Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
This is actually pretty terrifying.
The triathlon is a grueling event. Over 30 miles of combined swimming, biking and running in an event only the most elite athletes are able to contend in. It’s difficult in the best of conditions, but when you have explosive diarrhea — well, for lack of a better term, it gets messy.
Organizers of the World Triathlon Championships as well as the city of Sunderland in the UK are coming under fire after 57 athletes became sick with e-coli after the race last weekend. The common denominator: Swimming through poop.
Roker Beach, where the swim took place, is now the center of the investigation where reported e-coli levels were measured at 3,900 parts per 100ml, over 100 times normal limits. This is due to mass sewage dumping off the coast of Sunderland, which is believed to have washed into the swimming course, meaning that athletes were quite literally ingesting fecal matter during the race.
British Triathlon is saying it didn’t know the levels were so high, pointing out that the e-coli measurements weren’t published until after the race finished, while adding that readings came from further off the coast than the established swimming course. Meanwhile Northumbrian Water claims it hasn’t discharged any sewage into the area in almost two years, saying they’re not to blame.
That hasn’t stopped some athletes being extremely clear about their problems, like Australia’s Jacob Birtwhistle.
“Have been feeling pretty rubbish since the race, but I guess that’s what happens when you swim in shit. The swim should have been cancelled.”
One athlete responded on Birtwhistle’s Instagram, saying: “That now explains why I spent Monday night with my head in the toilet after racing Sunday morning!”
A funny as this may seem, it’s actually pretty terrifying. On average over 63,000 people die each year from ingesting e-coli, and while it’s of particular concern for developing nations, it doesn’t mean that first-world countries are immune. An e-coli breakout in Germany in 2011 resulted in the deaths of 15 people, which underscores how ridiculous it was for athletes to take the risk of swimming in sewage without fully understanding the risks involved.
The UK Health Security Agency is taking samples from athletes to try and better understand the e-coli outbreak and isolate its source.
