There’s a long history of athletes pooing themselves mid-race – why, and how can you avoid it?
Since the ancient Olympics, athletes like Hyrox competitor Joanna Wietrzyk have experienced runner’s diarrhoea. What does the science say about extreme exercise’s ‘mechanical jostling of the intestines’? Soiling yourself in public sounds like a bad dream. But the Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk has now apologised for doing just that at the Hyrox games in Beijing on Saturday. Wietrzyk won the…
Athletes throughout history have experienced the unfortunate symptom of runner's diarrhoea, a condition characterized by loose stools during endurance events. One recent example is Australian competitor Joanna Wietrzyk, who inadvertently publicised the issue during the Hyrox games in Beijing by soiling herself mid-race. While the incident caused embarrassment, runner's trots are surprisingly common among endurance athletes, with estimates suggesting anywhere from 60% to 90% of participants experience gastrointestinal issues during training or competition.
The severity of runner's trots can vary widely, ranging from mild bloating and cramping to more severe cases of nausea, diarrhoea, and even loss of bowel control. Factors contributing to this gastrointestinal distress include the mechanical jostling of the intestines during high-intensity activities, such as marathons, ultramarathons, and events like Hyrox.
Dehydration, intolerance to certain foods or nutrition protocols, and the physical stress placed on the gut-brain axis can also play a role in exacerbating these symptoms.
Notable public instances of this phenomenon include Catherina McKeirnan at the 1998 London Marathon, Paula Radcliffe at the 2005 London Marathon, and US athlete Taylor Knibb at the 2024 Dubai T100. In one particularly cringe-worthy incident, Swedish runner Mikael Ekvall earned the nickname "bajsmannen" (poop man) for his embarrassing display of diarrhoea during a half-marathon in 2008.
Despite the prevalence of runner's trots, the scientific understanding of why and how this condition occurs remains relatively unclear. Research dating back to the 1980s and 1990s has identified the gut-brain axis and mechanical stresses placed on the digestive tract as potential contributors. However, the exact mechanisms behind exercise-induced gastrointestinal syndrome are still not fully understood and may be influenced by a combination of factors.
To minimize the risk of runner's diarrhoea, experts recommend strategies such as avoiding unfamiliar foods before competition, staying well-hydrated, managing heat exposure, and gradually adapting the gastrointestinal system to tolerate carbohydrates and fluids during exercise. Personalized approaches, based on individual triggers and patterns, are often the most effective in managing this condition.
Additionally, training the gut to tolerate nutrient loading, as with any other aspect of athletic performance, can help athletes better tolerate the stresses of extreme exercise.
Written by urgent.news from The Guardian Australia's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
