Injury patterns and levels of care at a marathon

Marathons pose many challenges to event planners. The medical services needed at such events have not received extensive coverage in the literature.

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.

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.

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 degrees F (mean, 56 degrees 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.

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.