Three middle school runners experienced heat-related complications during a cross country meet at the Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center near Riverside on Tuesday, requiring transportation to a local hospital. Paramedics responded to the sheriff’s training grounds and found five patients experiencing general weakness in triple-digit temperatures. Three patients were transported for further evaluation.
The event was organized by Woodcrest Christian School and featured 1,200 student athletes from middle and high schools across Southern California. High schoolers ran a 3-mile race while middle schoolers and junior varsity runners ran 2 miles. Head coach Eric Reynolds advised coaches to ensure their athletes were properly prepared for the heat.
Reynolds mentioned that some schools failed to properly hydrate their students for the hot day, resulting in the heat-related illnesses that led to hospitalization. The students were alert and talking when taken to the hospital. The temperatures reached 102 degrees at nearby March Air Reserve Base on Tuesday.
The California Interscholastic Federation’s heat illness prevention and heat acclimatization policies were followed during the event. These policies consider factors such as temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle, and cloud cover when determining heat stress in direct sunlight. Authorities did not disclose which school or schools the hospitalized students were from.
Source
Photo credit www.dailynews.com
