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Triathletes in Oklahoma Suffer Possible E coli Infections

By PritzkerLaw

A high E. coli count in the Oklahoma River didn't stop organizers of the Boathouse International Triathlon from staging the event May 16-17 in Oklahoma City.

Now public health officials are investigating what caused at least 20 of the athletes who swam in the river to suffer harsh gastrointestinal illnesses. The individuals who fell ill included six elite U.S. triathletes and 10 elite and junior competitors from Canada. The competition drew 367 athletes.

"It certainly could have been the river, but we don't know that yet at all,'' Oklahoma State Department of Health Leslea Bennett-Webb told The Associated Press.

A six-mile section of the river near the boathouse is listed by the state as "impaired" because of fecal coliform, sulfates and turbidity. The river is formerly a ditch that handled runoff. It has been used for rowing events, but this was the first time part of a triathlon was held there -- a 1.5-kilometer swim.

Debbie Ragan, a spokeswoman for Oklahoma City's Utilities Department, told the AP that water samples taken on May 15 near the swim course showed an E. coli count of 573 per 100 milliliters of water. The Oklahoma Water Resources Board said standards for "primary body contact recreation," in which there is a chance water could be ingested, is a 126 count for E. coli.

According to the AP story, Mike Knopp, Chesapeake Boathouse's executive director, said the May 15 testing was taken into consideration before the race, but the bacteria levels appeared to be dropping and the decision was made to go forward with the event.

Jenna Shoemaker said she feels certain the river water is what made her ill. She said she didn't stay at the hotel with other competitors and didn't eat the same foods and beverages, but still became ill. "It was a good week of being sick,'' said Shoemaker, who finished second in the triathlon. "My body was very achy, as if I was run over by a couple of trucks.''

If you or someone you know became ill as a participant in the Oklahoma City triathlon, contact national food poisoning law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys. Pritzker Olsen is involved in nearly every outbreak of E. coli and has recovered millions of dollars for victims. The firm is one of only a few in the country to practice extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation.

E. coli symptoms include diarrhea (sometimes bloody), severe stomach cramping, vomiting and mild fever -- the same sort of symptoms described by some triathletes. For healthy adults, E coli infections rarely require medical treatment, but the organism can be deadly in young children, the elderly and others who have weak immune systems.

To contact Pritzker Olsen, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or write to us online for a free case consultation. 

Full post as published by Food Poisoning Law Blog on May 27, 2009 (boomark / email).