing so they have been plagued by injury.<\/p>\n For the sport and performance coach Matteo Massaini<\/a>, there\u2019s no one size fits all approach. \u201cI think it\u2019s really important for people to challenge themselves and strive to be better \u2013 and I think Hyrox has actually really helped with that,\u201d he says. \u201cBut extreme competition can also be toxic.\u201d<\/p>\n Massaini has taken part in Hyrox himself, as well as numerous running competitions, and stresses the importance of not prioritising personal achievements over the wellbeing of others \u2013 although he can see how it\u2019s easy to get tunnel vision on race day. \u201cThe beautiful thing about humanity is that we\u2019re all very different: not everyone needs to have the attitude of \u2018go hard or go home\u2019,\u201d he says. \u201cSome people have different goals.\u201d<\/p>\n Likewise, Chloe White, co-owner of small group personal training facility Raw Inc Training<\/a>, agrees that competitive events can provide \u201ca positive, performance-based goal and shift the focus away from appearance towards what the body can achieve\u201d. She has competed in Hyrox, ATHX, Turf Games<\/a> and Butterfly Effect<\/a> events, and has found there is now a \u201cgreater awareness of recovery, injury management and longevity, although a \u2018more is better\u2019 culture still exists within parts of the industry\u201d.<\/p>\n Is it possible to achieve your fitness dreams without getting caught up in a competitive culture? Smith says that grounding your determination \u201cin process, self-compassion, and realistic support structures\u201d is the key to success \u2013 rather than simply fixating on a win or a PB. Meanwhile, he\u2019s seen more coaches, event organisers, and athletes talking openly about sustainable performance and the risks of overtraining. \u201cA more useful question for people to sit with is often: \u2018How do you stay determined without the result controlling your sense of self-worth?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n