18 January,2018 08:00 PM IST | Mumbai | Pavitra Sampath
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The Tata Mumbai Marathon is around the corner, and if you are planning to participate in any part of the run, you probably already understand that there are a number of risks involved in taking part in this endurance event. We spoke to Santosh Kumar Dora, Cardiac Electro Physiologist, Asian Heart Institute who told us about the common ailments that could hinder a person's performance and even ability to run in the marathon; Here's what he had to say
What are the medical conditions that prevent a person from running a marathon?
Marathon is a serious athletic activity. To run 21 or 42 km at a stretch needs a lot of physical training and endurance. One should be absolutely fit health wise to run a marathon. However fit one may be, he should undergo a routine medical test before deciding to participate in the training program for a marathon.
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A lot of medical conditions may make a person ineligible for a marathon. Preexisting heart and lung diseases are of primary importance. Heart diseases include blockages in the heart arteries, reduced heart pumping, valve diseases, hypertrophic and restrictive heart muscle diseases, various kind of heart rhythm disorders, uncontrolled hypertension etc. After the heart condition is fully treated, however one may participate in marathon training once the treating doctor is satisfied with the cardiac condition. Similarly, some of the untreated or poorly treated bronchial asthma, restrictive lung disease, interstitial lung diseases also make a person unfit for running. Medical conditions like diabetes, thyroid diseases, anaemia and many other metabolic and hormonal problems need to be well controlled before marathon training.
What medical tests should be done before running the marathon?
A routine health check-up is mandatory before deciding to start practising for a marathon. The tests will include blood count, lipid profile, renal function test, blood sugar evaluation, thyroid evaluation, electrocardiogram, chest X-ray, echocardiogram and stress test. Further additional tests may be needed depending on a given person's medical profile. All the test reports should be analyzed by a qualified physician.
Is there a way to run even with one of the risk factors?
Marathon running is pretty popular these days. Last year alone close to 40000 people were a part of the dreamrun, half and full marathon. This is a massive number. The worry is whether all these people have had proper training. Absence of proper training makes a person very prone to issues like muscle injury, dehydration, vertigo, stomach upset etc. Very rarely it can also lead to serious conditions like sudden cardiac arrest. The good thing is many marathon events including the Mumbai Marathon has a strict criteria for inclusion i.e. one must have run marathon before with a satisfactory timing. That makes the marathon population a safe running population. One also should remember that having run a marathon a year ago, does not make a person fully fit for the next marathon. There has to be rigorous training process before every marathon.
You may also like to read: How to prepare for the upcoming Mumbai marathon
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