For most marathon runners, aid stations are vital to getting to the finish line feeling well. Providing water, electrolytes, and sometimes even snacks, aid stations, as the name suggests, help runners reach their goals.
However, at last weekend’s (Aug. 18) Edmonton Marathon in Alberta, Canada, one runner has gone viral on Reddit, claiming to have ended up in the back of a police cruiser after being drugged by a makeshift aid station.
Reddit user thegreatjohann wrote a detailed post of his experience at the Edmonton Marathon.
He explains that he arrived late to the marathon, starting at 7:20 a.m. rather than the scheduled 7:00 a.m. start, after he slept in and had to take an Uber to the race. He says race officials allowed him to start, saying that as long as the radio transponder in his race bib was enacted as he crossed the start line, he shouldn’t have a problem registering a time.
Realizing soon after he started the race that he had forgotten water, he was relieved to see a few hundred meters in what he believed was an aid station with people handing out water and electrolyte beverages. The runner shared that this was his first-ever marathon, so he was not experienced in identifying official on-course aid stations from make-shift community pop-up style tables.
He says that he asked them for water, but when he drank it, it tasted quite bitter. However, since he was so thirsty, he drank the entire cup.
“This is where I believe I was drugged,” he said in his Reddit post.
He notes that soon after consuming this drink, his stomach began to feel uneasy, and he was burping a lot.
As he continued the course, he noticed more aid stations; however, these looked different from the one he’d first encountered. Volunteers were wearing safety vests, and tables were being set up.
“Reflecting on my route via the Strava app, I clearly remembered the first 10km, but everything became foggy after the turnaround point in Rundle Heights,” the runner recounts in his Reddit post. “My heart rate soared, and breathing became difficult—unusual symptoms since I ran at my training pace. Despite using my inhaler frequently, my condition worsened as I reached Jasper Ave.” he recounted.
Although the activity is no longer public on Strava, a screenshot of his splits was made available:
“Things became increasingly disjointed after passing the halfway mark at the Edmonton Convention Center. According to Strava, my path became erratic; I was running on sidewalks and even obstructing other runners.”
Eventually, police detained thegreatjohann on 102 Ave and Wellington Cr. He claims to have no memory of the moment, only feeling “paralyzed, trapped, suffocating, and like I was dying.”
Although he doesn’t remember the events leading up to the arrest, he vividly describes what happened when he arrived at the police station, as he “started regaining a bit of consciousness.”
“I got dragged out of the van and could vaguely see some light through the bag on my head, then being pinned against the wall while my shoes, socks, jewelry, and hair tie holding my braids were ripped out,” he describes on Reddit, “They asked me if I had taken drugs, to which I tried replying no as I was running a marathon. They didn’t realize I was a part of it.”
Thegreatjohann says he was later released from police custody that afternoon. He wasn’t taken to the hospital on race day, saying he went the next day, which is when he says he learned that he was drugged with methamphetamine.
He claims to have since learned from the hospital and other online users that several marathon participants were taken to hospital, “potentially due to the same drugging incident.”
The Edmonton Marathon’s organizers told local media they were unaware of any other instances of runners being drugged on the course or unauthorized aid stations on the route.
Police Statement On The Incident
The Edmonton Police released a statement regarding the viral social media posts concerning the events that supposedly occurred at the Edmonton Marathon.
Edmonton Police say they responded to multiple reports of a male runner on the race route who was acting aggressively, yelling, and attacking other participants.
When officers located the man, presumably the Reddit poster thegreatjohann, he “resisted arrest, broke free, and began to run towards other participants.”
The statement says that EMS did respond. However, they did not complete an assessment because of his violent and erratic behavior.
According to the statement, Thegreatjohann was eventually briefly assessed by an on-site paramedic at the police station before being released.
Edmonton Police did not release details regarding the cause of the man’s behavior and are unaware of any fraudulent water stations or reports of other participants being drugged along the race route.
Link to full Reddit story HERE. Or read it in full below (in case it is later taken down):
I got drugged at the Edmonton Marathon with Methamphetamine
On Sunday, I participated in the Edmonton Marathon, an event for which I had been training for many months. Unfortunately, I have pretty bad performance anxiety, which meant I didn’t sleep well that night, so I woke up late and had to Uber. My Uber showed up late, and even though the marathon started at 7 a.m., I didn’t arrive until 7:20 a.m. By this time, the marathon had already started, and all of the participants had left.
Despite this setback, the race organizers assured me I could still join if I started immediately and had my bib scanned at the start checkpoint. As I began running, I realized I hadn’t had any water due to my hurried morning. I knew there were supposed to be people handing out water and electrolyte beverages, but I didn’t know how it was set up since this was my first marathon. A few hundred meters in, I saw some men shouting if I needed water or electrolytes at what I assumed was the first water station. I asked for water from them, but when I drank it, it tasted very bitter. I did finish all of it because I was thirsty. This is where I believe I was drugged, as when I continued to run, my stomach felt very uneasy, and I was burping a lot.
