OhioHealth Provides Trusted Medical Support at OhioHealth Capital City Half & Quarter Marathon
More than 12,000 runners and walkers flooded downtown Columbus on Saturday, April 26, for the 22nd running of the OhioHealth Capital City Half and Quarter Marathon. With cool temperatures and enthusiastic crowds, the day marked another milestone in OhioHealth’s long-standing partnership with the event, and another year of top-notch medical coverage provided by its teams.
OhioHealth has served as the official medical provider for the race since 2010, stepping in as title sponsor two years later. This year, 55 members of the OhioHealth team were on-site, including athletic trainers from OhioHealth Sports Medicine, resident physicians in family and emergency medicine, attending physicians, and medical students from the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Dublin campus. The medical team was also supported by the Red Cross First Aid Services Team (FAST), who traveled the race course on golf carts and bikes.
The cooler weather played a major role in a smooth race day, said Ben Bring, DO, family and sports medicine physician at OhioHealth Dublin Methodist Hospital and medical director for Cap City.
“The weather this year was about as perfect as you can get for a race day,” Dr. Bring said. “With start temperatures at 53 degrees, cloud cover and a light breeze, we stayed in “green flag” conditions the entire race.”
Race-day medical issues were relatively minor, thanks to the ideal conditions. One of the most common issues the team treated was exercise-associated collapse (EAC) which is lightheadedness or near-fainting that can occur when runners stop moving abruptly at the finish line.
“Most of the time this is not a serious condition,” Dr. Bring said. “Typically, runners can recover by laying on their back with their legs up on a chair or box to help re-circulate some of the blood back up to their heart.”
Other common race-day injuries included scrapes and abrasions, and while the team was prepared for heat-related illnesses, the cooler day helped keep more serious incidents to a minimum.
For Dr. Bring, one of the highlights each year is the excitement and energy just before the race begins.
“Our core team has a tradition to get a photo up on the bridge above the start/finish line,” he said. “It’s incredible to see 12,000 runners gathering on High Street. As this race continues to grow it has been really fun to see the running community embrace the healthy active lifestyle and support this wonderful community event.”
Planning for next year is already underway. Dr. Bring and the OhioHealth medical team will meet regularly throughout the year to review what went well and what could be improved.
“Our medical team leadership meets regularly over the course of the year to debrief after the race,” he said. “We’ve been really lucky to have wonderful team members, especially our athletic training staff, who keep us sharp and help with process improvement. We plan several simulation events throughout the year so that our medical team members are well trained for any conditions that might arise during the event.”
