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Warrior Dash Participants Blaming Rashes On Race

AMESBURY (CBS) - Warrior Dash New England is billed as an extreme event, challenging runners with trails, obstacles and mud.

This year, there was a lot more mud than expected. The event was held in Amesbury in late June and before the race, downpours had soaked the course.

"It was a lot of fun," said Tammy Rebello, who ran the race with friends. "However the aftereffects I wasn't anticipating."

She's talking about a rash that developed a few days later.

She didn't think much of it until the friends she ran with also reported rashes.

"It's everywhere the mud touched me I have a rash," said Michelle Pupka, whose legs are covered with small red dots.

On Facebook, other runners have complained of rashes. Some, like Tammy, say doctors have diagnosed it as poison ivy. Others say it's something else.

WBZ-TV's Peg Rusconi reports

Regardless, Tammy and Michelle say, for their $50 entry fee, they expected more protection, even though they signed waivers.

"Going through the race and getting muddy and bumps and bruises and sprained ankles is expected," said Rebello. "But coming out and suffering week two weeks later covered in a rash is not expected."

A Chicago-based spokesperson for Warrior Dash says safety is paramount-- and first-aid certified staff members walk the course many times before an event. She says they bring in their own specially-sifted, contaminant-free dirt for the mud pits they make.

On that weekend in Amesbury, the rest of the mud on the course was nature-made-- and whether that had something to do with the dash rash remains a mystery.

The Warrior Dash is a popular event held in 33 US cities and Australia.

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