I caught up with the other participants when I noticed the other water stations had tables and the volunteers wore reflective safety vests, unlike the first station. Reflecting on my route via the Strava app, I clearly remembered the first 10km, but everything became foggy after the turnaround point in Rundle Heights. My heart rate soared, and breathing became difficult—unusual symptoms since I ran at my training pace. Despite using my inhaler frequently, my condition worsened as I reached Jasper Ave.
Things became increasingly disjointed after passing the halfway mark at the Edmonton Convention Center. According to Strava, my path became erratic; I was running on sidewalks and even obstructing other runners. Witnesses later told me they saw me running shirtless down Jasper Ave, screaming at the top of my lungs. I have no memory of removing my shirt, but the thought of me doing this I find embarrassing. In doing so, I lost my shoulder bag, which housed my wallet, house and car keys, license, debit card, Alberta health card, and motorcycle registration. I also lost the GoPro I was wearing, which was strapped to my chest, something I hope I can find again to help paint a better picture of what happened and who may have drugged me.
Eventually, the police detained me on 102 Ave and Wellington Cr, though I have no recollection of this. I only remember feeling paralyzed, trapped, suffocating, and like I was dying. These sensations likely came from being restrained by multiple officers, resulting in cuts, a concussion, a sprained wrist, and lingering numbness in my right hand from overly tight handcuffs. I was thrown into a police van, and a bag was placed over my head because I was foaming at the mouth. The experience was terrifying; I genuinely thought I had died when the van door closed because I could no longer see any light. As I was experiencing these feelings and sensations, I did not realize I was being arrested, as my vision can be best described as a foggy spiral.
There were a few marathon participants who did say they saw a dark-skinned man getting chased by the police in the same area, which would have been me. At some point, in all of this, I had also pissed myself, and my pants were soaked. When I started regaining a bit of consciousness, it was when I got dragged out of the van and could vaguely see some light through the bag on my head, then being pinned against the wall while my shoes, socks, jewelry and hair tie holding my braids were ripped out. I believe six cops were there surrounding me, asking me questions and giving me commands, but I found it very difficult to stand and even talk. They asked me if I had taken drugs, to which I tried replying no as I was running a marathon. They didn’t realize I was a part of it, but I could overhear them saying that I was speaking gibberish when they arrested me and had an elevated heart rate. They took my vitals and then walked me over to a cell.
It felt like that scene in the suicide squad when walking past all of these crazy inmates. Every step I took felt so painful as if every muscle of my legs was on the verge of cramping up. When I finally regained some awareness, I found myself in a concrete cell, cold and shirtless, with my soaked pants adding to my discomfort. It was fully concrete with a concrete bench, a little metal toilet, and a water spout for drinking on top. They took my handcuffs off and closed the door behind me. The door itself was all metal with no ventilation; it had a small window and a little flap that they used to talk to me and pass me a cup and sandwich through. My stomach still felt uneasy; eating was tough, and getting up to grab water felt impossible because of how badly my legs hurt. I spent the next two hours in that cell, that smelt like piss cause my pants were still soaked, and I was pretty cold because I was still shirtless. I cried in the cell; well, I cry a lot just cause I’m an emotional dude, but also because I didn’t know what happened to end up in a cell. I was worried about what my friends and family would think, and I work with kids, so I worried this would be permanently on my record.
The police periodically asked for my name and if I remembered anything, but I could only mention that I thought I had been drugged. One officer dismissed this, suggesting it was heat exhaustion and I would be taken home since I seemed better. When they were ready to take me home, they gave me a spare shirt and some of my personal belongings, like my shirt and shoes, walked me out the door in handcuffs, and then drove me home in a police van at around 1:30 pm. To this day, I still don’t understand why I wasn’t taken to the hospital immediately.
I wasn’t able to talk normally until 7 pm that day. My sister went to the Edmonton Convention Center that day to find my wallet and see if anyone knew what had happened. However, the organizers told her that there was no way I could have run the race and shown up late and that there was no way anyone could have been drugged and detained. Telling her that my experience never happened. I emailed the organizers about my situation, and it took two days to respond, saying they found my bib and GoPro strap.
The following day, I spent hours canceling cards and IDs before heading to the hospital, where I discovered I had been drugged with methamphetamine. The realization that I was never taken to the hospital on the day I was drugged is terrifying. This has been one of the most frightening and dehumanizing experiences of my life. I’m deeply frustrated by the lack of support from the Edmonton Marathon organizers and the way the police treated me.
I’ve since learned from the hospital and others online that several marathon participants were taken to the hospital, potentially due to the same drugging incident. Still, they received treatment immediately—unlike me. I’m incredibly grateful for my supportive friends and family, who have helped me through this ordeal; I love them so much and am thankful to have them in my life. However, I know not everyone is as fortunate, so I’m sharing my story. I hope to find witnesses who saw me during the marathon so I can piece together what exactly happened, find the lost personal items, and hold both the organizers and police accountable so this situation never happens again to anyone else.
Read the full statement from Edmonton Police below:
