Water blamed for intestinal woes in Oklahoma
Approximately 20 of 376 competitors at the May 16 Oklahoma City Boathouse International Triathlon that included the Pan American Cup were hit by intestinal sickness, according to the Associated Press.
Oklahoma City Utilities Department spokesperson Debbie Ragan stated that water samples taken the day before the Saturday races showed an e coli count of 573 per 100 milliliters of water – well above the standard for safe body contact recreation of 126 per 100 milliliters. E Coli is the substance measured to determine fecal coliform pollution.
Second place Pan Am Cup finisher Jenna Shoemaker told the Associated Press that she was laid low for several days with symptoms including vomiting and fever. “It was a good week of being sick,” she told the AP. “My body was very achy, as if I’d been run over by a bunch of trucks.”
Nine days later, Shoemaker competed in the Cap-Tex Triathlon in Austin Texas and finished third.
In addition, fellow senior elite competitor Pamela Tastets of Chile contracted similar distressing gastrointestinal symptoms and was scheduled for tests when she returned to Santiago.
According to Boathouse Triathlon race director Bret Sholar, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality officials took water quality samples mid-week which showed that E coli levels were slightly elevated but still within healthy guidelines. “But then it rained hard the day before the race,” said Sholar. “They took samples Friday, but there was not enough time to process the results before the races started next morning at 8 AM.”
Historically, heavy rains can lead to sewage runoff in rivers, lakes and oceans in urban areas. When heavy rains hit Kona in the week before Ironman Hawaii, local sewers can become overwhelmed and untreated sewage can spill into the bay in significant amounts. Thus many competitors who continue to swim in Kailua Bay contract intestinal illnesses by race day. Similarly, heavy pre race rains forced cancellation of the swim one year at the New York City Triathlon due to increased levels of E coli in the Hudson River.
Sholar explained that race organizers were concerned about possible unhealthy water before the race, and consulted with International Triathlon Union officials before proceeding with the swim. “ITU officials told me they have held races around the world in much worse conditions and noted that the water flow was lower than the day before and there was no debris. They encouraged us to go ahead with the event.”
Oklahoma Water Resources Board water quality division chief Derek Smithee told the AP before the race that a six mile stretch of the Oklahoma River near the race site was listed by the state as “impaired” because of fecal coliform sulfates and turbidity. But, Smithee added, “It’s probably more dangerous to drive to the Oklahoma River than to swim in the Oklahoma River. that doesn’t mean the water wasn’t safe for swimming.”
The worst outbreak of illness due to water quality was an outbreak of leptospirosis at the 1998 Springfield Iron Horse Triathlon which affected approximately 30 triathletes.
USA Triathlon issued this official statement Wednesday, May 27:
"USA Triathlon is aware of a number of athletes becoming sick following their participation in the Boathouse Triathlon in Oklahoma City, Okla., the weekend of May 16-17. We are still awaiting word from the Oklahoma Health Department as they seek the cause of the symptoms. The athletes who compete regularly in triathlon events are aware of the health issues inherent to the sport, which include exposure to germs from other competitors and to the bacteria naturally present in lakes and rivers. In this case, we are confident the race organizers took the proper precautions to ensure that the water quality was within acceptable levels leading up to the event, and this incident will in no way affect USA Triathlon’s decision to bring international level triathlons to Oklahoma City in the future."
