The event has also triggered debate about elite athletes pushing themselves so hard that gastrointestinal accidents happen.<\/p>\n
However, it\u2019s far from the first time something like this has occurred. Most famously, the British long-distance runner Paula Radcliffe was overcome by severe stomach cramps during the 2005 London Marathon, and eventually \u2013 in full view of spectators and TV cameras \u2013 used the roadside as a toilet. She went on to win in 2.17:42.<\/p>\n
Paula Radcliffe. Photo \/ Brett Phibbs<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not really a matter of if it happens to you, but when,\u201d Simon, an ultra-marathon runner, says.<\/p>\n
\u201cManaging that is probably the biggest challenge, especially when you start getting into distances from about 80km upwards.\u201d<\/p>\n
The need to poo during exercise is common, especially for athletes competing in intense activities like Hyrox or ultra marathons, says Dr Rachel Scrivin, an advanced sports dietitian who completed her PhD in exercise gastroenterology.<\/p>\n
There are three main pathophysiological pathways that can cause gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms during exercise, she explains.<\/p>\n
The first is the circulatory-GI pathway. During exercise, blood is redirected away from the gut towards working muscles and the skin for cooling.<\/p>\n
This can reduce gut blood flow and, particularly during exercise lasting more than three hours, or in intense heat, can compromise the gut lining.<\/p>\n
The second cause is the neuroendocrine-GI pathway. Scrivin says exercise can trigger the release of hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, which can alter gut function and how quickly things move through the intestine and how nutrients and fluids are absorbed.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of athletes would say they have a nervous poo before they exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n
And finally, mechanical disruption \u2013 the physical jolting and jarring of exercise can stimulate and potentially damage the gut, impacting the gut lining and\/or function.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo thinking of this athlete in particular, due to the intensity and type of exercise, I would say there\u2019s a lot of change in her gut position, from being upright when running, and then the next minute doing burpees, so they\u2019re up and down, creating a lot of mechanical disruption as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Simon, who runs endurance ultra-marathons, says it\u2019s a topic that is openly discussed and understood in the running community.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s why there are so many toilets on marathon routes.<\/p>\n
\u201cGenerally, it\u2019s manageable. It\u2019s not something that hits you all of a sudden. So for me during the race, if I have to get through the next 5 to 10km, then I can comfortably do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
But for long endurance events, particularly in the wilderness, other measures are needed. Simon says it is common for ultra-runners to carry gloves, wet wipes and a sealable bag in case they need to deal with bodily waste.<\/p>\n
Is pooing yourself during exercise normal?<\/p>\n
There\u2019s an important distinction between the urge to defecate during exercise and uncontrolled faecal incontinence, Scrivin says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat feeling of needing to poo, that\u2019s quite common.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my research with athletes that have gut symptoms, that was the most commonly reported symptom.\u201d<\/p>\n
But that usually comes with a warning, or \u201can urge\u201d first, allowing the athlete to make it to a toilet.<\/p>\n
But more severe symptoms, such as actually pooing your pants, are much less common.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe question is, did she have that urge to defecate first, and if so, why didn\u2019t she address it? Generally, you can hold your sphincter until you get to the toilet.\u201d<\/p>\n
But if she didn\u2019t have that urge, Scrivin says, that would warrant further investigation with a medical professional.<\/p>\n
Is it okay to exercise so hard that you poo?<\/p>\n
Scrivin says it depends on how often it happens. A one-off incident can just be an unfortunate event, but recurrent, severe symptoms should definitely be investigated.<\/p>\n
Pooing isn\u2019t the only gastrointestinal problem athletes can experience during extreme exercise.<\/p>\n
Vomiting is also possible, especially during prolonged exercise like ultra-marathons, or extreme workouts like a Hyrox.<\/p>\n
Why didn\u2019t she stop?<\/p>\n
Elite sport often rewards athletes for pushing through pain, fatigue and adversity. But Iain Saunders, one of the country\u2019s leading high-performance psychologists, says those same qualities can sometimes work against them.<\/p>\n
\u201cAthletes who are trying to be great are not always making amazing decisions for their own welfare,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Saunders says elite performers are often capable of overriding feedback from their bodies \u2013 part of what allows them to perform at an exceptional level.<\/p>\n
But when an athlete is intensely focused on a competitive goal, Saunders says it may be difficult to know when perseverance has gone too far.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe question for me would be, is she equipped to make good decisions when she\u2019s in that space between perseverance and persistence, and chasing competitive goals?\u201d<\/p>\n
He says he is sympathetic to the athlete, who may simply have been doing what elite sport encourages: pushing herself to the absolute limit.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe qualities we celebrate in elite athletes \u2026 can be liabilities when they\u2019ve not got the right judgment around them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why didn\u2019t someone stop her?<\/p>\n
Ultimately, says Saunders, responsibility should have fallen to the event organisers to step in.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe question for me is, has the environment got the guide rails to keep her and her competitors safe?\u201d<\/p>\n
Saunders says international rugby is a good example of a sport with strong health and safety systems, including blood protocols and concussion procedures designed to protect players \u2013 regardless of an athlete\u2019s desire to continue.<\/p>\n
Hyrox athlete and ultra-marathon runner Jared says the situation is especially unusual as Hyrox events have strict rules around cleanliness and safety, with time penalties added for athletes who spit, litter, or splash water on the floors.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t break any rules, technically. But does it make it right? No. But does it make it her fault? It\u2019s pretty grey, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Hyrox co-founder Moritz F\u00fcrste has since apologised on social media, writing: \u201cHYROX made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is my job to foresee these potential incidents \u2013 and I did not \u2026 As of this moment, there are new rules and procedures in place to prevent situations like this from happening again.\u201d<\/p>\n
How to reduce the risk of needing to go<\/p>\n
There are practical things athletes can do to prevent toilet emergencies during events, Scrivin advises.<\/p>\n
Eating food that is easy to digest and low in fibre, such as potatoes, k\u016bmara, pasta and rice, is best before an event. For athletes with gastrointestinal issues, Scrivin recommends a low-FODMAP diet in the 24-48 hours before the event.<\/p>\n
Fluids can also stimulate the bowel, says Scrivin, so while it\u2019s important to be well hydrated, she recommends just sipping water in the last 30 minutes before an event.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor endurance events, we definitely have to practise taking on food, taking on fluid \u2026 just like you\u2019re doing with your training.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jared likens this to a Formula 1 race.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re going to red-line an F1 car on the track, you want to put the fuel in it that you\u2019ve put in every other time in practice. You don\u2019t want to change a thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scrivin also works with clients to develop a toileting strategy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have several athletes that have that really down pat, like they get up two hours before, they have their breakfast, they have some fluid, because often fluid in the tummy triggers the gut to have a poo, it makes your tummy think it\u2019s ready to go, and they sit on the toilet, and not force it, but try to empty their bowels.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The event has also triggered debate about elite athletes pushing themselves so hard that gastrointestinal accidents happen. However,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":602869,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[6435,3248,565,134,424,5812,5971,111,139,69,110033,154770,61,4276,197],"class_list":["post-602868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-does","tag-exercise","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-life","tag-make","tag-need","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-poo","tag-reporters","tag-to","tag-why","tag-you"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/602868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=602868"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/602868\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/602869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=602868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=602868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=602868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}