Warrior Dash Takes Precaution One Week After Death In Mud Run

ROANOKE (CBSDFW.COM) - Just one week after Tony Weathers died during an adventure mud run in Fort Worth, thousands participated in a similar run in nearby Roanoke.

Most runners at the event had heard about Weathers' untimely death.

"It didn't deter us from doing it but it certainly makes you cautious," said Jaya Davis, who was participating in her second mud run.

Weathers was one of 4,000 participants in the Original Mud Run in Fort Worth. He swam into the Trinity River as part of the event, but never made it out. His body was discovered the next day.

Participants later told CBS11 they felt there were too many swimmers in the water at one time.

Organizers of the Warrior Dash in Roanoke said safety concerns were their number one priority.

Thirteen thousand runners were expected to participate in the event over two days.

Runners were released onto the course in waves of 500 people, every half hour.

Before each wave, announcers asked participants to look out for one another, especially in the water.

"If you're able to, please give a helping hand because we want everybody to get through safely," said an announcer at the start of the race.

Runners said it's easy to get lost amongst the crowd.

"Oh you can get lost. If you went underwater and there was nobody there with eyes on you there's no way that they would notice you were gone," Davis said.

Medics watched over all 14 obstacles and lifeguards stood by near the water obstacle.

Ambulances were on hand in case of an emergency and injured runners were treated inside a medical tent.

Despite a focus on safety by organizers, runners took it upon themselves to keep each other safe.

"We never race alone. We always have a team so that we can keep eyes on each other," Davis said.