We were made aware of an incident shortly after the women’s Elite 15 race concluded last night and waited to confirm details and give all sides a chance to respond before posting.

Our job at Hybrid Fitness Media is not to assign blame but to hold both athletes and HYROX accountable to basic standards of transparency and rule enforcement.

Footage from the HYROX Hamburg Major live stream shows the following sequence during the women’s Elite 15 race:

49:10 Wietrzyk appears to reach for something in her shorts.
49:17 She appears to rub her hands.
49:18 Commentator Till Schenk says, “The chalk is coming out already for Joanna Wietrzyk.”
49:23 Schenk adds, “Everything’s stashed into the race outfit.”

The clip has circulated among athletes and fans, prompting discussion about whether personal chalk use is permitted under HYROX competition rules.

The HYROX rulebook states:

“Only event-provided chalk may be used, and only at the workout stations where it is provided. Chalk is not to be taken to any other workout stations or used at different workout stations. Doing so will incur a two-minute penalty per infringement.”

We’ve heard conflicting reports on whether this rule was additionally mentioned in the pre-race briefing. Some athletes recalled hearing it discussed, while others did not or could not recall.

We reached out to Wietrzyk through her management, who provided the following response:

“Just spoke to Jo and Mat Lock from HYROX and here is our statement: The Race Direction team reviewed the evidence submitted. While the footage shows Jo handling something with her hands and having an item tucked into her shorts, there is no conclusive evidence to support the allegation athletes and commentators are making. Commentary or speculation during the broadcast is not considered evidence.”

It is possible, based on the responses received from HYROX and Wietrzyk’s team, that no formal athlete protest was ever filed.

The incident was also discussed on the Race Brain podcast’s live reaction show following the event. Hosts noted that the rule in question was explicitly written into the current rulebook and had been referenced on-air by commentator Till Schenk multiple times during the broadcast. “We’ve got to call it because it’s in the rulebook, and it got mentioned on the broadcast by Till multiple times. Joanna was carrying chalk on her person, and she used it two times. It is in the rulebook. You cannot do that. It specifically states it.” “It says only event-provided chalk may be used, and doing so will incur a two-minute penalty per infringement. So it happened twice, so that could be a four-minute penalty realistically.”

They went on to discuss whether the chalk could have been provided by HYROX, noting that each lane appeared to have its own chalk bucket, and that the rule was a new addition for the 2025 season. The panel emphasized that while the rule exists, they did not believe the incident affected the outcome of the race, calling it “a dumb rule” but acknowledging that “if it’s in the rulebook, you’ve got to call it by the book.”

Questions around rule interpretation and consistency have surfaced before at HYROX events, often involving visible infractions caught on camera. These moments highlight the increasing scrutiny around Elite 15 racing as the sport continues to professionalize and attract global attention.

This incident also raises a broader question about accountability. Should the standard for enforcing a rule depend on athletes filing a protest? Is it fair to expect competitors to either report their peers, possibly friends, doubles partners, or shared sponsors, or risk appearing like a poor loser if they do? Should that responsibility rest primarily with the race organization itself?

You can watch the complete live stream of the Women’s HYROX Major here: