Tough Mudder sued after race participants sickened
FILE ART. Tough Mudder event in Sonoma Valley of California(Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Sonoma County - One man filed a lawsuit against Spartan Race, Inc, the company responsible for the Tough Mudder race, after hundreds of people reported getting sick at its race in Sonoma County at the Sonoma Raceway last August.
Evan Goldsmith of Riverside alleged in his suit, filed Tuesday in Sonoma County Superior Court, that the race company was negligent in their duties, which is what caused hundreds of competitors to develop rashes with fever and puss, muscle pain, nausea and vomiting, head and body aches.
KTVU reached out to Spartan Race, Inc. on Thursday for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
According to the lawsuit, the Sonoma County Public Health Lab tested water and mud samples from the racecourse and found Aeromonas SPP bacteria; the use of non-potable water throughout the event obstacle course; and rough terrain in the mud pits, which caused skin abrasions and contributed to wound infections.
"These participants were scared, scarred and now feel betrayed by a company they once loved," according to the suit.
Goldsmith is being represented by the Oakland Legal Group in Los Angeles.
Sonoma County officials are investigating multiple cases of possible infections among runners who competed in a recent Tough Mudder event at the Sonoma Raceway. (KTVU FOX 2)