Muskuloskeletal injuries in mountain running races: A 5 seasons study

Abstract

Mountain running races have grown in popularity in the recent years. Nonetheless, there are few studies on injuries and injury rates. Moreover, these studies have focused on long-distance events such as ultramarathons (>42 km). Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the severity, type, and body location of musculoskeletal injuries during 20–42 km mountain running races. In addition, the injury rates in this type of races were examined. Methods: Data on injuries were collected during 36 mountain running races over 5 consecutive seasons from 2015 to 2019. The participants reported all musculoskeletal injuries on a standardized injury report form. The results were presented as the number of injuries per 1000 h exposure and per 1000 participants. Results: Twenty eight injuries were reported. Most injuries occurred in the ankle (32%) followed by the knee (14%) and foot/toe (11%). The number of injuries represented an overall injury rate of 1.6 injuries per 1000 h running and 5.9 injuries per 1000 runners. The case fatality rate was 0. Conclusions: The incidence of musculoskeletal injuries during 20–42 km mountain running races is low. In addition, the majority of injuries experienced by runners are minor in nature and located in lower extremities, mainly the ankles.