An athlete’s Hyrox performance has sparked debate after completing a race in Beijing despite soiling herself midway through the event.

Footage of the woman competing in the indoor fitness competition despite her soiled legs has gone viral, with some people raising concerns around hygiene and others saluting her resolve to push through. Some also criticised race organisers for letting her to continue.

Hyrox said they launched a “major cleanup operation” after the event on Saturday, including by sanitising equipment and replacing sections of the carpet.

The German fitness company acknowledged the “legitimate concerns” but urged people not to direct their frustration at the athlete herself.

The company did not reveal the woman’s identity, but it was revealed online and she subsequently received threats of violence.

“There is no place in our community for threats of violence or encouragement to harm an athlete,” Hyrox said in a statement early on Monday.

“Any person identified as engaging in this behaviour – whether through comments, direct messages or social media – will be permanently banned from all Hyrox events,” it said.

Some participants in the same event had demanded an apology and a refund, arguing that they were forced to come into contact with contaminated equipment, Chinese media reported.

In each Hyrox race, participants alternate between running a kilometre and doing fitness exercises, such as the sled push, burpee jumps, indoor rowing, and lunges while carrying a sandbag.

The competition has exploded in popularity since it was founded in 2017 in Hamburg, Germany, and is now held across the world. The sport debuted in mainland China in late 2024.

Some have questioned why those officiating the competition in Beijing last weekend did not intervene when the athlete soiled herself, given that Hyrox penalises acts including spitting and littering.

“From a basic health and sanitation standpoint, the athlete should have been stopped immediately, and any contaminated areas should have been closed off and properly cleaned before other athletes were allowed through,” Erica Dodge, a US-based nurse, wrote in a comment on Instagram.

Joe Ho, who also took part in the Hyrox Beijing competition over the weekend, has criticised Hyrox’s response to the issue and called on the organisation to “take responsibility when its own procedures fail”.

“If the organisation accepts that something went wrong, why not offer affected participants refunds, credits, or some meaningful form of compensation?” he wrote.

Others in the fitness community have pointed out that this is not unheard of for endurance athletes.

One comment on Facebook, whose author noted that marathoners have similar experiences, while another wrote: “They’ve trained too long and too hard to give up just like that.”

In 2005, British marathoner Paula Radcliffe famously stopped at the 22-mile mark during the London Marathon to relieve herself by the side of the road in full view of cameras and then went on to win the race.

Earlier this year, Chinese marathoner Li Meizhen made headlines after crossing the finish line at the Hengshui Lake Marathon with menstrual blood on her legs.

Hyrox has expanded rapidly across China, with gyms across the country cashing in on the craze. More than 500 affiliated gyms are offering Hyrox specific training, according to the state’s Xinhua news agency.

The recent Beijing race faced such fierce demand that the organisers added an extra day, turning it into a four-day event to make space for even more competitors.

Additional reporting by Laura Bicker in Beijing.