Betsy Johnson, a freshman at Williams College, hasn't been able to wear a skirt for two weeks because of the scabby, red welts that cover her legs. She's not alone.
More than two weeks after braving gusty winds and torrential rain at the New England Small College Athletic Conference Cross-Country Championships at Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, Conn., Johnson and hundreds of other runners in the league are still unable to shake the itchy souvenir. Connecticut College hosted the six-kilometer and eight-kilometer races.
About 60 percent of runners contracted the "NESCAC rash" after treading through a 200-meter stretch of knee-deep brackish water during the Oct. 28 race, and symptoms have appeared in some up to 10 days after exposure, said Cate Moffett, director of student health at Connecticut College. While the diagnosis remains nebulous, Connecticut College health officials are fairly certain that the rash is cercarial dermatitis, a non-contagious condition more commonly known as "swimmer's itch."
"It's pretty much taking over my life. They started on my legs and migrated to my arms, stomach and feet," Johnson said. "I can't sleep unless I'm on Benadryl."
Amanda Quinlan, a freshman at Middlebury College, also got the itch. "It affected the times quite a bit. People were falling down in it," she said of the brackish water. "When I got back, my legs got swollen and red and insanely itchy."
After the race, students created a Facebook group called "Victims of the NESCAC rash," which currently has 232 members and features pictures of runners and their pustule-covered limbs.
Despite the poor course conditions, Connecticut College officials made the decision to proceed with the race because teams had already traveled long distances to get there, said Will Tomasian, director of sports information for the college.
"We wouldn't put anybody's safety in danger," Tomasian told The Herald. "The NCAA has guidelines about specific sports. Cross country runs in the rain and practices in the rain."
Among the NESCAC teams affected by the rash, practices and meets have continued on schedule.
The rash is most likely caused by a parasite carried by a type of snail that is eaten by birds. The parasite trickles down to the marshy water via the birds' fecal matter, Moffett said.
Local and state inspectors plan to gather samples of the water in the near future to definitively determine the cause of the rash, Moffett said. Treatment has varied from anti-inflammatory medication to oral steroids in some cases, with varying degrees of success, Moffett said. In order to avoid the rash, she cautions against plunging into standing water in marsh areas.
"Of course, I don't think anyone's going to be swimming now," she said.
