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.

Source: [Guardian International](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/sep/18/hyrox-joanna-wietrzyk-history-of-athletes-pooing-mid-race-why-and-how)