International indoor sports competition Hyrox has apologized after an incident in Beijing in which a runner was allowed to continue a race after getting dirty during the event. Professional athlete Joanna Wietrzyk finished and won the competition, which consists of running and high-intensity exercises, on Saturday. The athlete was seen in videos and photographs running and using shared exercise equipment with feces running down her legs. Competitors alternate between running a mile and performing exercises at training stations, including pushing and pulling sleds, burpees, rowing and lunges while carrying sandbags. Wietrzyk holds a world record in the Hyrox women’s individual event. Hyrox co-founder Moritz Fürste issued a statement Sunday on social media apologizing “to everyone who was directly or indirectly affected, as well as to everyone who felt that we did not handle the situation as we should have.” “HYROX made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race,” he wrote. “Ultimately, my job is to foresee these potential incidents, and I didn’t do that.” Fürste said Hyrox made changes to its rules and procedures for the event as a result of the incident, but did not elaborate on what those changes were. “As of right now, there are new rules and procedures in place to prevent situations like this from happening again,” he said. In another statement on social media, the company said: “As our sport continues to evolve, we encounter new and increasingly complex situations that challenge us and where additional clarity is needed.” The statement has since been removed. “We ask our athletes to push themselves at the highest level. Sometimes, they will go beyond what even we thought was possible,” the brand said. “That courage, resilience and refusal to compromise are precisely what makes elite athletes so extraordinary. Our role is to provide them with the right framework and the right boundaries within which they can compete, perform and express themselves to the fullest.” Understandably, it sparks frustration, questions and strong points of view within our community,” the statement said. “Those concerns are legitimate, and as organizers we must be prepared to listen to them, examine what happened, and take responsibility to continue to improve.” Hyrox did not immediately respond to requests for comment about why the post was removed or what specific policy changes were made in response to Saturday’s race. Wietrzyk did not immediately respond to a request for comment. According to The Guardian, Wietrzyk posted and then deleted a image of herself on her Instagram story from what appeared to be a hospital bed that read: “Go hard or go home… a win is a win. In all seriousness, thank you for all the support. “I’ll be back soon.”
