36th AMAA Sports Medicine Symposium at the Boston Marathon®

AMAA Journal, Spring, 2007 by Dave Watt

Thirty six years at the Boston Marathon .... and counting. AMAA (then AMJA) or the "running Docs" were true groundbreakers. I've told the story of the birth of running medicine to many runners and they nod with understanding and a thankful gesture to the pioneers of AMJA/AMAA.

What has evolved since 1969 is pretty amazing. If you just started running marathons in the past 10 years, you are accustomed to seeing medical personnel along a marathon course and a full-fledged medical tent at the finish line. Gels, sports drinks, energy bars, space blankets, and mist tents have become common sights at marathons and triathlons. But go back to the 80s and you would have most likely seen medical personnel at the start and finish and not much in between.

Go back even further, to the 70s, and you'd witness the first running boom. Computer timing and barcodes were the rage. Runners were excited to have "technical wear" and cushioned running shoes from new innovative companies like Nike.

When AMAA began in 1969 as the American Medical Joggers Association, there was no such colloquial term as "running medicine." Medical aid stations and finish line medical triage tents did not exist. Water stops were random and manned by local residents using their own cups, tables, and volunteers. When AMJA was formed by Ron Lawrence we saw individuals like Sam Paris, Noel Nequin, Charlie Clark, and our "Energizer Bunny" Judi Babb usher in a new era in running. The gathering of young energetic "running docs" was not only fun but also fostered significant professional exchange. The AMAA Sports Medicine Symposium at the Boston Marathon has now grown into a nationally-recognized and sponsored meeting.

Each year, AMAA members have gathered to listen, question, and debate the latest advances in medicine as they relate to running and endurance sports. And here we are again for the 36th time--and we'll be here every year in the future. I'd like to think that AMAA has had a hand in making endurance running a safer and healthier experience for everyone who toes the line in Hopkinton for that 26.2-mile journey to Boston.

The 2007 symposium presents several topics that have made headlines since last year's race. Malissa Wood, MD, and her research team will present findings and recent outcomes from their two-year cardiac study that involved AMAA members running the Boston Marathon. The New York Times ran a national story on her team's study which raised eyebrows from the running public. Our noted cardiologist runner Paul Thompson, MD, examines the lab we call the Boston Marathon and looks at the impact it's had on science and medicine. Other topics include an update from our noted Hyponatremia Team led by Art Siegel, MD, along with BAA Emergency Services Director Peter Moyer, MD, and GSSI researcher Nina Stachenfeld, PhD. New insights on hyponatremia were revealed at the World Congress of Science and Medicine of the Marathon last October in Chicago; these will be presented at our meeting. We will also look at deaths in marathons through experiences from the Marine Corps Marathon, as presented by AMAA Board Member COL Francis O'Connor, MD, and Marine Corps Marathon Medical Director CAPT Bruce Adams, MD.

AMAA is proud and honored to be part of the stories and history of the Boston Marathon. Ron Lawrence's leadership and vision led to safer marathons and endurance events. His recommendations brought state of the art medical triage and treatment on-site by "bringing the ER to the course." Now the first responders are at the start, along the course, and at the finish line. And the army of AMAA runners showing that they will "run the run" and not just "talk the run" are sending important messages to patients and colleagues. Come join us in Boston for our 36th Annual AMAA Medical Symposium.

Disabled Sports: Using Sports as a Medicine

Robert Harney, MD Orthopedic Surgeon, North Suburban Orthopedic Associates, Malden, MA; Vice President, Disabled Sports USA; Medical Team, International Paralympic Committee; Medical Team, Paralympic Games

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Participation in sport provides cardiovascular fitness, weight control, self esteem, social awareness and the concept of teamwork. This is even more evident in the disabled population whose life expectancy is now approaching that of the able bodied population. This presentation will demonstrate some of the amateur and elite sports opportunities for people with disabilities, as well as some of the technical improvements that are available to this population.

The Boston Marathon as a Research Laboratory: 110 Years and Still Running

Paul D. Thompson, MD Professor of Medicine, University of Connecticut, School of Medicine, Farmington, CT; Director, Division of Cardiology, Hartford Hospital, Preventive Cardiology, Hartford, CT; Associate Editor, Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine; Editor, Exercise and Sports Cardiology; Past President, American College of Sports Medicine (Co-Researcher, Carmelo Venero, MD, Cardiology Hospitalist)