Twenty-seven participants in Sunday’s Santa Barbara Half Marathon sought emergency care at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in California, up from 19 initially reported, the hospitals’ operator, Cottage Health, said Monday.
As of Monday, 24 were discharged, while three remained hospitalized in stable condition as Santa Barbara police continued to investigate.
Santa Barbara police said they launched the investigation after Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital reported that multiple participants sought treatment for “unusual symptoms” following the race.
Cottage Health said Sunday that it had a “larger than expected number of emergency visits … a number of them with similar symptoms of undetermined cause.”
Race organizers said they believed the illnesses were related to heat or dehydration.
Event director David Monico said the race medical team treated runners for dehydration and overheating along the course and at the finish line. Organizers transported 15 people from the medical tent to local hospitals.
“There was no unusual symptoms or anything outside of the norm for a half marathon or a marathon or some type of endurance event,” Monico said.
Highs for the area typically reach the lower to mid-70s in November, he said. Santa Barbara Airport reached 82 degrees at 2:30 p.m., 11 degrees above normal for the date, according to the weather service’s daily report.
Dizzy Near Finish Line
Patrick Tatum, 32, told the Los Angeles Times he saw an ambulance and several people who appeared dizzy in the final mile. Tatum, who has run the half marathon seven times in nine years, said a layer of coastal clouds that had shielded runners from the sun in previous years was absent Sunday.
Kate Sheppard, 38, a Los Angeles yoga teacher, told the same publication she prepared for the race by increasing her water and electrolyte intake. “You’re in unrelenting sun along the beach for most of the race, and there’s just no shade,” Sheppard said. “That was really tough and mentally tough.”
In a pre-race release, organizer Run Local said it planned to offer water and an electrolyte drink at six aid stations. Volunteer medics were scheduled to staff each station, as well as a medical tent at State and Anapamu streets and tents at the finish-line festival.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
