Injury Patterns and Levels of Care at a Marathon

Abstract

AbstractIntroduction:Marathons pose many challenges to event planners. The medical services needed at such events have not received extensive coverage in the literature.Objective:The objective of this study was to document injury patterns and medical usage at a category III mass gathering (a marathon), with the goal of helping event planners organize medical resources for large public gatherings.Methods:Prospectively obtained medical care reports from the five first-aid stations set up along the marathon route were reviewed. Primary and secondary reasons for seeking medical care were categorized. Weather data were obtained, and ambient temperature was recorded.Results:The numbers of finishers were as follows: 4,837 in the marathon (3,099 males, 1,738 females), 814 in the 5K race (362 males, 452 females), and 393 teams in the four-person relay (1,572). Two hundred fifty-one runners sought medical care. The day's temperatures ranged from 39 to 73°F (mean, 56°F). The primary reasons for seeking medical were medication request (26%), musculoskeletal injuries (18%), dehydration (14%), and dermal injuries (11%). Secondary reasons were musculoskeletal injuries (34%), dizziness (19%), dermal injuries (11%), and headaches (9%). Treatment times ranged from 3 to 25.5 minutes and lengthened as the day progressed. Two-thirds of those who sought medical care did so at the end of the race. The majority of runners who sought medical attention had not run a marathon before.Conclusions:Marathon planners should allocate medical resources in favor of the halfway point and the final first-aid station. Resources and medical staff should be moved from the earlier tents to further augment the later first-aid stations before the majority of racers reach the middle- and later-distance stations.