As if there weren’t enough reasons as to why people shouldn’t run long distances outdoors when they have perfectly good treadmills available indoors, add another: bees. This past weekend, a group of half-marathon runners in Japan were attacked by a swarm of bees when they were passing a river bank, leaving dozens in the hospital. The full marathoners were able to get away, but only after tossing their nipple tape to throw off the scent.

During the race in Saga city, athletes were set upon by the bees as they ran near a river bank, according to one of the local fire departments which dispatched five ambulances because of the incident.

“I have never experienced anything like this before,” chief rescuer Tomomi Koyanag said.

Many people complained of sickness although no one collapsed. Some people reported they saw a swarm of bees which looked like a black cloud,” he said.

One of the runners told public broadcaster NHK: “I heard hollow booming behind my head and soon felt pain. When I saw what it was, it was a honeybee.

All that build up for… a honeybee? Lucky for them they didn’t cross the river with the red ant crossing—that would’ve been a real tragedy.

Dozens in hospital after bee attack [News.co.au]
Image [bbrianblair.com]