Police Probe ‘Suspicious’ Illness After 27 Runners Fall Sick at California Race

Santa Barbara’s half marathon ended with an unwelcome detour to the emergency room for 27 participants. Police have opened an investigation into what authorities called “suspicious circumstances.”

Organizers pointed to heat or race-related exhaustion, but with three runners still hospitalized as of Monday and the cause unconfirmed, the explanation remains unclear.

Santa Barbara police have launched an investigation into “suspicious circumstances” at the city’s half marathon on Sunday, where nearly 30 people had to seek medical treatment.

In a news release, Santa Barbara Police Department officers said they received a report from Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital about multiple half marathon participants who were “seeking medical treatment for unusual symptoms” after the event ended.

Police said that people arrived on their own or were taken to the hospital by ambulance on Sunday...