Living just a stones throw from the start of the Virgin London Marathon has its disadvantages but it also gives unique access to one of the worlds biggest sporting events. On Sunday thousands of nervous runners will anxiously line up at the start in Blackheath hoping to make it to the finish line. For most it will be the reward for the hard winter nights running in the rain and snow, but for those who have followed the Jade Goody marathon diet it will be a cigarette and a can of beer at mile five and a trip to the St John’s ambulance at mile 10. Ok so those people are in the minority but they do exist, I’ve seen them. The organisers rightly ask that if you can’t run 15 miles two weeks before the marathon that you should give up your place and they will very generously give you a place the following year, the catch, well if you are a running for a charity they will still want the cash that you guaranteed when you accepted your place.
In 2009 approximately 32,000 runners started the marathon and around 25,000 finished. Injury is an inevitable part of the marathon but it is not as risky as the media would have you believe, obviously the very occasional death makes the headlines but the chance of that happening is very small.
Marathon Injury Stats:
Marathon Injury Stats:
Likelihood of Injury
• Contact with St John’s Ambulance: 1 in 6
• Visit to A & E: 1 in 800
• Hospital admission: 1 in 10,000
• Death: 1 in 67,414
Injury Classification
Social 2%
Constitutional 4%
Topical 15%
Muskoskeletal 79%
Definitions:
• Social - Self Treatment/Request for Fluids
• Musculoskeletal - Cramps, painful joint, bones or muscles;
• Topical - Blisters, abrasions, runner’s nipple, skin chafing etc.
• Constitutional - Chest or abdominal pain, diarrhea, fits, vomiting, collapse
Statistics are, as always open to interpretation but these represent the runners who have made contact with any of the medical staff along the route but it doesn’t take into account those who self refer to their own doctor/hospital or Sports Therapist etc. As expected the vast majority of injuries are musculoskeletal but unfortunately I wasn’t able to find a breakdown of the type of injuries sustained. If you are interested in reading more about the injuries and physiology of marathon runners then you should read Marathon Medicine (beware it is 350 pages) as it covers everything from the shoes you should wear, to the role of genetics and why the African nations have dominated distance running.
As an interesting aside to the marathon there are a unique band of 21 runners known as the Ever Presents who have completed every London Marathon to date, no mean feat when you realise that most of these runners are now aged between 50-70 years old. I wouldn’t want to run a marathon now let alone when I was 70. Full details on this year’s marathon can be found here and if you are thinking of watching there is a great interactive map that tells you when the elite runners will be passing by the various stages along the route.
If you are running on Sunday good luck and make sure you hydrate well in the days before the marathon and good luck also to the London Met students who are working at the marathon this weekend.
