Police in Santa Barbara are investigating “suspicious circumstances” after more than two dozen runners were hospitalized during and after competing in Sunday’s half marathon.
But while organizers claim that heat and exhaustion were the reasons behind the trips to emergency care, reports have surfaced that competitors may have been poisoned with drugs at a water station on the route.
After news broke of the higher-than-usual number of participants requiring medical attention, several alleged competitors posted on social media about the incident.
One user on X claimed that the alleged “poisoning” occurred at “one hydration booth at mile 11 or 12.”
A user on Reddit claiming to be one of the hospitalized runners said they were told that the symptoms likely were drug-induced.
“I was one of the runners hospitalized. When I finally came to after being transported in the ambulance the doctor immediately told me and my family these conditions were suspicious and they were near positive it was drug induced,” the user wrote. “Those of us in the hospital were all young and all in good health.”
Another runner told local news outlet KEYT News Channel 3-12 that they lost consciousness for nearly an hour and then could not remember portions of the race after waking.
“It is awfully suspicious,” said the runner, who wished to remain anonymous. “We had people saying they were hallucinating. I was unconscious for almost an hour. None of us remember running for a portion of it.”
They added that they were “not too familiar with heat exhaustion, but I have never seen anyone not remembering a long portion of their run.”
What have police said about the investigation?
The Santa Barbara Police Department confirmed to multiple outlets that it is investigating the suspicious circumstances of the incident, but the cause of the illnesses currently remains unknown.
The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department maintains that unusually high temperature during the event – roughly 26C when the race began on Sunday morning – is the reason behind the surge in hospitalizations.
“At this time, the medical incident appears to be an isolated event connected directly to race participation and the heat,” the health department said in a press release.
“There is no indication of a broader public health concern or ongoing risk to the community.”
According to Cottage Health, which operates hospitals in Santa Barbara and the surrounding area, a total of 27 runners required treatment during and following Sunday’s race.
Of those patients, 24 were treated and discharged, with three remaining hospitalized in stable condition as of Monday afternoon.
“We have a larger than expected number of emergency visits that are tracked to participants of this morning’s organized run in SB,” a spokesman for Cottage Health said in a statement.
“Twenty-seven patients arrived at Cottage EDs, a number of them with similar symptoms of undetermined cause.”
What did the marathon organizers say?
Organizers for the event posted a statement on social media on Monday.
After thanking those who helped support this year’s event, it addressed the situation involving those who fell ill at the race.
“During and since the event, we have worked closely with local authorities to provide as much information and access as possible,” the event’s official Instagram account posted. “At this point we have no additional information to suggest that the issues some of the participants experienced were caused by anything other than endurance event exertion-related symptoms.
“With this statement we in no way intend to diminish the severity of each participant who was seen by medical professionals. As producers of endurance events throughout the year, it is our number one priority to get all participants from the start line to the finish line safely.
“We deeply sympathize with each participant who had issues, along with their friends and family.”