Imagine running 20 kilometers when it’s 26 degrees outside. Many would feel sick just thinking about it. There Behobia – San Sebastian is a historic running race held in the Spanish Basque Country, of the length, in fact, of 20 kilometers. During the last edition, held on Sunday 13 November, three of the participants suffered a heart attack, and a total of 125 suffered some kind of illness. There were no casualtiesbut the news was exploited by anti-vaccine advocates to support their thesis, according to which it would have been the vaccine against the Coronavirus that caused the runners to fall ill.
For those in a hurry:
- Three people suffered heart attacks and 125 from heatstroke during a 20km run in the Spanish Basque Country on Sunday 13 November.
- No vaxes claim it’s the vaccine’s fault, but there’s no evidence of it.
- The temperature was very high, 11 degrees higher than the average for the period and unsuitable for long runs.
Analyses
The news circulated a lot, because never in the history of the race had there been so many health problems. Both the local media, such as EITB extensionthat some Italian newspapers, for example il Newspaper of Italyin addition to the site of Gianluigi Comparison. Even on Facebook the news was relevant, and, as mentioned before, it was targeted by no vaxes, who claim it’s the vaccines fault that so many illnesses have occurred. Below we can see one of the posts. The description reads:
«Drama in the classic 20 km. It’s a record of illnesses! Three heart attacks and 125 sudden illnesses on Sunday 13 November. The work of the medical assistance present in the 20 kilometers of the demanding route of the historic 20 kilometers Behobia-San Sebastián avoided a tragedy in a very complicated day in the prestigious Basque race, at the 57th edition held yesterday Sunday 13 November. You don’t remember a day with so many heart attacks or serious heart problems. Pushing the body to the limit on a very tough course with temperatures of up to 26 degrees at points in the race caused moments that could have led to more than one tragedy on a day that should have been a popular holiday. According to the organizers, the heat is to blame. In fact always no correlation with the miracle serum…”
Correlation is implied arbitrarily, given that vaccines are never mentioned in the articles dealing with the news. The reason for the numerous illnesses, in fact, is the temperature. «A sunny and warm environment for the period», we read on EITB extensionwhich also explains that the 125 illnesses were “heatstroke”. At the start of the race, reports the Spanish masthead, i 30 thousand participants they started running when the temperature was around 20 degrees Celsius, while in some moments it reached 26. It might seem like a few, but it should be considered that long-distance running is an intense activity for the body and predisposes it to dehydration. For this reason, the ideal temperature for running ranges from just above zero degrees to no more than 17. Not surprisingly, the temperature San Sebastian’s average maximum in November is 15 degrees, 11 degrees lower than this year.
A dangerous ride
Either way, the 20km in northern Spain is known to be a tough ride. As evidenced by colleagues from Butacthe illnesses of this year they are not the first to occur. In previous editions, unfortunately, there have also been deaths. In fact, a runner died in the 2010 edition, the same fate befell an athlete in 2013, as well as in 2015 and 2021.
Conclusions:
The no vaxes claim that the illnesses in the historic Spanish Basque Country race were caused by the vaccines for Covid, but there is no evidence to prove it. It was heatstroke.
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