Sports-related injuries and illnesses during the Four Feathers Ultra Marathon 2020, Sabah: A retrospective study

Abstract

Background: There were limited studies on the prevalence of injuries and illnesses among ultramarathoners. Aim and Objectives: This was a retrospective study to describe the injuries and illnesses seen during Four Feather Ultra Marathon 2020, Sabah, held from 29th February 2020 to 1st March 2020, for future preparation of medical team standby. Methods: All ultramarathoners who reported to the medical camp or on site with medical complains, and musculoskeletal complains were included in the study pools. There were 6 medical camp sites; KM10, KM19, KM36, KM51, KM62 and KM90. Results: The incidence of injury was 504 per 1000 athletes, 478 per 1000 km run, and 401.4 per 1000 h run. There was no severe injury or medical illness that require urgent referral to a hospital. For minor injuries and illnesses, 54.3 % due to medical conditions, 39.8% due to musculoskeletal injuries and 5.9% due to skin conditions. For heat-related illness, 31.5% were heat cramps and 15.7% were heat exhaustion. 50KM category runners have the highest percentage of heat-related illness (78.3%) followed by 90km category (11.7%) and 20km category (10%). 74.2% (n = 89) of heat-related illness occurred at KM 19, 20% (n=24) occurred at KM 37, 2.5% (n = 3) at KM 50, and 3.3% (n = 4) at KM 70. Conclusion: It is important to identify the early signs of severe heat-related illness. Thus, pre-planning medical standby is crucial to alert all medical staff during the event regarding symptoms and signs of heat-related illnesses during the event.