The winner of the Hoag OC Marathon was reportedly disqualified for accepting water from his father.
Esteban Prado receiving water from his father violated a rule that participants can only get water at formal hydration sops during the 26.2-mile race, NBC New York reported.
“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,” marathon director Gary Kutschar said, according to the outlet. “We take these rules seriously to ensure fairness and the integrity of our event for all competitors.”
OC Marathon men’s winner disqualified for taking water from family during race https://t.co/ocIgrvxomf
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) May 7, 2024
Prado, who told NBC New York he was a newcomer to marathon races. He reportedly led through the majority of the run. Prado told ABC 7 he was not aware of the rule. (RELATED: The NCAA Is A Disgrace: NC State Swimmer Owen Lloyd Ridiculously Disqualified For Celebrating ACC Championship Victory)
“About like a three- to four-month period of just 100-mile week trainings,” he told NBC New York. “Just kind of balancing that with work, and also just including that in the weekend.”
“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.”
Jason Yang of San Pedro was declared the men’s winner in 2 hours, 25 minutes and 11 seconds. Prado had finished 17 seconds ahead of Yang, NBC New York reported.