Recently, a marathon champion has been stripped of their title after accepting water from their father during the race, violating the rules and regulations set by the organizing committee.
Esteban Prado, who won the Orange County Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 24 minutes, and 54 seconds on Sunday, May 5th, was disqualified due to his father's involvement being alleged unauthorized assistance.
Marathon champion loses title for accepting water from his father during race
During the race, Prado's father gave him hydration on three separate occasions, as captured in footage obtained by NBC Los Angeles.
One clip shows Prado leading the pack of runners and receiving water from his father, who was on a bicycle alongside him.
Despite the availability of water bottles extended by race workers, Prado chose to bypass them and rely on his father's assistance.
The disqualification came as a result of violating the rules set by the USA Track & Field and the race regulations.
According to the USATF rulebook, runners can only receive water from the designated hydration stations along the race route.
Race director Gary Kutschar emphasized the importance of upholding fairness and the integrity of the event for all competitors.
"During yesterday’s Hoag OC Marathon, we were forced to disqualify a participant after it was confirmed they received unauthorized assistance from an individual on a bicycle, in violation of USA Track & Field rules and our race regulations.
"We take these rules seriously to ensure fairness and the integrity of our event for all competitors," they stated.
Prado expressed surprise at facing disqualification in his second marathon for accepting water from his family.
He claimed that the race workers didn't prepare well at the hydration stations, leaving him with limited options.
However, videos showed Prado intentionally bypassing the available water stations and accepting water from his father instead.
Following Prado's disqualification, the victory was awarded to Jason Yang, who initially came in second place, finishing 17 seconds behind Prado,
This marked Yang's third marathon win. Despite losing the title, Prado believes he is the true winner of the race.
Previously, a marathon runner from China has been disqualified from a prestigious race after being caught chain-smoking throughout the entire 26.2-mile course.
During the Xiamen Marathon on January 7th, a man named Uncle Chen, who was 52 years old, finished the race in an impressive time of three hours and 33 minutes.
This time was just five minutes slower than his personal best from two years ago. Unfortunately, Uncle Chen was disqualified due to his unusual behavior during the race.
Photos depicting him puffing on a cigarette while other runners trailed behind.
The Xiamen Marathon committee took immediate action and issued a statement disqualifying Uncle Chen for violating Article 2.12 of the race's rules and regulations.
According to the committee, uncivilized behavior such as smoking, open defecation, or damaging flower beds and green spaces that can affect the race and the safety of other runners leads to automatic disqualification.
To encourage a healthy environment and prioritize the safety of all participants, the Chinese Athletics Association (CAA) implemented a rule prohibiting smoking during road-running events.
This measure aims to promote well-being and encourage people to engage in physical activities without the harmful effects of smoking.
Uncle Chen, who is recognized as one of the founders of the Zhejiang Xianjiu Road Running Association and the Zhejiang Provincial Marathon, is highly regarded in the running community.
However, he was still disqualified after violating the competition's rules.
