“We previously showed that about 10 percent of runners have symptoms of acute illness in the few days before a race,” study coauthor Dr. Martin Schwellnus said by email. Schwellnus and his colleagues decided to study runners who reported pre-race illness to determine the effects of various symptoms on racing outcome. About 140 of the runners were given advice on how to handle their illnesses and doctors advised 23 acutely ill runners not to start the race. About 11 percent of runners who were diagnosed with acute illness during the 24 hours just before the race did not finish. Runners with systemic symptoms such as fever, generalized muscle pain and joint pain, chest pain, elevated resting heart rate, dehydration from vomiting and diarrhea should not run, said Schwellnus.

Source: Egypt Independent May 05, 2017 18:56 UTC