Running News Daily

A Runner At The Marathon Project Tested Positive For Covid-19 After The Race

A messageboard thread was started on Tuesday saying that a runner at Sunday’s Marathon Project race in Chandler, Arizona had tested positive for Covid-19 after the race. One of our volunteer moderators deleted the thread early Wednesday morning. The thread should not have been deleted as we have reached out to race organizer Ben Rosario and he has confirmed that there one racer tested positive after the race.

Here is what Rosario wrote us in a text message.

“Three athletes tested positive earlier in the week and had to scratch (didn’t travel as a result) so the protocols worked really well in that respect. One athlete had an issue post race (non covid symptom related) and had to go to the ER. They tested for covid while there and the athlete was positive. That athlete contacted anyone they spoke with that weekend (very minimal). We let all the athletes know in our post-race thank you email and specifically contacted anyone the athlete ran next to in the race (also minimal).

No one else has had any issue. With the protocols in place race weekend, we feel confident this was isolated. And because the athlete was positive Sunday night we also feel that the most likely scenario was that said athlete contracted the virus sometime between their negative tests earlier in the week and before race weekend began.

The athlete has mild symptoms but doesn’t seem like a bad case. So again, race weekend went as planned. The protocols worked really well. It’s unfortunate that this athlete got sick but we’re confident that it wasn’t a result of the race and that it wasn’t spread.”