A 24-year-old from Fountain Valley was disqualified as the men’s winner of Sunday’s OC Marathon for taking water from a family member during the race.
According to the rules, runners can only get water from official hydration stations.
In a statement, OC Marathon Race Director Gary Kutschar said they 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,” said Kutschar.
Esteban Prado, who spent about four months training for the marathon and finished the race in 2 hours, 24 minutes, 54 seconds, said he received a call from the race director, saying a competitor saw him get a water bottle throughout the field.
“The only person that could see me within range was second place,” said Prado.
Prado knew elite athletes would have access to aid stations but was unaware of the rules about taking water from spectators.