HYROX have – during February 2024 – added wording to their rulebook which details their anti-doping policy. Up until that point, there had been no mention of doping not being allowed by athletes, even at the Elite level. But as the sport exploded in popularity in recent year, and with increasing prize purses for the Elite athletes, many had been calling for HYROX to state their policy on this important area.
What is the HYROX Anti Doping Policy?
The wording in the HYROX rulebook is as follows:
“HYROX is committed to promote fair play, integrity, and the spirit of competition within all events. HYROX firmly believes in the principles of clean sport and is dedicated to create an environment where athletes can compete on a level playing field. As such, HYROX enforces an anti-doping policy to ensure the health and safety of all participants and to uphold the values of honesty, respect, and equality in sports.
HYROX adheres to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code and its international standards. All events are dedicated to conduct the highest ethical standards with no tolerance to the use of prohibited substances or methods that may compromise the integrity of the race.
All athletes participating in HYROX events are expected to comply with the anti-doping regulations outlined by WADA. This includes submitting to testing for banned substances, both in and out of the race. HYROX reserves the right to conduct random testing at any time to maintain a fair and clean race environment.”
Below we examine the pros and cons, costs, and implications of implementing drug testing in HYROX…
Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED’s) Potentially Used
Some PEDs that HYROX athletes may seek advantages from include:
– Anabolic steroids (boost strength, speed, endurance, recovery)
– EPO (increases red blood cells/oxygen for energy)
– HGH (builds muscle, speeds injury recovery)
– Stimulants (heighten focus, intensity, metabolism)
– Diuretics (used for masking by diluting urine)
How About Hormone / Testosterone Replacement Therapy?
Some athletes undergoing testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) for medical needs may receive exemptions in certain sports. However, TRT is also sometimes abused to elevate testosterone. Most major sports ban TRT use without exemptions. It is undoubtedly a huge competitive advantage for those people who do use TRT. That said, it is increasingly commonly being used, especially by males as they age. TRT is banned under the WADA code so in theory this policy will be impacting some of the age group competitors at least.
Are there Signs an Athlete May be Cheating?
While drug testing is the only definitive way to know if an athlete is using banned substances, there are certain red flags that may raise suspicions of PED use from afar. Extremely rapid gains in strength and muscle mass in a short time frame can sometimes indicate the effects of anabolic steroids. If an athlete seems to recover from workouts unusually quickly, or experiences minimal soreness, it could point to enhanced recovery via substances like HGH or testosterone.
Athletes who are suddenly able to train at abnormally high volumes and intensities without overtraining may have boosted endurance from oxygen-enhancing drugs like EPO. Changes in an athlete’s body composition like gynecomastia in men (growth of breast tissue) or a deeply masculine physique in women can be side effects of certain steroids.
While these signs alone are not proof of PEDs, together they may justify closer investigation with drug testing. However, genetic gifts, great training programming, nutrition and recovery methods can also explain rapid performance and physique improvements. Judgments require treading carefully to avoid falsely accusing clean athletes.
Testing Accuracy and Avoiding Detection
Unfortunately, testing is never 100% reliable, and even if / when implemented into HYROX, it would not catch all of the drug cheats in the sport. However, it should act as a big deterrent.
The accuracy of testing varies depending on the substance and testing methods used. For some basic steroids, testing can be quite accurate with minimal false positives when proper protocols are followed. However, designer drugs and more sophisticated doping methods can be harder to reliably detect.
The ease of avoiding detection also depends on the resources and sophistication of the athlete. Methods used to try to beat tests include:
– Using fast-clearing drugs like oral steroids and stopping use weeks before testing.
– Carefully timing micro-doses of EPO and testosterone to keep levels just below detection thresholds.
– Using masking agents to interfere with testing procedures and hide evidence of drug use.
– Substituting clean urine from others during testing.
– Receiving advance notice of unannounced tests to allow time to clear systems.
With unlimited funds and resources, it may be possible for some athletes to avoid positive tests for a time despite ongoing PED use. However, rigorous, frequent, random testing with no-notice sample collection makes evading detection much more difficult. That obviously comes at an increased cost though and right now HYROX will be deciding how much investment they want to put into this. While not 100% foolproof, strict testing can significantly deter doping among professionals.
Drug Testing Costs
It’s hard to put a definitive number on the costs of drug testing as it is dependent on so many factors, but a cost of £400 per test is probably in the rough ballpark. As mentioned though, factors to consider would be how often, and randomly, the drug testing was carried out during the year, how many athletes you wanted to test, plus the cost of hiring staff to carry out the testing and hire of secure testing sites at major events. Of course, if HYROX wanted to limit their testing to just those athletes who have qualified for Elite races (15 Men and 15 Women per race), and do all the testing at the events, this obviously helps to keep down costs, but can still add up over the course of a year with frequent testing of each athlete, changing Elite lineups, etc.
One consideration for HYROX in helping to offset these costs is whether, by testing, they would help to attract more sponsors to the sport.
Past Positives
Some effects of performance enhancing drugs can linger and continue benefiting athletes long after they discontinue use. For example, those who used anabolic steroids may have built significantly more muscle mass and strength during their cycling periods. Even once off steroids, they may retain much of these gains if that new foundation of muscle was maintained through training. The heightened number of muscle nuclei and fibers spawned by steroids may mean they experience faster hypertrophy from training compared to never having used. Other impacts like increased bone mineral density from past steroid use can also deliver ongoing performance advantages. This is why some sports require athletes who test positive to be banned for a period of years after doping. A positive test, even dating back many years, could indicate an athlete has structural and physiological advantages in the present from old drug use.
Pros of Drug Testing
– Promotes fair competition. Drug testing helps ensure competitors are natural athletes and create a level playing field. Use of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) gives an unfair advantage to those willing to use them.
– Upholds integrity of the sport. Drug testing protects the reputation of HYROX as a clean, honest competition. It shows the organization values ethics over simply having the best performances.
– Safety of athletes. Some PEDs have negative health consequences. Testing acts as deterrent to use of harmful substances.
Cons of Drug Testing
– Expensive to implement. Costs include testing equipment, collecting samples, hiring staff to oversee program. HYROX would need to determine if it is a worthwhile investment.
– Testing isn’t perfect. Even with testing, it is still often possible for cheating athletes to evade detection.
– Infringes on privacy. Testing involves collecting urine/blood samples, which some view as invasion of privacy. Athletes may object to sharing medical information.
– False positives possible. Even the most accurate tests can occasionally produce incorrect positive results that erroneously implicate clean athletes. Must have process to handle appeals.
– Drives drug use underground. Lack of transparency may encourage athletes to try beating tests via masking agents, etc rather than abstaining from drug use.
– If HYROX wanted to discourage ALL competitors from drug use, as opposed to just “Elite” athletes, then the costs would rise significantly, and lead to practicality issues.
Conclusion
Implementing drug testing in HYROX would come at significant cost and effort for the organization. However, in the long run it may prove vital for protecting the legitimacy of competition, safety of athletes, and public image of the rapidly growing sport. The costs obviously depend to a great deal on how much testing they actually do, and how randomised that is.
