Former The Bachelorette contestant Zac Clark found himself wading through waist-high floodwater during a half marathon in Paramus, New Jersey, on Sunday as torrential rain overwhelmed parts of the course.
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Clark, who appeared on Season 16 of the reality dating show, recorded video during the Racefaster Half Marathon on September 13. The footage showed him and other runners navigating rapidly moving water near an underpass. Some runners held onto railings as they crossed flooded sections of the course.
“Bro, this is nuts,” Clark said in the video as he showed the conditions around him.
Heavy rain had already raised concerns before the race began. Organizers moved the scheduled 8 a.m. start to 10 a.m., but they did not cancel the event. Flash-flood warnings covered parts of New Jersey as the rain intensified.
Marathon Runners Battled Against A Flood Current
Paramus received roughly four to five inches of rain, with flooding particularly affecting areas near the Saddle River. Water covered portions of the route through Saddle River County Park, forcing runners to confront deep and fast-moving water.
Several participants questioned the decision to continue the race. Runner Garrett Nathan said he received national flood warnings before the event but saw no cancellation notice from race organizers. Other runners later described struggling through water around bridges and underpasses.
Clark completed the 13.1-mile race despite the conditions. He posted a finishing time of 1:40:42 and said he placed third in his age group. In another Instagram post, he wrote, “Checking in from the Paramus Racefaster Half Marathon this morning. 1:40:42 on the chip….many rivers were crossed.”
The post showcased more of the struggle against the floods as he checked in with other racers and tried to keep their spirits up.
The difficult conditions prompted criticism of the race organizers, although reports did not identify any injuries from the flooding. Racefaster had not responded to requests for comment at the time of the published reports.
About 250 runners reportedly completed the race despite the flooding.