Running News Daily

Marathon winner disqualified after taking, drinking water from dad during race

The winner of a marathon was disqualified after taking and drinking water from his father during the race.

According to PEOPLE, 24-year-old Esteban Prado initially finished in first place in the Orange County Marathon on Sunday. Per the publication, he crossed the finish line with a time of 2 hours, 24 minutes and 54 seconds, but was disqualified soon after.

USA Today reported that Prado's father rode up to the former winner on a bike and gave him water during the competition. Organizers also said that Prado drank from the bottle, which violated the USA Track and Field rulebook, according to the publication.

Per USA Today, citing the rulebook, competitors may only use water from official hydration stations or if it's carried or attached to the runner from the beginning of the race, with no outside drinks being permitted without permission from the judges or referees.

Race director Gary Kutscher issued the following statement to USA Today:

"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 and Field rules and our race regulations. We take these rules seriously to ensure fairness and the integrity of our event for all competitors."

Prado spoke with KABC, and said that he wasn't aware of the rule regarding taking water from spectators, adding that only the second place runner could have seen him drink it.

"Whenever I got to these stations, the volunteers were scrambling because I'm the only runner in sight," Prado told KABC. "You could barely see me, like, at certain turns."

Prado went on to tell KABC's reporters that he didn't lose much from the decision.

"I don't want to argue over something that's 15 minutes away from you, you get no money or anything. You know, 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 the station. "I really got nothing out of it. I know I won."

Per KABC, Jason Yang of San Pedro was declared the winner with a time of 2 hours, 25 minutes and 11 seconds.