Nearly 30 runners needed emergency hospital care on Sunday after taking part in a half-marathon in southern California. Temperatures during the Santa Barbara race reached 88°F (31.1°C)—an unusually hot day for November.
Hospital officials reported that 27 participants arrived at emergency rooms in Santa Barbara and nearby Goleta. Medical staff treated many of them for "unusual symptoms," but neither the hospital nor police have explained what those symptoms were. By Monday morning, 24 of the patients had been treated and discharged, while three others remained in the hospital in stable condition.
Local police have opened an investigation to discover why so many people became ill. Race organizers believe the problems came from heat and dehydration, a state where the body loses too much water. More than 4,640 people entered the 13-mile race. Event director David Monico said medical workers treated many runners on the course and sent 15 people to local hospitals from their medical tent.
Monico said there is no evidence that the runners suffered from anything other than exhaustion caused by heavy exercise in the heat. However, because health officials have not confirmed the official cause, heat and dehydration remain possible explanations rather than proven answers.