Racers contract bacterial infection after California Tough Mudder race
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Key takeaways:
- Hundreds of participants reported symptoms within days of a Tough Mudder race in Sonoma County, California.
- Eight cases of Aeromonas infection have been confirmed as of Aug. 29.
Several people contracted Aeromonas infections during a Tough Mudder race in California, health officials confirmed.
On Aug. 23, the Sonoma Health Department in California issued a health advisory after multiple reports of participants with rash and fever, muscle pain and vomiting and/or nausea within 24 hours of finishing a Tough Mudder race at Sonoma Raceway.
Tough Mudder races are team-oriented obstacle course runs that see participants attempt hurdles, rope climbs, and barbed wire crawls, all while trudging through mud and wading through muddy water.
According to the company, nearly 10,000 people line up to take part in each of the 15 to 20 races scheduled throughout the country each year.
More than 100 participants from the Sonoma race contacted Tough Mudder on behalf of more than 300 racers with symptoms, according to an NBC News report. One racer also claimed to have contacted Tough Mudder after last year’s Sonoma County race when she and several friends developed symptoms similar to those reported this year.
Reports of symptoms after the Aug. 19 and Aug. 20 races prompted the Sonoma County Health Department to issue a health advisory. In the advisory, the health department suggested that these symptoms could be indicative of swimmer’s itch — also called cercarial dermatitis, which the CDC said presents as a skin rash caused by an allergic reaction to microscopic parasites.
Since issuing the advisory, and as of Aug. 29, the Sonoma County Health Department has confirmed at least eight cases of Aeromonas infection, the health department told Healio.
“We continue to ask race participants who have developed symptoms including rash and fever to seek medical attention and report their diagnosis to Sonoma County Public Health,” it said.
Tough Mudder did not return requests for comment regarding measures taken during course preparation to prevent these types of infections or how common the infections are among competitors.
Similar incidences have, however, been reported after these types of races, including nearly 25% of mountain bikers in one 2008 race diagnosed with Camylobacter infections after riding a muddy track that was likely contaminated with animal feces
A 2014 MMWR study based on an investigation by Nellis Air Force Base reported three active-military patients went to the ED with fever, vomiting and hemorrhagic diarrhea after competing in a “long-distance obstacle adventure race” on a cattle ranch in Beatty, Nevada. In total, 18 probable infections and four confirmed cases of Campylobacter coli were reported after the race, according to the study.
“High-intensity and competitive muddy obstacle adventure course races have surged in popularity across the United States, drawing an estimated 1.5 million participants in 2012,” the MMWR authors wrote, adding that these races are frequently held on farmlands where animal feces increase the risk for zoonotic disease transmission.
“Primary and emergency care providers ... should be aware that obstacle adventure race events could pose a heightened risk for outbreaks from inadvertent ingestion of contaminated water or mud,” they wrote.
References:
- CDC. Parasites - Cercarial dermatitis (also known as swimmer's itch). https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/swimmersitch/faqs.html. Accessed Aug. 30, 2023.
- Sonoma County issues health advisory for Tough Mudder race participants. https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/sonoma-county-issues-health-advisory-for-tough-mudder-race-participants. Published Aug. 23, 2023. Accessed Aug. 30, 2023.
- Tough Mudder. Mudder media: By the numbers. https://toughmudder.com/press-room/. Accessed Aug. 30, 2023.
- Zeigler M, et al. Morbid Mortality Wkly Rep MMWR. 2014;doi:63(17);375-378.
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Sonoma County issues Health Advisory for Tough Mudder race participants. https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/sonoma-county-issues-health-advisory-for-tough-mudder-race-participants. Published on Aug. 23, 2023. Accessed on Aug. 30, 2023.
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