Medical coverage of endurance events

Supervision of medical coverage at endurance events is a complex undertaking, well suited to family physicians by virtue of their training and enhanced by their flexibility to function as gatekeepers of a wide-ranging support network. Ideally, the medical director is involved from the beginning in the planning of an endurance event and will be primarily responsible for staffing, facilities, equipment and supplies, communications, and transportation. In this article, I have presented an overview of the medical problems encountered in endurance events (Table 6). These events are increasing in popularity, and physicians should be aware of the complexities and responsibilities of medical management to ensure the health and safety of all participants.