A California runner was stripped of his marathon title Sunday for accepting a cup of water from his father who patrolled the 26.2-mile route on his bicycle.
Esteban Prado, 24, won the Orange County Marathon in 2 hours, 24 minutes and 54 seconds. However, he was disqualified shortly after he crossed the finish line for his father’s involvement, which officials deemed as “unauthorized assistance.”
“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,” race director Gary Kutschar said in a statement. “We take these rules seriously to ensure fairness and the integrity of our event for all competitors.”
According to the USATF rulebook, runners are allowed to receive water from the designated hydration stations along the race route.
Prado seemingly had his father’s hydration help on three separate occasions, according to footage obtained by NBC Los Angeles.
In one instance, Prado led the field of runners when he approached his father who sat atop a bicycle and offered water as the two traveled down the course.
However, Prado seemingly ran past at least 3 workers who extended their arms to offer water bottles before he met up with his father.
“Because I was first place, a lot of the volunteers were just like scrambling,” Prado told the outlet. “By the time I got there, they were… grabbing the water. So a lot of the time the water stations, they really had nothing for me.”
Prado, competing in his second full marathon, wasn’t aware he could face disqualification for taking water from his family and claimed race workers were unprepared at the hydration stations.
“We have videos showing him passing water stations and not taking the Gatorade or water but receiving it in a bottle from a guy on a bicycle,” Kutschar told the Sacramento Bee.
Prado spent the last four months preparing for the OC Marathon, recently placing first in the Surf City USA half marathon in February.
Kutschar broke the disqualification to Prado over a phone call saying that a competitor witnessed him get a water bottle from his father during the race, according to ABC 7.
Prado claimed the only person who was in range was the runner who was in second place.
Jason Yang, a 33-year-old from California, was awarded first place after he finished 17 seconds behind Prado’s mark. It was his third marathon win.
Yang slammed Prado for not apologizing amid the controversy as he praised race officials for taking swift action.
“The marathon bike workers saw and took videos of him getting bike support and I was asked about it, and I told them exactly what I saw,” Yang said on Instagram.
“My thoughts on the matter? There’s a reason personal bike support is not allowed in ANY marathon race if you’re competing for a medal and/or prize money. It’s quite absurd Esteban Prado isn’t apologizing to everyone that competed and still seems to think he won the race fair and square. I think the race director made the right decision.”
Yang also claimed that assistance from a bike allows runners to “keep your stride” and shields them from the wind “on a day where there was “13MPH wind.”
Temperatures reached 67 degrees during the OC Marathon, which serves as a qualifier for the Boston Marathon.
“The (other) guy who’s in competition with him is not receiving that same hydration or nutrition,” Kutschar told the Sacramento Bee. “It’s not incumbent on the race to have a certain number of water stations, or anything else. It’s incumbent to make it a fair and equitable event. And so to ensure fairness, and the integrity for all the athletes, they have to play by the same rules.”
Prado, meanwhile, is adamant that he’s still the true winner despite his disqualification.
“You get no money or anything. If he wanted that congratulations for that first place, if he really felt like he needed it, it’s just for him at the end of the day,” Prado told ABC7. “I really got nothing out of it. I know I won.”
