FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:Dave Watt
Executive Director
American Running Association
(800) 776-2732
dave@americanrunning.org
INAUGURAL MEETING OF AMERICAN ROAD RACE
MEDICAL SOCIETY SETS AGENDA FOR STANDARDIZING
MEDICAL CARE AT ATHLETIC EVENTS
Chicago Marathon Hosts First Meeting, with Over 40 Event Personnel in
Attendance, Including Representatives from AIMS and USATF
CHICAGO (October 11, 2003)-A new group of doctors and health care
professionals known as the American Road Race Medical Society (ARRMS) will
bring together medical professionals from road races nationwide in an
attempt to standardize medical recommendations at their events. With more
people than ever signing up for distance events such as marathons, the call
for streamlined health and safety guidelines for race personnel is at an
all time high.
The organization, which is chaired by Bill Roberts, MD, medical director of
the Twin Cities Marathon, held its inaugural meeting on the Saturday before
the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon this year. It was hosted by that race's
medical director, Greg Ewert, MD.
Roberts and Dave Watt, executive director of the American Running
Association, which formed the group, hope to over time develop a
participant death and injury registry, enabling medical response teams to
better establish a course of action for a given distance under various race
conditions. ARRMS sees annual or semi-annual meetings at races around the
country as the most effective means for consolidating and disseminating the
wealth of health and safety information it will no doubt amass.
But ARRMS also envisions itself as a vital networking resource for race
directors and their medical counterparts, who are always in need of
up-to-the-minute information on safety issues, as well as a staff of
capable volunteers. "This is an exciting time for those of us who have been
working to put this together," said Roberts. "We hope to use a Web site to
communicate to the various audiences-from runners to race administrators to
medical providers-and embed in the site a secure area for members to
correspond with questions and ideas."
Roberts would like to see the organization educate runners and the larger
medical communities that host these events. He believes runners should know
their individual risks, and that all would benefit from more outreach
efforts on behalf of ARRMS. "We want to address all aspects of medical care
and race safety," he said.
Watt, speaking at the ARRMS meeting, concurred. He stated, "This new
organization (ARRMS) will be a great forum for doctors, nurses, EMTs and
other medical workers to share best practices, and at the same time help
inform and educate runners about the safest way to participate in road
races."
Though the group discussed expansion into triathlons, cycling competitions,
and skiing events, Roberts said the focus for now would be on road racing.
Medical representatives from the nation's marathons made up over half of
those in attendance, with personnel from shorter distance road races
comprising the rest.
For more information on how you can benefit from ARRMS-sponsored services,
contact the American Running Association at (800) 776-2732. ARRMS will be
hosted on the website for the American Medical Athletic Association (AMAA)
who is the professional division of American Running:
www.amaasportsmed.org.
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