Subject: USATF Announces Major Change in
Hydration Guidelines
Contact: Jill M.Geer
Director of Communications
317-261-0500 x360
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
USATF announces major change in hydration
guidelines for long-distance runners.
BOSTON - USA Track & Field (USATF) on
Saturday unveiled new fluid-replacement guidelines for long-distance runners,
as well as a major new initiative to educate the distance-running public about
how to properly hydrate.
For athletes in general and especially for
those completing a marathon in more than four hours, USATF recommends consuming
100 percent of fluids lost due to sweat while racing. This marks a significant
change from the understanding most runners have that they should be drinking as
much as possible and following the guideline to "stay ahead of your
thirst," which has been held as the standard recommendation for many years.
Simply put, runners should be sensitive to
the onset of thirst as the signal to drink, rather than staying ahead of
thirst. Being guided by their thirst, runners prevent dehydration while also
lowering the risk of hyponatremia (low sodium), a potentially dangerous
condition increasingly seen as runners have erroneously been instructed to
over-hydrate.
Announced by USATF in advance of the 2003
Boston Marathon, the new guidelines mark a significant shift in standard
recommendations for fluid replacement. They reflect changes in scientific
thinking as well as changes in the average finishing times of marathon fields.
"The 'new running boom' has seen more
mid-pack and back-of-the-pack runners taking up marathoning," USATF CEO
Craig Masback said. "The United States now has 30 million adult runners, a
growth that has been tremendous for the sport and the overall health of
Americans. As the national governing body for long distance running, we
consider it vital that we play a key role in educating athletes of all levels,
from the four-hour-plus marathoner to our Olympians."
A potentially fatal condition, hyponatremia
most often occurs in exercise lasting four hours or longer and results
primarily from consuming excessive fluids and is exacerbated by not replacing
sodium losses. Severe cases of may involve grand mal seizures, increased
intracranial pressure, pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs), respiratory arrest
and even death.
In USATF's new hydration guidelines,
long-distance runners are instructed to consume 1 liter of fluid for every
liter lost during a race, equaling a 1:1 ratio. Runners can determine their
rate of sweat loss weeks before a race by using the USATF Self-Testing Program
for Optimal Hydration, as described on www.usatf.org.
Following this self-determined hydration
strategy minimizes risks associated with both dehydration and over-hydration.
Athletes who have not yet had the opportunity
to perform self-testing should begin their races well-hydrated - indicated by
clear urine - and then drink when thirsty during their races, rather than
drinking constantly as some have recommended. A sports drink with sodium and
other electrolytes is preferred.
Runners lose not only water, but also
significant amounts of sodium and other minerals while sweating during the
course of a marathon. Recommendations of 150 percent fluid replacement or more
could result in runners consuming large quantities of water during their races,
causing a drop in overall sodium levels and, potentially, hyponatremia.
While proper hydration is critical for all
runners competing in long distance races, those who are on the course for an
extended period of time have a greater risk of dehydration or of overhydration,
which increases the risk of hyponatremia. This risk demands that runners know
how much their bodies need in racing conditions.
Many scientists now view hyponatremia as just
as much of a threat to runners as heat illness and dehydration, and major papers
distributed by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)
and USATF have described these potential problems and how to avoid them.
Education
USATF this weekend is issuing a call to
action to energize its organizational infrastructure in a public-education push
on the topic of fluid replacement and hyponatremia. USATF's 56 Associations and
2,500 local clubs - which serve all 50 states and 80,000 USA Track & Field
members - will be a starting point for distributing the recommendations on a
grassroots level.
While many runners may choose to conduct
their own self-testing, USATF will work with clubs and Association to set up
clinics at which runners will do the one-hour runs under supervision to help
them best determine their hydration needs.
As runners have learned the importance of
hydration during long distance events, dehydration has become a less prevalent
condition. Medical crews at marathon finish lines now are dealing more with
hyperthermia (heat illness), postural hypotension (pooling of blood in the
legs), hyponatremia, and the normal injuries that are common among marathon
runners such as blisters and muscle injuries.
Hyperthermia can occur regardless of
hydration levels or the distance of a race. In fact, shorter races can pose
more of a threat due to the faster pace per mile, which causes greater heat
production. An adequately hydrated runner who is running too fast or pushing
herself too hard, especially in hot and humid conditions, can fall victim to hyperthermia.
It is therefore important that athletes adjust their pace to take into
consideration race conditions, slowing their pace as heat and humidity rise,
regardless of how much they may be drinking.
"Postural hypotension" is
experienced when a runner suddenly stops, most commonly at the finish line.
With blood pooling in the legs, there is inadequate blood supply to the rest of
the body and the runner feels faint and can fall down. This had been thought of
as demonstrating dehydration, so the response from medical teams was to
rehydrate these runners. Now, medical personnel can identify this problem
correctly and treat it specifically.
Treatment requires raising the runner's feet
above the head for 3-4 minutes for full recovery. Runners can avoid postural
hypotension by keeping the legs moving, even with light walking or moderate
knee flexing when they otherwise would stand still at or immediately after the
finish or at other locations along the racecourse.
For more information
USATF's new guidelines, along with supporting
documentation, are explained in two scientific advisories on the topic.
"Proper Hydration for Distance Running -
Identifying Individual Fluid Needs", by Douglas Casa, Ph.D., ATC, FACSM,
of the University of Connecticut, is issued by USA Track & Field.
"IMMDA-AIMS Advisory statement on
guidelines for fluid replacement during marathon running," was written by
Tim Noakes MBChB, MD, FACSM of the University of Cape Town, South Africa; and
David E. Martin, Ph.D. FACSM, of Georgia State University. It was published in
IAAF New Studies in Athletics, March 2002, pp. 15-24.