Running competitions are becoming increasingly popular, but are they also becoming more dangerous?

Last weekend the Marathon of Leiden seemed « October 3 » « , the largest holiday of the city, the organizer said on stage according to radio channel Sleutelstad FM. Running competitions become more popular every year. In May alone, more than a hundred events are organized in the Netherlands. Loop Leeuwarden was also the biggest edition ever last weekend. The Utrecht marathon has 20,000 participants. The organization is preparing for warm weather with more ice, wet towels and care posts.

Emergency services had their hands full of runners who became unwell, among other things due to overheating. In Leiden, a woman with heart rhythm disorders had to go to the hospital. A 29-year-old runner died in Leeuwarden after he collapsed just before the finish.

According to Jochem van Weelie, one of the organizers of Loop Leeuwarden, this incident could not be prevented. « It could have happened with 500 participants. You never know in advance. »

It seems as if incidents are increasing among runners. Is that so? And if so: what is that because of?

In Leiden it was 23.2 degrees, in Leeuwarden 24: For running that is warm. Due to climate change, the Dutch climate is warming up relatively quickly, says Hein Daanen, professor of thermophysiology at the VU in Amsterdam. That, in combination with, among other things, humidity, this increases the risk of overheating at running competitions. He sees that more runners overheat in recent years, but according to him that is not only due to the Earthwarming. « The first factor is that more and more people are participating in competitions. That also increases the number of incidents. It could well be that due to the increased popularity, not everyone who starts a marathon is just fit. »

Whether the popularity of running is increasingly participating in competitions, is unclear. Organizers respond differently about this NRC.

Heat remnant

In Leeuwarden and Leiden, the suddenness of the heat also played a role, according to Daanen. « The body has to adapt to the heat. So the sooner in the season, the higher the risk that something goes wrong. »

Everyone gets it warmer from effort in the heat. If all goes well, adjust your pace if you get too hot. Overmotivation can let the body temperature rise too far, says Daanen. In the worst case, this leads to a life -threatening heat stroke. Then organs fall out because the body can no longer cool itself. Victims stop sweating and sometimes cold, despite a very high body temperature. In April a 25-year-old runner died after the marathon in Enschede On a heat stroke.

Daanen: « In the event of a suspicion of a heat stroke, aggressive must be cooled. » An ice bath is most effective, says Daanen. The Dam tot Damloop has been using cooling baths since 2019. There is also a cooling pool in Utrecht, but many smaller events have no bath that requires a specialized doctor and experienced staff.

Incidentally, some people have hereditary predisposition for a greater chance of heat stroke, says Daanen. And runners do not always die from a stroke: an acute heart problem is also a common cause of death. Sometimes overheating plays a role, more often there were cardiovascular disease.

« The chance of dying at a running competition is still very small, » says Thijs Eijsvogels, teacher of exercise physiology at the Radboudumc. « Movement is super healthy, especially in a society where the majority does not move enough. » He led an investigation that was published last year, It shows that the health benefits of a sports match are outbound against the risk of death. Participants had a 35 percent lower risk of early death compared to people who do not do sporting events. That is mainly about the preparation, says Eijsvogels. « With fitness and healthy eating. »

Eijsvogels does not see that deadly incidents among competition hard runners increase faster than the number of runners. He thinks it is actually decreasing. « By raising awareness of athletes and professionalization of the events. »

« Organizations have a responsibility, but also people themselves, » says Eijsvogels. That means, among other things: training, ventilation and also drinking well days in advance, on that hammer Organizers and emergency services.

And middle-aged athletes can be tested by the doctor for risk factors for cardiovascular disease, advises Eijsvogels. Because many heart disguises go unnoticed the fatal moment.

Stop immediately

During the competition itself, it is important to stop immediately with symptoms of overheating, says Daanen. By suddenly hot day it is difficult to train for an amateur athlete, he sees. « Remember that your body is not yet used to the heat. So pay attention to your body. »

That is quite difficult during the long -awaited competition. Inexperienced athletes allow their pace to be stronger by ‘stimuli’, such as other runners or encouragements from spectators on the side. That told Eefje Raedts, head expert performance behavior and mental health at NOC-NSF, after NRC had measured that runners with little experience at the Dam tot Damloop faster exhaust their experienced counterparts at the beginning.

Van Weelie, Van Loop Leeuwarden, wants to emphasize that it is not intended that participants go beyond their own boundaries. « If it becomes too heavy or too difficult for participants, we miss our objective: more moving. If participants grab too high, we miss the boat. »

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