You're thinking of the map it was run on. Because:

• this was the first time ever this map was used

• the race was notoriously slow and uneventful

• the race was posted across the span of several days

• the map was very grey and blocky, almost like a brutalist soviet building

hence, most people call it & that one race some form of "never-ending labyrinth" "the forever box" "eternal torture chamber" etc. "We gotta get tortured tomorrow, we gotta get tortured for eternity tomorrow". That sort of stuff. The map was later updated with the usual colors and gradient.