Furious Hyrox competitors claim new carpet for world championships sled push this weekend 'sucked' and 'slowed them down'
Competitors at the esteemed fitness competition complained this year's event in Chicago 'sucked' after organisers deployed new turf for the first time.
Videos uploaded by athletes on social media showed them shouting angrily as they attempt to push a block of weights - to no avail.
One racer, Ray Shah, demonstrated his slow progress on lane three before zooming down another aisle with an identical block of weights to prove his point.
He complained on Instagram: 'How is this fair at the World Championships where they were using the new turf/carpet for the first time.
'This turf was to make sleds standardised...far from it!
'It's disappointing when you train so hard for you to get a dodgy lane.
'My race today was ruined as the sled just wouldn't move when I got to sled push, I got through it but at a huge cost to energy.
'Hyrox needs to do better, looking like amateur hour.'
The Hyrox event sees fitness fanatics complete a gruelling workout regime against the clock; while also providing the perfect backdrop for influencers to take selfies for social media.
Hyrox combines running and functional workout stations, where participants, including celebrity clientele like Zoe Hague and Love Island's Molly Smith, run 1km, followed by a functional workout station, repeated eight times.
Responding to Mr Shah's video, one person said: 'They will improve over time but this was quite a mistake.'
But the fitness fanatic replied saying the event was 'eight years old' and so 'not exactly new'.
Another person said: 'Hyrox needs to realise how much people spend to get here... the qualifying race, the travel, the hotels, the world's ticket...it goes on and on.
'This is major time off, training time, financial output for everyone.
'This is insanely unfair to everyone participating.'
Another competitor, Holly Archer, also shared a post.
She said: 'Well!!! That was brutal, but also bloody brilliant!
'Going to get it out and say it like everyone else! F*** those carpets!!!!
'We got lane three on the sled push.. and seeing a lot of people struggle on that lane, we had a different lane for the pull and that was wayyy easier.
'I could not move the sled push in one direction. We were a minute slower on that station and that's normally my best station. They later barricaded the first five lanes off which is honestly really disappointing.'
Responding to Ms Archer, fellow athlete Jonny Glen said: 'Congrats Holly! The sleds well and truly sucked.'
Another competitor, Todd, said: 'We'll make sure we stay clear of lane three tomorrow!'
Mr Archer responded to confirm 'faulty' lanes had now been shut.
The Hyrox competition, which launched in Germany in 2017, bills itself as the fastest-growing of its kind in the world, with events now spanning across 11 countries, including the UK, America, and Shanghai.
It has become a social media sensation since its inception eight years ago, with more than 650,000 athletes now taking part in 84 competitions across 25 countries.
Participants alternate between eight one-kilometre runs and eight functional workout stations: 1000m of SkiErg, 50m of sled push, 50m of sled pull, 80m of burpee broad jumps, 1000m of rowing, 200m of farmer's carry, 100m of sandbag lunges and 100 wall balls.
But despite building up an army of formidable spandex clad supporters raving about the fitness cult, a glamorous marketing campaign, and thousands of TikToks filmed at the event, there is also an unspoken downside.
Attendees have suffered from heart attacks, seizures, and panic attacks during or shortly after taking part - but, as such medical emergencies don't make for appealing social media content, they are often glossed over in TikTok clips and Instagram reels.
This means many people remain unaware of the potentially harmful consequences.
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