Gradual onset running-related injuries (GORRI’s) are injuries that are sustained over time from repetitive loading during running, combined with insufficient recovery. SEMLI researchers previously identified female sex; history of allergies; chronic diseases; increased years of recreational running; decreased weekly running distance; and slower training running speed as risk factors for GORR’s in a 56km road running race. There is also evidence to suggest that longer race distance is a risk factor associated with GORRI’s.  The Comrades Marathon is a 90km road running race between the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg, which has more than 15,000 entrants annually. The prevalence and risk factors associated with GORRI’s in a 90-km ultramarathon race have not yet been reported, and with such high participation rates, this is an important issue to investigate. In a recently published study SEMLI researchers aimed to determine if selected risk factors (age, sex, training variables, chronic disease and allergies) are associated with a history of GORRIs in 90- km ultramarathon race entrants.

They found that 11.6% of participants reported a GORRI in the previous 12 months and that the risk factors associated with a history of GORRI’s included being female, training variables (increased number of years of training, reduced weekly training frequency), history of chronic diseases, and a history of allergies. Based on other published research, there is still further investigation required with regard to the association of being female and years of running with injury risk.

However, novel factors found in this study to be associated with GORRIs included chronic diseases, allergies, and potentially the medication to treat chronic disease or allergies. The researchers point out that further investigation is required to determine cause-effect and identify underlying mechanisms, however Sport and Exercise Medicine clinicians can possibly use this information for future development of injury prevention programs for GORRIs in distance runners.

Reference for this summary:

Kobus SLA BBER, Martin SCH WELL NUS, Dimakatso RA MAGOLE, Jeremy BOUL TER, Marlise DYER, Esme JORDAAN, Nicola SEWRY. Risk factors associated with gradual onset running-related injuries in 5770 ultramarathon race entrants (SAFER XXXII ). The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2023 mese; 63(0):000–000 DOI: 10.23736/S0022-4707.23.14787-6.