What happened at Tough Mudder Sonoma County? Bacterial infection breakout explored

The Tough Mudder race was organized at the Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California, on August 19 and 20. It led to bacterial infections in around 112 participants. The participants had to run and crawl through an obstacle full of mud. The participants' complications included rash-like infections that started 24 hours after the race.

The participants have been suffering from severe complications, as they revealed to various news outlets. Speaking to ABC7, a participant named Curtis Vollmar said that she had a rash above the elbows and below the knees.

Another participant named Nicole Villagran stated that she also had a severe rash and could smell cow manure while crossing the obstacles. She added:

"You wake up the next day and you're like, what is all this on my arm? Like what is going on here? And it's on both arms. That's where I was digging and doing army crawls and it's on the inside of my knees where I was pushing off as well."

Tough Mudder has not yet commented anything officially on the entire matter. The whole problem is under investigation, as stated in an email sent to the participants. They also requested the participants to approach the health department if their condition was taking a worse turn.

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Participants of Tough Mudder might be suffering from Swimmer's Itch or Aeromonas

The Tough Mudder race held near San Francisco led to severe complications among the participants. Sonoma Department of Health Services stated that participants have developed complications like fever, muscle pain, nausea, and vomiting.

"The Tough Mudder race involved extensive skin exposure to mud. Most affected persons have pustular rash, fever, myalgias, and headache. These symptoms could be indicative of a minor illness called Swimmers' Itch, but they can also indicate a Steph infection or other more serious bacterial infection such as Aeromonas."

The statement told all the participants to meet their medical provider or the local emergency department. A participant named Ashwin Chatwani said that an email had been sent to the Tough Mudder organization on behalf of all the participants, revealing that more than 350 people had been affected by the complications.

NBC News reported that one of the participants, David Long, had an infection from Aeromonas. He told the outlet that he initially had a fever, chills, and lesions on the day of his participation. He also had huge sores on his leg that looked like boils and were giving him a lot of pain.

Swimmer's itch happens after someone goes swimming in an outdoor location, as the Mayo Clinic states. An itchy rash that seems like pimples or blisters is one of the symptoms. There are a few things that people need to take care of to avoid the disease, including the selection of the swimming spot.

Aeromonas, on the other hand, is an infection that could result from the Aeromonas hydrophila bacteria. Mild fever and vomiting are a few symptoms of the infection.